THE CUNY GRADUATE CENTER
APPLICATION GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE IRWIN POLISHOOK
SCHOLARSHIP
The Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund was established in 1979 by the Professional Staff
Congress/CUNY, the instructional staff union of The City University of New York. This scholarship honors
Dr. Irwin Polishook, a longtime CUNY leader and advocate. As President of the Professional Staff
Congress (PSC), Dr. Polishook was deeply committed to supporting CUNY’s faculty and staff.
In keeping with his dedication to academic excellence, this scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit and is not need-based.
2. The Board of Trustees of the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund (Trustees) will review all applications and select candidates to be interviewed.
3. Applicants must be full-time CUNY Graduate Center students with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.
4. The scholarship is a one-year award of $5,000, payable in two installments of $2,500, provided the student remains enrolled full-time at CUNY and continues to meet the academic and community service requirements.
5. Recipients must maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher and provide evidence of continued community service during both semesters in which they receive the scholarship. 6. The Trustees shall be the sole judges of whether a recipient continues to meet the scholarship requirements.
7. Scholarship recipients may not defer the award. All awards must be used during the Fall semester of the academic year for which they are awarded.
8. Scholarship recipients may not reapply for the scholarship in the future.
9. Applicants must provide evidence of significant volunteer service to CUNY, the community, or both, as documented through a letter of recommendation.
10. Candidates selected for an interview by a panel of the Trustees must be available to participate in an interview when requested.
11. All applicants will receive an automated response confirming submission of their application.
12. Receipt of an application does not constitute assurance of its acceptance. It confirms only that the application has been received. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and includes all required documentation. Applicants will not be notified if an application is incomplete or if required information or documentation is missing.
13. All successful scholarship recipients will be notified by email.
14. Decisions of the Board of Trustees are final.
1. Community Service Recommendation
One letter must be from an individual in a leadership or supervisory role who can personally attest to and evaluate the applicant’s volunteer social commitment to the college, the university, and/or the larger community. The recommender must have personal knowledge of the applicant’s volunteer community service activities.
2. Academic Recommendation
Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund | CUNY Graduate Center Application One letter must be written by an instructor who has taught the applicant in a graduate-level course during the current or previous academic year. This letter must address the applicant’s academic performance.
4. Applicants are responsible for providing recommenders with the email address for submission of letters and for instructing recommenders to use the applicant’s full name, last name first, as the subject line.
Example: Re: Smith, John
5. Letters of recommendation must be submitted on official letterhead that includes the recommender’s contact information; signed by the recommender; emailed as PDF attachments to recommend@bellezeller.org; and include the recommender’s daytime telephone number and email address.
6. Letters submitted in the body of an email, as Microsoft Word documents, JPEG files, or as scanned or hard copies will not be accepted.
7. Letters must include the recommender’s daytime contact information, including telephone number and email address.
8. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant.
The personal statement must:
Include evidence of the applicant’s most significant and recent volunteer community service within the past two years; and Comment on the applicant’s recent academic work.
Personal Statement Requirements
The applicant’s first and last name must appear at the top of every page.
The personal statement must be submitted in PDF format.
The personal statement may not exceed 600 words. Microsoft Word documents will not be accepted.
Authenticity and Use of AI Your personal statement should be an authentic reflection of your experiences, accomplishments and goals written in your own voice.
The Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund expects the personal statement to reflect the applicant’s own experiences, ideas, voice, and writing. Applicants may use artificial intelligence tools only for limited assistance, such as proofreading, spelling, grammar, or formatting. AI tools may not be used to write, generate, substantially rewrite, or otherwise create the personal statement or any portion of it.
Submitting work generated or substantially written by artificial intelligence as the applicant’s own work may result in disqualification. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all submitted materials accurately represent their own experiences, accomplishments, and ideas.
2. Belle Zeller Scholars may be required to authorize the release of their college records to verify continued full-time enrollment and eligibility.
3. Belle Zeller Scholars who do not comply with the stated scholarship conditions will forfeit the remainder of their scholarship.
Before submitting your application, please carefully review all requirements and ensure that all required
information and documentation have been submitted. An application will be considered complete only
when all required materials have been received in the required format.
