Ronald L. Becker Award

The Ronald L. Becker Award aims to promote professional development among new professionals within the MARAC region. It is named in honor of Ron Becker, a founding member of MARAC who was a very active member and leader. He was MARAC Chair, a New Jersey caucus representative, and editor of The Mid-Atlantic Archivist. After 43 years as an archivist, Ron retired in 2016. He continues to advocate for archives students and new professionals and participated in an oral history project for MARAC's 50th anniversary.

The annual award of up to $1,500 would be used for costs associated with professional development, including:

  • Conference expenses – including membership, registration, flights, lodging, meals, gas mileage, etc., for any professional organization (except for MARAC-related conference expenses)
  • Editorial services/fees for article, journal, or book submissions
  • Continuing education course(s) or certification(s) either online or in person for any educational opportunity that the candidate relates to their professional goals, not just those explicitly related to archives and its related fields. Examples: project management, computer science, database management, privacy, and data security.
  • Workshop fees and travel

Other proposed uses by nominees should be evaluated by the committee and may be applied if the application meets the criteria. The total award given will be for expenses documented in the budget, up to $1500 (meaning a successful nominee requesting only $1,000 would be reimbursed for that amount). Please note that the value of this award is taxable, if more than $600 is awarded.

Eligibility:

To be considered for the award, an individual must currently:

  • Live or work in the MARAC Region
  • Be a MARAC member in good standing
  • Work in the archival field for 5 years or less

Note: The Ronald L. Becker Award can only be awarded to a member once.

Applications:

  1. Cover letter/proposal outlining a specific plan for how the nominee would utilize the funds, also addressing how this award and the experiences it subsidizes will benefit their career (not to exceed 1,000 words)
  2. Resume or CV
  3. Budget documentation that references and justifies expected costs

Application Process:

Send a single PDF of the cover letter/proposal, resume, and budget plan to the MARAC Scholarship Committee Chair, Tesa Burns, at [email protected] by March 31, 2025. Please include “MARAC Becker Award Application” in the subject line. All applicants will receive an email confirming their application has been received.

Last updated January 2025