All applications may be submitted to the director of grad studies at hist-grad@wmich.edu

Dr. Nora Faires Research & Travel Award

Dr. Faires was an accomplished historian of migration studies, most recently Canadian migration. She also made a significant contribution to the graduate program, advising a number of M.A. and Ph.D. students. Knowing of her affinity for graduate work and the regard graduate students had for her—student’s raised money among themselves to create a small fund to award travel support in her name. Friends of Dr. Faires opened this endowment to honor that graduate student initiative and to support graduate student travel to conduct and present research.

Applications will be accepted from History Graduate Student Organization dues-paying members. Applications are first reviewed by the HGSO and recommendations made to the department's Graduate Studies Committee. The Graduate College application form can be used and the deadline will be the same as the those listed in the Department of History Graduate Handbook. Up to $2000 per year is available for disbursement. The deadline for application is March 15.

Judith F. Stone Award

The Judith F. Stone Award provides financial support in the amount of $1000 to help defray costs in conducting research for a doctoral dissertation. It was established by Diether H. Haenicke, President Emeritus and Interim President of Western Michigan University, in honor of Judith F. Stone, the Mary U. Meader Professor of Modern European History, on her retirement from the university in December 2006.  The award was made possible through the generosity of Beulah Kendall, who contributed funds to the WMU foundation to be used for student academic support initiatives.

The individual to receive the $1000 award shall be an outstanding doctoral candidate (i.e. ABD) who is developing a dissertation project or already has an approved dissertation prospectus, preferably in European or European-related history. To apply for this award, submit a request of approximately two pages in length, describing your research interests and plans, how the award will be used, other funding you are receiving, and a letter of support from your supervising professor. If you have an approved dissertation prospectus, it should be included. Requests should be submitted by March 1st.

Ernst Breisach Award for European History

The Ernst Breisach Quasi-Endowment fund was established by former university President Diether Haenicke in honor of Professor Ernst Breisach upon the occasion of his retirement. This award may be granted to a second year (or beyond) graduate student who has completed at least four non-individualized graduate level courses at WMU with a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The focus of study must be some phase of European history (ancient through modern). The award is $2,000.

• Graduate transcript
• Letter of support from supervising professor
• Description of research proposal

Application deadline is March 1st..

Robert Russel Writing Award

Awarded for outstanding written work by a graduate student nominated by history faculty. Both M.A. and Ph.D. students are eligible. Typically the award pertains to a completed thesis or dissertation, but there is precedent for a student receiving the award for an exceptional seminar paper or published article.

Note: Students are nominated by History faculty for consideration by the Graduate Studies Committee

Research & Creativity Grants

The Department of History provides support for graduate research and travel. The department has limited funding to support students’ travel for thesis or dissertation research and professional development. The latter is limited to travel to professional conferences to present original research. Students requesting such support must apply simultaneously to the Graduate College and the history graduate scholarship committee, using the forms provided, and meeting the requirements stipulated, by the Graduate College. A copy of the Graduate College application will serve as the request to the department’s committee. Funds permitting, the committee will match the Graduate College’s allocation up to the total amount of the request or to a maximum of U.S. $600 for domestic travel and U.S. $1,100 for international travel. If the student has already used up the allocation of support from the Graduate College, no application to the Graduate College will be required, but the student should still use the Graduate College form to submit the request to the department’s committee.

Guidelines

Funding requests not adhering to these procedures will be considered only in exceptional cases. Requests will be considered based upon availability of funds, appropriateness of the request relative to your place in your program of study, and evidence of satisfactory progress towards completion of your degree. You may apply for support more than once per year, and throughout your term of stay in the program but, in any given application period, priority will be given to students who have not previously been awarded support from the Research and Professional Development Travel fund. 

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Peter J. Schmitt Experiential Learning Award

Dr. Peter Schmitt taught for 43 years in the Department of History at WMU and he valued nontraditional learning experiences that explored the natural world, the built environment and human ingenuity. The friends and family of Dr. Schmitt created this endowment fund as a legacy to him. Grants up to $500 will support varied learning experiences that enhance awareness, understanding and knowledge of the interconnectedness of history with the arts and the natural world. It would include but not be limited to participating in short courses in art or architectural history, in field biology learning experiences, in workshops in historic preservation or traditional crafts, in retreat experiences that emphasize an understanding of the natural world, or in other activities that promote personal insight into the interrelationships between people and their environments, especially in historical contexts.

Eligibility

All members of the WMU community (undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, emeriti, alumni, and staff) are eligible to apply to the Peter J. Schmitt Endowment for Experiential Learning. To be eligible for this grant, undergraduate students must have completed at least 30 hours of course work at WMU, and have maintained a GPA of 2.50 or higher. Applications from undergraduate and graduate students will be given preference in two out of a three year grant cycle, but if no suitable student applications are received, funding may go to faculty and staff.

Application

The endowment was created by J. Randall Peyser to honor the memory of his father Dr. Joseph L. Peyser, an eminent scholar of New France and who wrote widely on the history and culture of the French in North America and, in particular, in the Great Lakes region. The Joseph L. Peyser Endowment provides financial assistance in support of research on the history and culture of the French in North America including: the history of the French presence in North America and in the Great Lakes region; the culture (language, arts, material culture, built environment) of the French in North America and in the Great Lakes region; the history and culture of Native peoples with whom the French interacted in North America and the Great Lakes region; the history of Native-French interactions in North America and the Great Lakes region. The endowment supports student research, faculty research, and organizations and programs promoting the study of New France.