The Graduate Center is pleased to announce the Schomburg Archival Dissertation Fellowship, offered in partnership with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The Schomburg Archival Dissertation Fellowship will be awarded to a student in any field of the humanities or social sciences who will significantly gain from an academic year in residency at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.  While in residence fellows will participate in bi-weekly seminar meetings of the Schomburg Scholars-in-Residence Program and will receive access to office space and a computer.  Of particular interest are interdisciplinary dissertations that treat some significant aspect of the African Diaspora, including the culture and history of African Americans, and that draw from the specific collections of The Schomburg Center.  Fellows will deliver a public lecture about their projects in the spring of the award year. The Schomburg award provides a financial aid fellowship of $25,000 and covers in-state tuition.

 

Eligibility Requirements and Guidelines

 

Students must be registered or on an approved leave of absence during the 2023-2024 academic year to be eligible to apply.  For your application to be considered, you must be officially advanced to candidacy (level III) by the application deadline.

 

A student holding a five-year fellowship from the Graduate may not hold a dissertation fellowship concurrently with the five-year award.  A student with a five-year award may apply, but if selected for a dissertation fellowship the student will have to choose between the five-year fellowship funding and the dissertation fellowship funding.  Students are eligible for a dissertation fellowship after completing their five-year fellowship.

 

A student with Graduate Center funding that is not part of a five-year award (a freestanding Graduate Assistantship A, B, or D and/or financial aid fellowship) may apply for the dissertation fellowships but, if offered an award, the total funding (Graduate Assistantship salary and financial aid fellowship) may not exceed $55,000. A student who is offered an external fellowship for the same period should provide documentation to the Provost’s Office on the terms of the external fellowship.  Funding will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. (See here for financial aid guidelines and policies.)

 

Dissertation Fellowships are intended for students who expect to complete the dissertation during 2024-2025 award year.  Fellowship recipients are required to be registered during the award year.  Students who qualify for the Ph.D. in time for an October 2024 degree are not eligible to receive funding.

 

Please be advised that if you are planning any travel as part of your research, the university requires you to have travel insurance.  Please see the International Travel Requirements Page for complete details.

 

Students must have met Human Subjects Research Protection guidelines before commencing research with human subjects.

 

 

 

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

 

Each application must include the following:

 

1. Cover sheet

 

2. Proposal

 

1. 9-page project description including a 150-word abstract (the abstract should be single-spaced at the top of page 1). The project description should include discussion of the background, relevant literature, methodology, data, projected results, and a timeline/description indicating expected progress.

 

1. 1-page selected bibliography

 

1. 1-page archival statement detailing how this dissertation will make specific use of the archives and collections housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Applicants should clearly indicate how the dissertation intersects with the specific divisions and collections at the Schomburg. See the Schomburg’s online catalog for more details.

 

The text describing the dissertation project and the archival statement should be double-spaced using a 12-point font with numbered pages and a 1-inch margin.  The abstract and bibliography can be single-spaced.  Students are advised to keep in mind that the review committees will be composed of faculty from various disciplines.

 

3. Two-page curriculum vitae.

 

4. Current Graduate Center transcript.  (Students may submit the unofficial student copy that can be printed/copied from CUNYfirst.)

 

The application materials should be assembled as a single document in pdf or word format in the following order:

 

1. 1. Application cover sheet
   2. 9-page proposal
   3. 1-page bibliography
   4. 1-page archival statement
   5. 2-page CV
   6. Graduate Center Transcript (unofficial student copy is sufficient)

 

5. One letter of reference to be submitted electronically by your adviser (see instructions page).

 

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

 

The completed application must be submitted no later than 5pm on February 2, 2024. The applications are to be submitted as per the following instructions.  Your adviser must submit a letter of recommendation by the same deadline, February 2, 2024.

 

 

Instructions for submitting your application:

 

1. Combine your cover sheet, proposal (including abstract and bibliography), archival statement, curriculum vitae, and transcript, into a single file (either as a pdf document or a word document).
2. Use the following format when naming your document:

Last Name, First Name, Program

3. Email your application as an attachment to fellowshipapps@gc.cuny.edu.

Please put “Schomburg” in the subject line of the email and use your graduate center email when submitting the application.

 

 

Instructions for Faculty Recommenders

1. Prepare your reference letter as a regular word or pdf document on letterhead.
2. Use the following format when naming your document:

Student Last Name, First Name

1. Email your letter to fellowshipapps@gc.cuny.edu.  Please put “Schomburg” in the subject line of the email.

 

 

If you have questions, please contact Rachel Sponzo at rsponzo@gc.cuny.edu.

 

 

Rachel Sponzo

Associate Director of Student Research Fellowships

Office of the Provost

The Graduate Center, CUNY