The Anton and Steinbrecher Fellowship Program

An Information Session for students interested in applying for a 2008-2009 Steinbrecher Fellowship will be held on Wednesday, December 12, @ 1:00 p.m. in Grace Conference Room, Higgins University Center.

The Anton Fellowship Program was created in 2001 by a generous gift from Clark alumni Barbara J. Anton '56 and Thomas J. Anton '56 to encourage and support the pursuit of original ideas, creative research, public service or enrichment projects by Clark undergraduate students.

In 2005, the family and friends of Clark alumnus David C. Steinbrecher ’81 ensured the continuation of this Program by establishing a permanent endowment in his memory that provides fellowships for undergraduates to pursue such projects. The Anton and Steinbrecher Fellowship awards, given to 8-10 students each year, range from $500 to $2,500.

The Fellowship Program also seeks to create and maintain a vibrant community of learners by bringing Fellows together with each other and with a small group of faculty mentors to share ideas, experiences, and intellectual excitement at dinners and other special gatherings several times during each academic year.

Fellows have pursued projects on a diverse array of topics, including, for example, research on how cities in Europe encourage bike travel; the physics of searing friction and earthquakes; how James Joyce became a cultural hero in Ireland; influences on William Faulkner’s work on his novel The Sound and the Fury; the evolutionary biology and preservation of the threespine stickleback fish in Canada and the U.S.; the rise and decline of the Solidarity Movement in Poland; organizing and running after-school youth soccer programs in a city and in a remote mountain community in Guatemala; doing an internship and research at the Ethics Institute of South Africa on the implementation of South Africa’s new Code of Conduct; doing research on and learning to play the hammer dulcimer—a musical instrument that’s a member of the zither family.

Eligibility

Students who have completed (or will have completed by the end of the current academic year) at least two semesters at Clark and plan to return to Clark for the coming year are eligible for the fellowships. Steinbrecher Fellowships are awarded independently from other Clark scholarships or prizes, i.e., recipients of Clark merit scholarships, Making a Difference Scholarships, etc., will be eligible for these Fellowships, which will not replace their other awards.

Application

Applications are available here (PDF) or in the Government Department office, JEF 302. The deadline for applications is Friday, February 29, 2008 at noon, and Fellows will be selected by April 4th.. Applicants should submit a 3-5 page statement that:

describes the proposed project including when and where it will be carried out;

explains where/when/how the idea for the project originated and what makes it intriguing/important for the applicant to pursue it;

provides an estimated budget for the project, including for example, travel costs, lodging, meals, equipment, etc.

lists the name, department, e-mail and phone number of the faculty member who has agreed to serve as the sponsor for the project and of an additional faculty member (or other member of the Clark or external community, if relevant) who has also agreed to provide a letter of recommendation.

Applicants should also submit a copy of their academic transcript (an unofficial academic grade report will suffice).

Two letters of recommendation are also required: one from the Clark faculty member who has agreed to sponsor the project and one from another faculty member (or other appropriate individual) familiar with the applicant and the proposed project. The letters should comment on the applicant's abilities and potential for intellectual growth and evaluate the proposed project. The applications and letters should each be submitted directly to the Selection Committee, c/o Professor Sharon Krefetz, Director of the Fellowship Programs, JEF 311, by the February 29th deadline.

Criteria for Selection

Criteria for selection will include the originality or distinctiveness of the proposed project; the applicant's potential for carrying out an excellent project; and the likely contribution of the project to enhancing the knowledge, understanding, and perspectives of the applicant and other members of The Society of Anton and Steinbrecher Fellows.

Further Information

Students interested in applying for a Fellowship should feel free to contact Professor Sharon Krefetz at x7327, JEF 311 or via email to skrefetz@clarku.edu.

The 2007-08 Anton and Steinbrecher Fellows