“The EPSY Scholars Program supports our department’s mission to prepare the next generation of researchers and leaders by ensuring students can engage deeply in meaningful scholarship throughout their doctoral training,” says Michael Coyne, department head and professor of Special Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n For each student recipient, the EPSY Scholars Program combines a 10-hour graduate assistantship provided by a faculty advisor or the student\u2019s academic program with a second 10-hour assistantship covered by the department. That second set of 10 hours is protected for the students to put toward their own personal research goals and scholarly development. Essentially, they\u2019re funded for 20 hours a week, with half dedicated to traditional grant or teaching responsibilities, and the remainder allocated toward research goals collaboratively developed by the student and their advisor.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t fully appreciate how critical EPSY Scholars was at the start,\u201d recipient Kristin Simmers says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what a Ph.D. looked like; I didn\u2019t know what the expectations were for everybody else. Once I started seeing what other Ph.D. students without this support had to do, that\u2019s when I realized this is a very big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n The goals of the program are to facilitate students\u2019 engagement with active scholarship during their studies, provide a mechanism for students to engage in research that will result in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and allow faculty the opportunity to support and prepare high-achieving graduate students.<\/p>\n \u201cThe EPSY Scholars Program empowers doctoral students to pursue research questions they are genuinely passionate about, fostering deeper engagement, motivation, and scholarly growth,\u201d says Jacqueline Caemmerer, an assistant professor of School Psychology<\/a> and advisor of the EPSY Scholars Program since its inception. \u201cCollaborating on their student-led publications and presentations has been rewarding and enriching, often expanding the directions of my own research as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy Wilson, a student in the department\u2019s Ph.D. concentration in Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development<\/a>, says he would not have attended UConn without the EPSY Scholars Program offer. He was living near Austin, Texas, when he applied to the Neag School, and the promise of funding allowed him and his family to move to Connecticut.<\/p>\n In addition to guaranteed funding, the EPSY Scholars program provided Wilson with the opportunity to conduct his own research and share it at a national conference.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my program, there are 10-12 doctoral students, and I was the only first-year who was able to go to the American Educational Research Association conference a couple of years ago,\u201d he says. He paused his EPSY Scholars funding to pursue UConn\u2019s TRANSCEND doctoral training program<\/a> last year and noted the added difficulty in pursuing his own research. The EPSY Scholars program has also allowed him to give back to the academic community.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been involved with the Neag Graduate Student Association, the Neag School of Education Journal<\/a>, and professional organizations,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cIt is a part of a Ph.D. to give service, but I\u2019ve been able to be a bit more present because I have more flexibility with how I use this personal research time.\u201d<\/p>\n Simmers has completed her Ph.D. coursework and passed her comprehensive examination in the Learning Sciences concentration. While she writes her dissertation, she has accepted the newly created role of Director of Cognition and Learning at Forman School in Litchfield, Connecticut.<\/p>\n The EPSY Scholars Program empowers doctoral students to pursue research questions they are genuinely passionate about, fostering deeper engagement, motivation, and scholarly growth. — Jacqueline Caemmerer, assistant professor<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cBy having additional time through EPSY Scholars, I was able to use it for my true area of interest, which is bridging research and practice for K-12 educators,\u201d she says. \u201cAll of the service opportunities I was able to participate in absolutely built my network, my skill set, and led to being offered this role. It\u2019s a dream job that I wasn\u2019t looking for, and I don\u2019t think it would have happened if I hadn\u2019t had all that service experience doing exactly this work.\u201d<\/p>\n For Amanda Sutter, the funding offered by the EPSY Scholars Program, combined with debt from prior master\u2019s degrees, was one of the reasons she chose UConn instead of one of the other institutions she applied to.<\/p>\n![\"Kristin](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kristin-Simmers_2x3-200x300.png\")
![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Wilson_240904a008_1000x1500-200x300.jpg\")
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![\"Amanda](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Amanda-Sutter-photo_cropped-200x300.jpg\")