Use of funds
The Joseph L. Peyser Endowment in the Department of History at Western Michigan University should not be regarded as a source of exclusive or first resort, but as a supplement to other support sources available in the University. At a minimum these sources should include, where appropriate: Faculty Research and Creative Activities Support Fund, Faculty Research Travel Fund, and New Faculty Research Support Fund, Graduate College Research and Travel Fund, Graduate College Dissertation Fellowship and other similar resources.
The committee may also stipulate application to other sources including the Visiting Scholars and Artist Program, other endowments and designated funds available to WMU faculty and graduate students. Prior application to certain sources or arrangements matching endowment funds with funds from other sources may be required by the committee. Matching funds from external sources also may be required in cases of very large projects. In the case of applicants from outside of WMU, funds available at the home institution of the applicant, or funds available from other federal, state, or local agencies should be considered. Obtaining matching funds is not necessarily, however, a required condition of support from the endowment.
Application deadlines are October 15 and March 15 of each academic semester.
Faculty Grants
Professional travel to present research
Subject to guidelines listed below, the endowment committee will assist faculty who participate in programs of professional associations as well as specialized conferences and seminars. Maximum grant: $1,000.
In conjunction with other University sources, notably the Faculty Research Travel Fund, the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment may support travel for up to two authorized conferences per academic year. Support will be given to individuals who offer papers, presentations or substantial commentary, copies of which are to be presented at the time of claim for reimbursement. Support also may be given to officers of national professional organizations whose focus meets the definitions outlined in About the Endowment. Officers should inform the committee about their responsibilities and of the potential for funding from the sponsoring organization. Budgetary factors also may influence these decisions.
Support is limited to three days in North America (including the Caribbean Islands) or five days of travel beyond North America. Exceptions for the purpose of saving money are possible. For those meetings that are covered, support will include basic registration fees. Support will be granted for only the first presentation of a paper or other form of historical information. All travel must be conducted in accordance with department, college and University regulations and reimbursement rates are those set by WMU.
Unless explicitly prohibited by a publisher, all publications, papers and written commentaries resulting from activities partly or fully supported by the endowment fund must include clearly visible acknowledgment of the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment for the Study of New France support.
Mini-grants
Small grants are available for a variety of purposes associated with faculty research and publication, such as manuscript preparation and photocopying, inter-library loan charges, and partial support of travel to collections, etc. Mini-grants are available only for research and publication purposes. Applicants are limited to one mini-grant per year. Maximum grant: $1000.
Application for all but grants to travel to research collections should be made to the committee chair in the form of a letter describing the intended purpose and estimated expenses. Retroactive requests will not be honored.
Applications for travel to collections to conduct research must follow the research Application Guidelines.
Research grants
Grants are available for research projects. They may be used for the same range of purposes supported by Faculty Research and Creative Activities Support Fund, and cover expenses clearly necessary for the stated research project. Funds may not be used to support the physical archaeology of sites. Maximum grant: $2,500.
Procedures for preparing and administering research grant budgets are the same as for FRACASF grants, adjusted to the special circumstances of the endowment fund. See Application Guidelines.
Applications involving buy-outs of assigned instructional time must be submitted by December 1 for the following academic year. In the interest of maximizing utilization of other funds available to departments, budgets should be developed in consultation with the appropriate department chair. The endowment committee encourages the use of graduate assistants in conducting research. As is the case with grants from any source, the department is not expected to absorb overhead or indirect costs associated with grant activity.
Prior, or concurrent, application to FRACASF or other funding agencies is routinely assumed by the endowment committee; failure to do so will require explanation acceptable to the committee. Unsuccessful application to other agencies does not necessarily mean denial by the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment Committee.
Within one calendar year of a research grant award, the recipient must submit to the endowment committee a written report on the status of the research. Unless expressly prohibited by a publisher, all publication resulting from endowment support must include a clearly visible statement recognizing the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment for the Study of New France.
The endowment committee evaluates research grant proposals according to the following criteria:
- The degree to which the proposal supports the goals of the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment for the Study of New France.
- The quality of the proposal.
- The scholarly record of the applicant.
- Budgetary limitations.
- The number of previous awards to the applicants.
Research materials
In exceptional cases, the committee considers proposals to acquire research collections for specific projects. Such materials become the property of University Libraries. These may include microform collections, specialized serials, databases, rare books and manuscripts. Maximum Grant: $1,000.
