|
|
 |
CIC ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE DOCTORAL STUDY IN THE HUMANITIES
American Graduate Fellowships Worth $50,000 Will Be Awarded To
Graduates of Small, Private Liberal Arts Colleges
For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2006 |
Contact:
Laura Wilcox (202) 466-7230 |
WASHINGTON,
DC – The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced
a new initiative, the American Graduate Fellowships, to promote and support
advanced study in the humanities by talented graduates of small and mid-sized,
private liberal arts colleges and universities. Two fellowships, worth
up to $50,000 each and renewable for a second year, will be awarded annually
for a period of five years.
The American Graduate Fellowships are intended to directly support the
advanced education of a few stellar graduates of small colleges; to encourage
the best students at small colleges to apply for graduate work in the
humanities at top-tier private research institutions; and to signal to
the leading graduate programs that small colleges remain a rich source
of talented doctoral students.
“This initiative will enhance opportunities for the brightest graduates
of less-well-known private liberal arts colleges to pursue doctoral study
at some of the foremost research universities in the United States, Great
Britain, and Ireland,” said CIC President Richard Ekman in announcing
the initiative. “A generation ago, small, private liberal arts colleges
prepared a disproportionate share of the country’s professional
scholars and scientists. More recently, however, graduate students in
the humanities are increasingly drawn from a small group of Ivy League
institutions, ‘flagship’ state universities, and highly selective,
generously endowed research colleges. We anticipate that the American
Graduate Fellowships will draw attention to the best graduates of small
liberal arts colleges, who possess the education and ability to excel
in the doctoral programs that train tomorrow’s leading scholars,”
Ekman added.
Data from a CIC analysis of the Survey of Earned Doctorates (2006) show
that in 1980, 28.2 percent of new PhD recipients in the humanities were
alumni of independent American colleges and universities that emphasize
baccalaureate and master’s level education. In 2003, only 22.9 percent
of new PhD recipients were graduates of such institutions. In addition,
the American Historical Association in a 2005 report stated, “After
decades of lowering the barriers of class and privilege, the ranks of
new history PhD’s are growing less diverse and more likely to draw
from a narrow range of elite institutions…. [Only] a small number
of private liberal arts colleges played a critical part in feeding undergraduates
into the pipeline of future history PhDs.”
The American Graduate Fellowships are funded by a generous grant from
the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation, Wichita Falls, Texas. “Talent
and knowledge are not found in just one area of the country or in one
type or size of educational institution. By supporting the American Graduate
Fellowships and focusing on smaller, mid-sized liberal arts colleges and
universities, new talents and knowledge can be allowed the opportunity
to flourish. We are proud to be partners with the Council of Independent
Colleges in this important fellowship program,” said Teresa Pontius,
Executive Director, Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation.
American Graduate Fellowships will support doctoral study at any of the
following institutions:
In the United States: Brown University, Columbia University,
Cornell University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University,
Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern
University, Princeton University, Rice University, Stanford University,
University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University
in St. Louis, and Yale University
In Great Britain and Ireland: University of Cambridge,
University of Oxford, King’s College London, University College
London, University of Edinburgh, and Trinity College Dublin
The eligible fields of graduate study include history, philosophy, literature
and languages, and fine arts. Applicants must be graduating seniors of
an eligible undergraduate institution; preference will be given to applicants
from institutions that enroll fewer than 3,000 undergraduates. Applications
are due October 17, 2006. The first awards will be made in January 2007
for graduate study beginning in Fall 2007. For more information on the
American Graduate Fellowships and application procedures, visit CIC’s
website at www.cic.edu/projects_services/grants/americangrad.asp
or e-mail americangrad@cic.nche.edu.
****
The Council of Independent Colleges is
the national service organization for small and mid-sized independent
colleges and universities. It includes more than 550 independent, liberal
arts colleges and universities and more than 50 higher education affiliates
and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university
leadership, sustain high-quality education, and enhance private higher
education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC
provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects
of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality,
and institutional visibility. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont
Circle in Washington, DC.
|
|
