Eugene P. Ruehlmann Scholarship
Purpose:
Gene Ruehlmann graduated from the Department of Political Science at UC in 1947 and went onto a distinguished career in public service. From 1967-1971, Mr. Ruehlmann was Mayor of Cincinnati and was the driving force behind the construction of Riverfront Stadium, the plaza at Fountain Square, and bringing the Bengals to Cincinnati. In 1968, when riots tore apart Cincinnati neighborhoods, he was credited with helping to heal the wounds and creating city programs to deal with unemployment and housing discrimination. The Ruehlmann Scholarship is meant to honor this great civic legacy. It supports a current School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) student, who is committed to excellence as a Political Science major, with an award up to $2,500.
Eligibility to apply (AY 2024-2025):
- Declared major in Political Science
- Demonstrated financial need via FASFA.
Although every student who fits the criteria above is invited to apply, preference will be given to applicants who have completed POL 1001 and the required introductory courses in Political Science (e.g. 1010, 1040, 1060, 1080), and have accrued no less than 15 and no more than 60 college credit hours.
The application process includes:
- Statement of purpose (250 words or less) indicating the student is a POL major and intends to continue studies in their major, explains their primary interests and plans, states they are applying for the Ruehlmann Scholarship and also authorizes the school to confirm through the university their financial need via FASFA;
- An essay discussing a public policy issue that most interests the applicant as a political science major (500 words or less). As part of the discussion, students should relate some aspect of their political science coursework to the policy issue;
- Optional statement of community involvement (250 words or less);
- A letter of reference from a faculty member (preferably in SPIA).
Applicants should send their statement of purpose (#1), public policy essay (#2) and optional statement of community involvement (#3) as a single PDF to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Alexander Thurston (Alexander.Thurston@uc.edu).
Applications will be considered complete only after we receive your letter of recommendation (#4). Students should instruct faculty members to send the letter as an email attachment to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Alexander Thurston (Alexander.Thurston@uc.edu).
The deadline is March 25, 2025 to receive both applications and letters of recommendation.
The School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Committee will review all applications and make a decision by end of April. The award is announced by the end of April and granted for the academic year beginning in August 2024.
The Eugene P. Ruehlmann Papers 1956-69 (http://uclid.uc.edu/record=b3271334) are housed in the University of Cincinnati Library and is a collection of over 100 boxes of material open to research on city politics. The collection includes professional papers, campaign records, Cincinnati City Council materials, correspondence, and files on the Cincinnati ballpark (Riverfront Stadium).
