The Edmundite Graduate Fellows Program for African American Scholars
Named in honor of the College’s founding Catholic order, the Edmundites, who began ministering with African Americans in Selma, Alabama, in the 1930s. Edmundites have continued to work in solidarity with African Americans in the South to this day, committing resources to providing direct assistance to the poor of Alabama but more importantly working with the African American community in the Selma environs in the development of skills and the creation of jobs in some of the poorest counties of the United States. The commitment of Edmundites to the work of racial justice finds its expression at Saint Michael’s College through Edmundites working at the college to end racism on campus and to promote a student body and faculty that is diverse and values and diversity.
This teaching fellows program seeks to attract African American scholars to complete their doctoral studies at Saint Michael’s College, thereby advancing the rich tradition and history of the Edmundites and the College serving underrepresented communities and scholars. It will also serve to enrich the Saint Michael’s community and student learning by bringing important research, perspectives, and voices to our campus and our classrooms.
A community committed to inclusion
As a small liberal arts institution in one of the least diverse states in the country, Saint Michael’s College is (continuously) challenged by a lack of diversity among its student body, staff and its faculty. A diverse faculty benefits the entire community and enriches the learning that takes place in and out of the classroom by introducing important underrepresented voices and different perspectives. Indeed, it is the obligation of a quality liberal arts institution to include those perspectives and voices as part of the educational experience.
In order to encourage scholars to consider Saint Michael’s College as a place to live and work to complete their important doctoral work, the College is offering the Edmundite Graduate Fellows Program for African American Scholars. This program will offer scholars in the final stages of their doctoral work, and who need only to finish the dissertation to complete requirements for the Ph.D. a welcoming community to begin their careers, a stipend of $20,000, housing, health benefits, and up to $3,000 toward relocation expenses. The academic areas where the fellows program is being awarded are: all disciplines considered.
Requirements
Fellows accepted to the program will be expected to teach one class and host one lecture each semester, usually in the fellow's general research area. Saint Michael’s College assumes that the fellow will participate in the intellectual life of his/her home department, as well as in the broader cultural life of the College. Our primary expectation, however, and the main focus of this fellowship, is the completion of the dissertation.
For more information contact:
Margaret Bass, PhD
Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion
mbass@smcvt.edu
smcvt.edu/edmundite-graduate-fellows-program
