Catholic Theological
Society of America

The Catholic Theological Society of America has established a scholarship program to help defray the costs of attending the CTSA annual convention. The purposes of the Dolores L. Christie scholarship are 1) to recruit new members to the CTSA, particularly graduate students in theology or religious studies, and 2) to facilitate attendance for current CTSA members who, because of financial circumstances, would not otherwise be able to attend the convention. Individuals may apply for the scholarship which reimburses up to $1,250 of expenses associated with attending the convention. Covered expenses include registration, lodging at the convention hotel, transportation, and meals (including the required John Courtney Murray banquet). Clarification: the award reimburses up to $1,250 of a recipient’s convention expenses. If expenses total less than $1,250, no additional monies will be given. 

Priority will be given to those who apply by October 1 and will appear on the program; other applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, pending availability of funding.

• Eligible applicants include:
  1. Any current full or associate member of the CTSA.
  2. Any prospective member who has an application for full or associate membership on file with the CTSA Secretary by October 1st, the deadline for the scholarship application. Important: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements and be actively applying for associate or full membership at the convention for which they request scholarship funding. 
     
     
     
• Selection process:
  1. Applications received by October 1st will be reviewed by the scholarship sub-committee of the CTSA Board of Directors. This sub-committee will consist of the CTSA Treasurer and two board members appointed by the President.
  2. The scholarship sub-committee will review the applications and present its recommendations to the CTSA Board of Directors for their final approval at its fall meeting. Awards will be determined based on the candidate’s statement (requested on the application form) and demonstrated financial need. Priority will be given to applicants who have not previously received an award.
  3. Following the full board’s decision, the chair of the scholarship sub-committee will inform all applicants whether they have been awarded a scholarship or not.
     
     
     
• Guidelines for Dolores L. Christie scholarship recipients:
  1. Travel - Reimbursement is for direct travel to/from the convention site for oneself (and/or an approved assistant) and travel must take place within two days before the convention begins and two days after it ends. The scholarship covers airfare--including associated parking expenses and local transportation--from the airport nearest the recipient’s permanent home address to the airport closest to the convention site, then the return trip home via the same route. For recipients driving to the convention, the scholarship will reimburse for mileage at the standard rate. Any lodging expenses, layovers, or side trips affiliated with travel to/from the convention must be pre-approved by the chairperson of the Scholarship Committee.
  2. Attendance - Awardees must attend the entire CTSA convention for which they receive the scholarship award. Any exceptions must be approved by the chairperson of the Scholarship Committee.
  3. Hotel – The scholarship covers hotel expenses for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings of the convention. Scholarship awardees are required to stay at the convention hotel, unless otherwise approved by the chairperson of the Scholarship Committee. The room reservation must be secured no later than March 31 through the CTSA's online reservation portal and must be included in the CTSA room block.  Awardees are also encouraged to utilize the roommate-pairing service available on the CTSA website to further help defray their conference costs.
  4. Scholarship recipients must submit expense receipts to the CTSA Executive Director in order to be reimbursed by July 31 of the convention year; no reimbursements will be processed after this date (Reimbursement Request Form).   No monies will be sent to recipients without receipts (note: conference registration and John Courtney Murray banquet [attendance required] expenses will be covered by the CTSA on the master bill, so applicants only need to submit receipts for transportation, meals, and lodging at the convention hotel). Reimbursement for airline expenditures may be submitted before the start of the convention. All other receipts must be submitted for reimbursement in one comprehensive packet following the convention’s conclusion.   Once the paperwork is received and approved, the CTSA will cut a check and mail it to the awardee.  Note:  If an awardee requests funds be wired into the awardee's bank account, a $45 fee will be deducted from the award to cover the associated charges.
  5. Awardees may only submit receipts for reimbursement that pertain to their own expenses and/or the travel of their approved assistant; no reimbursements will be provided for spouses, significant others, etc.
  6. Scholarship awardees must submit their conference registration form to the CTSA Executive Director on or before May 1.
  7. Ordinarily members would not apply for a scholarship more than twice. However, cases of unusual need may be considered on a case by case basis by the Committee and the Board.
  • Convention Registration
  1. Awardees must register for the annual convention by May 1st via the CTSA Convention Registration Scholarship form.  The form is emailed to the awardees by the CTSA Treasurer and Executive Director in January.  Once submitted, the form automatically deducts registration and event purchases from the award amount.