The University of Arkansas Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Saving the World in Five Hundred Words: Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships, edited by Suzanne McCray, Craig Filar, and Kyle Mox.

Thousands of students compete each year for a relatively small number of nationally competitive awards. Though receiving an award is not in itself an end goal, it can help launch a talented and dedicated student on a career path where they address important social or political issues, assist communities in need, or pursue research questions of global significance.

The ninth collection of essays produced by the National Association of Fellowships Advisors, Saving the World in Five Hundred Words is offers a unique set of resources for advisors negotiating the complex world of nationally competitive awards. The essays here focus on three main aspects of fellowships advising: serving students, ensuring access, and developing the profession, and range from practical advice on how to assist students with applications, to recommendations for recruiting a broad range of students more effectively, to innovative teaching and advising practices. The rewards for winning these scholarships are high for students, the institution that supports them, and the communities that will benefit from their experience.

Suzanne McCray is vice provost for enrollment services and dean of admissions and nationally competitive awards as well as an associate professor in higher education in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. Craig Filar is associate dean of Undergraduate Studies, director of the Office of National Fellowships, and the faculty director of the Presidential Scholars program at Florida State University. Kyle Mox is the associate dean for national scholarships at Arizona State University. His office provides advising resources to the largest student body in the US.

Saving the World in Five Hundred Words will be published in the fall of 2024.