Salerno and Harkins Film Studies Award
Deadline
April 1, on a rolling basis until all awards have been made for internships in Summer 2025 or in the 2025-26 academic year.
Amount
Approximately $2,000 (two awards)
About the Award
Established in 2017, the Salerno and Harkins Film Studies Award is named for theater chain owner and operator Dan Harkins and the late Nicholas Salerno, an English professor who taught for 33 years at ASU, including the first film courses. Harkins took one of Salerno’s film classes when he was a student at ASU and credited the professor, who died in 2016, for helping him save his theater franchise with some invaluable marketing advice.
The Salerno and Harkins Film Studies Award benefits students on the path to career readiness. Internships are a valuable part of the student experience–doing an internship builds skills and competencies that transfer to the workplace and smooth the transition from college. To assist in gaining professional experience, approximately $2,000 will be awarded to student(s) who meet eligibility requirements and write a compelling personal statement. Half of the amount will be disbursed at the beginning of the semester, and half upon successful completion of the internship.
Eligibility
The Salerno and Harkins Film Studies Award is for undergraduate Film and Media Studies majors in the Department of English, an academic unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Both immersion (Tempe campus) and online students are eligible. Preference will be given to third- and fourth-year students who are Arizona residents. The FMS student receiving the internship must be registered in FMS 484 for 3 credit hours during the semester in which the internship is done.
To be eligible for the awards, applicants must:
- be an undergraduate student at ASU, online or Tempe campus, with a declared major in (Film) Film and Media Studies in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences;
- be planning to complete an internship for FMS 484 credits through the Department of English. Any internship context is acceptable: in-person or virtual, on or off campus, domestic or international. Examples include:
- Nonprofit/community organizations
- Public/government agencies
- Business/corporate environments
- ASU academic or research units
- complete 10 hours/week (fall or spring internships) or 12 hours/week (summer internships) for a total of 150 hours to earn the 3 credits of FMS 484; and
- demonstrate financial need (do this in your statement).
Preference will be given to applicants who:
- are third- or fourth-year students; and
- are Arizona residents.
How do I apply?
By 11:59 p.m. on Apr. 1, applicants must:
- have identified or secured an internship with documentation demonstrating that internship possibility or offer;
- write a 300-word statement describing your preparation for the proposed internship, your financial need, and the benefits that you will gain from this experience; and
- submit a copy of your transcript.