Miller Center announces National Fellowship Program in Politics

In an effort to promote and disseminate scholarship in contemporary politics, public policy and political history, the University's Miller Center of Public Affairs will sponsor a new national fellowship program, the Miller Center Fellowships in Contemporary Politics, Policy and Political History.

The Miller Center will fund up to 10 fellowships per year for Ph.D. candidates and other scholars from around the country who are completing dissertations or books on 20th-century U.S. politics and governance. The center encourages applicants from a broad range of disciplines, including, but not limited to, history, political science, policy studies, law, political economy and sociology, said Philip Zelikow, the center's director.

"The fellowships are excellent opportunities for new scholars who are making significant contributions to their field and can contribute to the intellectual life of the center and the University community as well," he said.

The fellowships will be funded in part by the Thompson Fund, established in honor of professor Kenneth W. Thompson, former director of the Miller Center.

Funding will include a stipend of up to $15,000 to support one year of research and writing. Fellows are expected to complete their dissertation or book during the fellowship year. Residence is encouraged, but is not required.

The fellowships will go to scholars doing influential new work, said Melvyn P. Leffler, dean of Arts & Sciences. "The University wants to be at the cutting edge of scholarship dealing with contemporary politics and public policy," he said.

Fellows are expected to participate in a special annual conference during their fellowship, the first to be held in the spring of 2001. The conferences will provide a forum for presenting research and findings to the scholarly community.

Fellows will also be asked to present their scholarship to a broader audience by distilling some of their research into an op-ed piece or short journal article, or by engaging the electronic media, said Brian Balogh, director of the fellowship program and associate professor of history.

Applications and other information may be obtained from the Miller Center web site at http://www.virginia. edu/~miller or by writing to: P.O. Box 5106, Charlottesville, VA 22905. Applications are due by Feb. 1. Decisions will be announced by April 1.