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College of Natural Resources
Forestry and Environmental Resources

Allen International Travel Endowment

The Allen International Travel Endowment was established in 2022 to provide international travel support for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources with the hope of helping them to better appreciate other cultures and ecosystems. The endowment issues grants ranging from $500-$1,500. 

Selection Criteria

The department gives preference to applicants who meet the greatest number of the following criteria:

  1. Pursuing a degree in forest management (either concentration), forestry, or fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology.
  2. Participating in an international experience for the first time.
  3. Has demonstrated a financial need.
  4. Ability to leverage endowment award with other funding sources.

Application Process

Because this endowment supports many different types of travel, there are several ways to apply:

Study Abroad Program Application

This process requires students to apply for admission into one of the university-sponsored study abroad programs through the Study Abroad Office’s Pack Abroad Portal. When applying to a program, students will be prompted to complete a general scholarship application. The application will put students in consideration for the Allen International Travel Endowment as well as many other university scholarships. Please visit the Study Abroad website to view upcoming application deadlines.

Independent Travel Application

The endowment also offers grants to support international travel experiences beyond the study tours sponsored by NC State. Students can request funding for travel for dissertation or thesis research, conferences, internships, coursework, workshops and other academic opportunities. Students can choose one of the following methods listed below to apply for funding for an independent experience:

  1. Students studying abroad independently and wanting to receive course credit should apply through one of the options on the Independent Study/Research Abroad webpage. Students will be prompted to complete a general scholarship application, which will put them in consideration for the Allen International Travel Endowment as well as many other university scholarships. Deadlines for non-NC State experiences can vary greatly, but the Study Abroad website (under the Affiliate and Non-NC State Programs heading) offers guidance.
  1. For any non-course credit-based independent experiences (dissertation and/or thesis research, conferences, etc.), students should submit a proposal for the FER International Committee to review. For priority consideration for summer or fall semester travel, apply by February 15 at 5 p.m. EST. For priority consideration for spring semester travel, apply by August 25 at 5 p.m. EST. Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered only if funding is still available. Proposals should include:
    1. Cover page with the student’s name and contact information, title of their proposal, total amount requested, international destination(s), and name of their academic advisor.
    2. A one-page proposal describing the international activity and how it is relevant. Students should include a paragraph explaining why they need this scholarship. 
    3. A detailed budget, indicating other sources of funding already secured and other funding proposals submitted.
    4. Student’s unofficial transcript.

Proposals can be sent to Juan Acosta at jjacosta@ncsu.edu. Students should copy their adviser to the email in order to indicate that they’ve received support for the funding request.

About Dr. Howard Lee Allen Jr. and Susan “Sunny” Lieberman Allen

Dr. Howard Lee Allen Jr. and Susan “Sunny” Lieberman Allen began their long and close relationships with NC State in 1978 when, as a newly married couple, they moved from Maine to pursue graduate degrees. Lee started his Ph.D. in forestry while Sunny worked for a year with Wildlife Extension before starting her master’s degree in wildlife ecology in the Department of Zoology. Both graduated in 1981 but stayed at NC State, with Lee accepting positions as an assistant professor and the director of the Forest Fertilization Cooperative within the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and Sunny as an instructor in the Department of  Zoology.

During his 30-year academic career at NC State, Lee’s efforts mostly focused around the scientific and administrative leadership of what is now known as the Forest Productivity Cooperative. Under his leadership, the Cooperative grew from a small regionally-based fertilizer cooperative into an internationally-recognized silviculture research and education partnership involving faculty, students and staff at NC State, Virginia Tech and the Universidad de Concepción. The partnership grew to include 40 members (i.e. forest industry, consulting firms, timber investment management organizations and public agencies) with a management portfolio of more than 24 million acres of pine and broadleaved plantations in the southeastern United States and Latin America. 

In addition to his responsibilities with the Cooperative, Lee also mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. Lee taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in silviculture, ecophysiology,  soils and leadership. He successfully nurtured 25 Ph.D. and 41 M.S. students to complete their theses, with many of his more than 250 publications resulting from research co-authored with his students.  

Lee’s scholarly achievements and contributions as a scientist, teacher and mentor have been recognized with several awards including recognition by the University of Maine as a Distinguished Forestry Alumnus. In 2007, Lee was awarded the Holladay Medal, the highest honor bestowed by NC State University to a faculty member, in recognition of outstanding career contributions. In 2010, Lee received the Barrington Moore Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the profession of forest biology from the Society of American Foresters.  

Meanwhile, from 1981 through the mid-1990s, Sunny taught several undergraduate courses in the Department of Zoology, including introduction to zoology, wildlife management, and conservation of natural resources. She also served as a founding member of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society and received the Chapter Award in 1993. Sunny also served as the first biologist, as well as the first female appointee, to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission from 1988-1994. She then served on the board of the Triangle Land Conservancy. 

In 1995, Sunny moved to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, where she enjoyed working as an educator for 24 years, introducing thousands of visitors to the museum’s large collection of live mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods in the context of teaching natural science topics. She also mentored numerous Exploris Middle School students and college interns.

Following retirement from NC State in 2008, Lee has continued to guest lecture and mentor students as professor emeritus and conducts business as ProFOR Consulting, providing technical support and silvicultural recommendations for clients in North America, Latin America and northern Europe. More recently, Lee served as chief forester for Folium Capital, a private equity firm with forestry and agricultural assets. 

Lee and Sunny are avid birders and hikers and have always enjoyed traveling together, visiting different ecosystems and interacting with others from around the world with similar interests. Lee considers himself very lucky that his work responsibilities have always included travel, much of it international. As a couple, Lee and Sunny have also had the opportunity to interact with many international students and their families, many of whom remain close friends and colleagues. These experiences have given them an appreciation for how much natural resource professionals share in common, even though ecological and cultural differences may at first appear to be large. It is with this spirit that they have created the Allen International Travel  Endowment. It is their hope that these travel experiences will help students to better  appreciate other cultures and ecosystems, as well as wherever they call home.