Schiff Fellowship

Overview
Application Materials
Deadlines
Recipients

The Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy invites applications for Jerome A. Schiff Fellowships. Made possible through a generous gift from the Jerome A. Schiff Charitable Trust, this grant enables Wellesley College to fund the independent research projects of 10-15 students during the academic year.

Schiff Fellowships are merit awards intended to support the scholarly work of students enrolled in the senior honors program. Eligibility is limited to Wellesley students currently enrolled in a 360 or intending to enroll in a 360 in spring. Students who are currently enrolled in a 370 this semester arenoteligible.

The Schiff Fellowships will be granted on the basis of merit to students pursuing advanced study through the senior honors program. Applications will be evaluated based on academic merit, feasibility of the research project, and its promise for providing a meaningful and productive intellectual experience. Grants may be used to support scholarly work related to an honors thesis in a student's major field, and awardees will be selected by Wellesley's Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy, with representatives from the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College, the Office of the Dean of Students and members of the faculty.

Fellowships of $2,000 per student will be awarded, based on a competitive application process. Funds may be used to reduce work obligations during the academic year in order to devote more time to research, to cover travel and living expenses related to fieldwork, interviews, library or archival research; to purchase supplies, materials and equipment necessary to conduct research; and to cover travel and living expenses to attend appropriate academic conferences.

Students wishing to apply for a Jerome A. Schiff Fellowship should submit the following materials:

• a cover sheet listing name, major, local address and telephone number, email address, thesis title, and the name of the faculty member serving as advisor to the thesis. The cover sheet should be signed and dated by both the student and her thesis advisor;
• a current resume;
• a 2-3 page proposal(double-spaced) describing the thesis, work completed to date, and detailed plans for the Fellowship year, including a drescription of how the funds will be used. Applicants should be careful to make their proposals intelligible to non-specialist readers;
• an unofficial transcript from Banner self-service;
• two (2) letters of recommendation, one of which must be written by the student's thesis advisor and the other by a Wellesley College faculty member familiar with the project. The letters should address the strength and feasibility of the student's proposed thesis, the student's ability to work independently, and the likelihood that the promise of the thesis will be fulfilled. The Committee would also welcome comments comparing the applicant's proposal to that of other students with whom the faculty member has worked. Students should collect these signed letters in a sealed envelope and submit them as part of their application packet.

Completed fellowship applications should be sent to the Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy, Green Hall 345 no later than Monday, October 21, 2013 at 4:30pm.

Late applications will not be accepted. Schiff Fellows will be announced in early November.

Fellowship recipients are expected to present the results of their honors work at the Ruhlman Conference. In addition, Fellows will be required to submit a one-page reflection on their use of the award to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College before Commencement Day (before the end of exams in December, in the case of students beginning a 360 in Spring).

A recipient of the Schiff Fellowship is not eligible to also receive a Daniels Fellowship.