The McMahon Distinguished Professor Scholarship to Study in Madrid and Buenos Aries

The McMahon Distinguished Professor Scholarship provides up to five awards of $3,000 to students who participate in both ECU summer study abroad programs in Madrid, Spain, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, during Summer 2027.

The scholarship gives students the opportunity to explore how small museums, writers’ homes, and other cultural sites help preserve history, national identity, and cultural memory in Spain and Argentina. Students will compare what they see and learn in both countries and develop a research project based on their experiences.

To be eligible, applicants must:
-Be enrolled, as confirmed by October 15, 2026 in both of the following ECU summer study abroad programs in 2027: Spanish Language and Culture Immersion in Madrid with Dr. Lorenzo and Dr. Escourido and Summer in Buenos Aires with Dr. Levi Altstaedter, Dr. Falasca, and Prof. Magali Krosl

-Be able to enroll in and complete upper-level coursework that includes research projects related to the scholarship’s focus on museums, writers’ and artists’ homes, history, and national identity.

-Complete a comparative research project based on experiences in Madrid and Buenos Aires.
Possible questions to include:
How to museums, writers’, and artists’ homes help preserve history and cultural identity?
How do these places help people remember people, places, and the past?
How do Spanish and Argentine institutions present history and culture to the public?
What role do local communities and visitors play in supporting these cultural sites?

-Be an undergraduate pursuing a declared BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures major with a concentration in Hispanic Studies (catalog year through AY24) or Spanish and Hispanic Studies (beginning catalog year AY25) or an undergraduate pursuing a declared minor in Hispanic Studies.

-Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

-Preference will be given to students who demonstrate financial need.