Doctoral Summit
2025 Call for Participants
The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences would like to invite 40 advanced doctoral students from accredited Ph.D. programs to participate in the ACJS Doctoral Summit during the 2025 annual meeting. The conference will be held March 11 - 15, 2025, in Denver, CO.
Scholarship
1. Participants must complete 8 hours and 45 minutes of professional development training, plus attend the ACJS DSS Orientation & Research Symposium, the Presidential Address, and Debriefing Dinner for another 4 hours and 15 minutes of participation time.
2. Students will present a 15-20 minute poster presentation on their research at the Orientation & Research Symposium. Poster costs are covered by the Doctoral Summit scholarship.
3. Participants will prepare for the professional development training sessions by completing several short readings prior to the Summit. The professional development training will be covered in six required sessions and one additional session of the participants choosing:
Required Sessions
● Juggling the Work-Life Balance
● Managing Stress and Maintaining Sanity while Pursuing Your Ph.D.
● Navigating the Job Market 1 & 2
● Identity-Based Barriers in Academia 1 & 2
Options for Additional Sessions
● Tips for Completing the Dissertation
● Academia Beyond Borders
● Action-Research/Community Engagement
● Careers Outside of Academia
● Tips for Junior Faculty Members
● Audience-Driven Research Communication
4. A scholarship recipient may only miss one 75-minute required session because s/he is presenting research at another scheduled panel, and s/he is the first-author of that paper. The session must then be made up by attending another optional session so that the total time in Doctoral Summit sessions equates to 13 hours. Students who have more than one scheduling conflict with Summit events will be excluded from participating. The scholarship will be rescinded and offered to another student. Recipients must notify Dr. Button of any schedule conflicts when completing the Scholarship Agreement and Acceptance Form.
5. Students who are selected to participate must complete the Scholarship Agreement and Acceptance Form by December 30, register for the conference, using the promo code (TBD), by January 15, and upload their research poster file by February 1. Those who fail to complete these tasks will be excluded from any Summit benefits and participation in closed sessions.
6. The scholarship recipient must either join a Section or volunteer to serve on one of the Academy’s standing committees and/or Section committees in the year following the Summit to demonstrate their investment in the Academy.
Eligibility Conditions
Advanced doctoral students with a minimum 3. 5 GPA are encouraged to apply. Advanced doctoral students are those who are done with classes, have taken their qualifying exams (or their program’s equivalent progress marker), or have completed their prospectus. Potential applicants do not have to meet all three criteria to be considered eligible, but they should be further along in their degree progress than newer students. Students must submit both the online form and application packet to be considered. Those who have previously been awarded are not eligible. Students must be willing to share a room with another same gender student from a different university. Roommates will be assigned by ACJS; scholarship recipients may not select their own roommates. Candidates who are unable or unwilling to share a room with another same gender student from a different University will not be eligible for the scholarship.
Application Materials and Submission Deadline
Applicants may self-nominate and should submit their own application package. It is not required that graduate program directors nominate candidates for the scholarship. There is no limit on the number of students who apply from each program. In addition to the ACJS Doctoral Summit online application, the following materials should be submitted in order as one pdf file to Dr. Deeanna Button at deeanna.button@stockton.edu by October 15, 2024. Files should be saved as last name, first initial (e.g., Button, D.). Please look for a confirmation of receipt within 48 business hours.
- Cover letter of no more than 500 words
- One letter of recommendation
- Current curriculum vitae
- Current official or unofficial transcript
Scholarship Selection Process
Applicants may self-nominate and should submit their own application package. It is not required that graduate program directors nominate candidates for the scholarship. There is no limit on the number of students who apply from each program. In addition to the ACJS Doctoral Summit online application, the following materials should be submitted in order as one pdf file to Dr. Deeanna Button at deeanna.button@stockton.edu by October 15, 2024. Files should be saved as last name, first initial (e.g., Button, D.). Please look for a confirmation of receipt within 48 business hours.
• Cover letter of no more than 500 words
• One letter of recommendation
• Current curriculum vitae
• Current official or unofficial transcript
Selection Process Details and Criteria for Scoring:
Scholarship Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by the ACJS Doctoral Summit organizers. Each applicant will receive a separate score for their cover letter, recommendation letter, and curriculum vitae. Applicants with the highest scores will be invited to participate. The following criteria will be used in the scoring process:
● Minimum 3.5 GPA requirement
● Cover letter (500-word limit):
- General indication of desire to participate in the Summit;
- Discussion of how the Summit may help with professional development, networking, teaching, service, and/or research goals;
- Indication of the participant’s interest in joining a Section or volunteering to serve on one of the Academy’s standing committees and/or Section committees.
● Recommendation letter with a generally positive review and favorable review of the student’s academic, scholarship, and/or leadership achievements.
Important Dates
| June 15 | First Call for Applications | December 30 | Deadline to Accept Award
Deadline to Submit Research Symposium Abstract |
| September 1 | Second Call for Applications | January 15 |
Letter of Acceptance Sent
Final Roster Announced Roommates Assigned and Pre-Summit Tasks Sent |
| October 1 | Final Call for Applications | February 1 | Deadline to Register for the Conference
Deadline to Upload Research Poster File |
| October 15 | Deadline to Apply | March 5 |
Final Confirmation of Attendance |
| December 15 |
Notification of Award | March 11-15 | Denver, CO |
Please contact Deeanna Button at deeanna.button@stockton.edu with any questions.
The networking opportunities provided by this event are often understated. We were able to meet past and present presidents of ACJS, prominent authors and researchers from the discipline, recent graduates as well as new doc students. In other words, the Summit allows new doc students to meet academicians and practitioners of all ages and levels of experience, each with different yet similar interests in CJ. If not for this event, it is unlikely that I would have ever approached any of the individuals encountered at the Summit. Thank you for an amazing experience. I look forward to helping with the Summit in the future, and will always remain a dedicated supporter."