The Dr. Hal K. Rothman Doctoral History Graduate Student Award is a partnership of the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History, and the University Libraries. Each entity is providing funds to honor Dr. Rothman via an award to an exceptional graduate student specializing in U.S. history.
Dr. Rothman joined UNLV’s Department of History in 1992 and served as its chair from 2002 - 2005. During his tenure, he received numerous awards for his scholarship, teaching, and contributions to the academic environment in Las Vegas, including the Marjorie Barrick Distinguished Scholar Award, the Harry Reid Silver State Research Award, and the Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award. In 2006, he was given the Distinguished Professor Award, the highest honor awarded to a faculty member at the university along with a UNLV President’s Medal which is rarely given to a faculty member.
Dr. Rothman earned an international reputation as a prolific author and published numerous books and articles on a variety of topics, including tourism, the American West, Las Vegas history, and the environment, to name just a few. He won five prizes for his books and was named to the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. He was considered one of the nation’s foremost experts on the American West, environmental history, post-industrial America, and all things Las Vegas.
He served as a member of the Clark County Growth Management Task Force, hosted a public affairs radio program on KUNV 91.5 FM and wrote a weekly column for the Las Vegas Sun. He served on review boards for numerous local, state, and national organizations, as well as being a past editor of the Journal of Environmental History and served on editorial boards for a number of regional publications.
Dr. Rothman received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Rothman was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2005 and died on February 25, 2007.
The annual Dr. Hal K. Rothman Doctoral History Graduate Student Award shall be given to a student(s) meeting the following criteria:
- Student must be an admitted, full time doctoral student;
- Student must be majoring in U.S. History;
- Student must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher;
- Student must use the UNLV Libraries Special Collections Department as one of many resources for research;
- Student must forward a completed application packet for review to the Department of History’s Graduate Coordinator. Application requirements will be sent during the Spring semester through e-mail from the History Department’s Graduate Coordinator to all History Department graduate students.
The award recipient of the Dr. Hal K. Rothman Doctoral History Graduate Scholarship Award will be required to produce the following yearly in collaboration with his/her faculty mentor:
- Brief prècis that articulates how the University Libraries benefited his/her research.
- Deliver a public lecture relating to his/her research at an agreed to date/time, thus engaging both the Libraries and the wider UNLV community in work being done in the University Libraries.
Recipients may be eligible for this award in subsequent years, provided they maintain the scholarship criteria and remain in good standing with the institution.
*Unless otherwise noted, all students who fill out a FAFSA or alternate need form and meet the criteria for the scholarship will be considered. No other application is needed.
*Selected award winner’s name is due to the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s office by December 1st.