In keeping with his dedication to academic excellence, this scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit and is not need-based.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Application Deadline: Completed applications must be received no later than midnight on February 26, 2027.2. The Board of Trustees of the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund (Trustees) will review all applications and select candidates to be interviewed.
3. Applicants must be full-time CUNY Graduate Center students with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.
4. The scholarship is a one-year award of $5,000, payable in two installments of $2,500, provided the student remains enrolled full-time at CUNY and continues to meet the academic and community service requirements.
5. Recipients must maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher and provide evidence of continued community service during both semesters in which they receive the scholarship. 6. The Trustees shall be the sole judges of whether a recipient continues to meet the scholarship requirements.
7. Scholarship recipients may not defer the award. All awards must be used during the Fall semester of the academic year for which they are awarded.
8. Scholarship recipients may not reapply for the scholarship in the future.
9. Applicants must provide evidence of significant volunteer service to CUNY, the community, or both, as documented through a letter of recommendation.
10. Candidates selected for an interview by a panel of the Trustees must be available to participate in an interview when requested.
11. All applicants will receive an automated response confirming submission of their application.
12. Receipt of an application does not constitute assurance of its acceptance. It confirms only that the application has been received. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and includes all required documentation. Applicants will not be notified if an application is incomplete or if required information or documentation is missing.
13. All successful scholarship recipients will be notified by email.
14. Decisions of the Board of Trustees are final.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Two letters of recommendation are required.1. Community Service Recommendation
One letter must be from an individual in a leadership or supervisory role who can personally attest to and evaluate the applicant’s volunteer social commitment to the college, the university, and/or the larger community. The recommender must have personal knowledge of the applicant’s volunteer community service activities.
2. Academic Recommendation
Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund | CUNY Graduate Center Application One letter must be written by an instructor who has taught the applicant in a graduate-level course during the current or previous academic year. This letter must address the applicant’s academic performance.
Submission Requirements
3. Applicants are strongly advised to request letters of recommendation at least six weeks before the application deadline to allow sufficient time for recommenders to prepare and submit the required letters.4. Applicants are responsible for providing recommenders with the email address for submission of letters and for instructing recommenders to use the applicant’s full name, last name first, as the subject line.
Example: Re: Smith, John
5. Letters of recommendation must be submitted on official letterhead that includes the recommender’s contact information; signed by the recommender; emailed as PDF attachments to recommend@bellezeller.org; and include the recommender’s daytime telephone number and email address.
6. Letters submitted in the body of an email, as Microsoft Word documents, JPEG files, or as scanned or hard copies will not be accepted.
7. Letters must include the recommender’s daytime contact information, including telephone number and email address.
8. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant.
APPLICANT’S PERSONAL STATEMENT
STATEMENT DESCRIBING YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE
In a MAXIMUM OF 600 WORDS, applicants must write a personal statement discussing their life experiences as they relate to their goals and social commitment.The personal statement must:
Include evidence of the applicant’s most significant and recent volunteer community service within the past two years; and Comment on the applicant’s recent academic work.
Personal Statement Requirements
The applicant’s first and last name must appear at the top of every page.
The personal statement must be submitted in PDF format.
The personal statement may not exceed 600 words. Microsoft Word documents will not be accepted.
Authenticity and Use of AI Your personal statement should be an authentic reflection of your experiences, accomplishments and goals written in your own voice.
The Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund expects the personal statement to reflect the applicant’s own experiences, ideas, voice, and writing. Applicants may use artificial intelligence tools only for limited assistance, such as proofreading, spelling, grammar, or formatting. AI tools may not be used to write, generate, substantially rewrite, or otherwise create the personal statement or any portion of it.
Submitting work generated or substantially written by artificial intelligence as the applicant’s own work may result in disqualification. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all submitted materials accurately represent their own experiences, accomplishments, and ideas.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. All applicants are entitled to equal consideration under the terms of applicable equal opportunity and affirmative action provisions in accordance with Internal Revenue Service stipulations.2. Belle Zeller Scholars may be required to authorize the release of their college records to verify continued full-time enrollment and eligibility.
3. Belle Zeller Scholars who do not comply with the stated scholarship conditions will forfeit the remainder of their scholarship.