The Nyre Clinical Child Psychology Student Support Fund

Dr. Joseph and Kelli Nyre
Jayhawk

The Nyre Clinical Child Psychology Student Support Fund was established in 2018 by Dr. Joseph E. Nyre and Kelli L. Nyre in honor of founding director, Dr. Michael C. Roberts to provide financial support for graduate students in the Clinical Child Psychology Program (CCPP) at the University of Kansas.

While pursuing his Ed.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Kansas, Nyre worked closely with Drs. Michael Roberts and Eric Vernberg in pursuing his research at the interface of developmental psychology and public policy. He was particularly interested in the development of evidence-based services within educational institutions and advancing systems of care. To this end, Dr. Nyre was instrumental in the development of the Intensive Mental Health Program (IMHP) to serve children who presented with serious emotional and behavioral disorders. After completing his degrees, Dr. Nyre served in a faculty capacity at Baylor University, the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School. He then served for eight years as President and Full Professor of Psychology at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY. Dr. Nyre currently serves as President, and Full Professor of Psychology, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. In reference to this award, Dr. Nyre noted, “I believe that the ‘power of the place’ to change destinations is driven by finding great mentors, colleagues and friends. Dr. Michael C. Roberts opened doors, mentored me and changed my destination.”

Mrs. Kelli (McIntyre) Nyre, a native of Kansas, is a former elementary school teacher, mother of four and the First Lady of Seton Hall University. The Nyres met while studying at the University of Kansas, where they learned the value of living a life of service. Mrs. Nyre, a Gamma Phi Beta alumna, is recognized for her tireless support of K-12 education and the students of Seton Hall.

Interest from this endowed fund will provide direct support for student scholarships, travel funding, and research. Currently, proceeds are focused on providing research-related travel funding for students pursuing their Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology. This may include funding for travel to collect data or to present findings, or scholarships to receive advanced training related to the student's research-related professional development.  Eligible recipients are limited to graduate students enrolled in the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas. 

Two awards of $600 each are expected to be bestowed each year.* Applications will be considered twice per year, with submission deadlines of January 15 and July 15.

Complete applications will include:

  • a 250-word summary of the proposed travel and its impact on the student's research-related professional development; Applicants should highlight the quality of the research being presented or conducted, or (for research-related training opportunities) the value of the training for current or planned research 
  • a current CV
  • a detailed budget of proposed expenses (including sources of additional funding already available)

These materials will be provided to the Director of the CCPP in electronic format by 5:00pm on January 15 or July 15 (or the following Monday, if the 15th falls on a weekend). Applications that do not conform to the above instructions will be returned to the applicant without review. 

Applications will be evaluated by a faculty committee chosen by the Director of the Clinical Child Psychology Program. Committee members will evaluate the proposals based on the following characteristics: the overall quality of the research being conducted or presented or the correspondence between the proposed training and an ongoing or planned research project; the potential for the award to impact the student's professional development; the student's overall achievement in the program; and the appropriateness of budget to scope of project.  Each committee member will score the proposals in terms of the characteristics noted above. The CCPP Director will review the evaluations and scores provided by the committee members and will grant the award to the student with the highest score.

Within 6 months of the award, each awardee shall submit a report to the CCPP faculty detailing expenditure of funds and any significant deviations from the proposed budget. The student should acknowledge the source of funding in all publications resulting from the travel and/or in their public presentation(s) funded by the award.

*based on performance of the KUEA fund in which the principal is held. Specific award amount will be determined on February 1 of each year.