The committee consults closely with the dean of libraries or the dean’s designated representative in evaluating proposals.
Proposals normally are expected to include arrangements for support sharing with other sources.
The endowment should be approached for research materials only, and in exceptional cases after other avenues have been exhausted.
Graduate Student Grants
The endowment will support professional historical work by graduate students under the same terms and conditions noted above for faculty.
When resources permit, the endowment may support a graduate fellowship for a graduate student. The fellowship will be known as the Joseph L. Peyser Fellowship for the Study of New France and must be for work on New France as outlined in About the Endowment.
The fellowship will be in the amount, and under terms and conditions, normally used by WMU in its fellowships for either MA or Ph.D. students.
The fellowship may be used to allow a student time to complete research and/or write his or her Masters thesis or Ph.D. dissertation without requiring any work from the student.
Appropriate departments may notify students of the endowment’s fellowship, but students must apply in writing for the fellowship. Application materials will include a cv., transcripts, samples of written work, letters of support from faculty familiar with the student’s work, and proposal for the work to be undertaken should the fellowship be awarded. The latter should be similar to the proposal format outlined in Application Guidelines.
Conference Grants
Grants are also available to support New France-related conferences or educational initiatives conducted either by WMU faculty and students or by community historical associations or other not-for-profit organizations working in affiliation with WMU. Maximum grant: $2,500.
Prior, or concurrent, application to other funding agencies is routinely assumed by the endowment committee; failure to do so will require explanation acceptable to the committee. Unsuccessful application to other agencies does not necessarily mean denial by the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment Committee.
Within one calendar year of a grant award, the recipient must submit to the endowment committee a written report on the status of the conference. Conference publicity, etc., must include a clearly visible statement recognizing support from The Joseph L. Peyser Endowment for the Study of New France.
The endowment committee evaluates conference/educational initiatives grant proposals according to the following criteria:
- The degree to which the proposal supports the goals of the Joseph L. Peyser Endowment for the Study of New France.
- The quality of the proposal.
- The scholarly record of the applicant.
- Budgetary limitations.
- The number of previous awards to the applicants.
Grants to Invite Visiting Scholars and Lecturers
The endowment will support the costs associated with bringing a distinguished scholar to WMU to lecture to students and/or the public. Maximum grant: $1,000.
When resources allow, the endowment will support fellowships for visiting scholars and lecturers. The duration of such fellowships may vary and shall be known as the Joseph L. Peyser Visiting Scholar Fellowships.
Proposals for visiting scholars must be developed in consultation with the appropriate department chair and submitted by the chair to the endowment committee. These proposals are expected to carry major outside commitments, such as Fulbright exchanges, sabbatical funding from other institutions, strong financial support from the university, etc.
Grants to Consult the French Michilimackinac Research Project Collection
Scholars from outside the WMU community (university faculty and graduate students, and independent scholars) who need to travel to Kalamazoo to consult the FMRP collection may apply for research support. Grants of $500 per week, up to a maximum of $1,500 are available. See Application Guidelines. Maximum grant: $1,500.
Recently Funded Projects
- Scott Berthelette, doctoral student, History, University of Saskatchewan
Support to consult the French Michilimackinac Research Project Collection for dissertation, “Between Sovereignty and Statecraft: New France and the Contest for the Hudson Bay Watershed, 1663-1774.” - Erika Loveland, MA student, Anthropology, Western Michigan University
Travel to Cultural Heritage Conference, Vienna, Austria, to present research on Fort St. Joseph
- Professor Michael Nassaney, Anthropology, Western Michigan University
Support to Carbon-14 date a sample of carbonized corn cobs from a feature cluster at the Lyne site (20BE10) related to Fort St. Joseph. - Support the Fort Inc., a private not-for-profit re-enactors' organization
Support to offer a series of "Education Days" related to Fort St. Joseph to elementary schools in the Niles, Michigan area. - Adam Stueck, doctoral student, History, Marquette University
Support to consult the French Michilimackinac Research Project Collection for a dissertation titled "A Place Under Heaven: Amerindian Torture in Seventeenth Century New France." - Professor Sophie White, American Studies, University of Notre Dame
Support to consult the French Michilimackinac Research Project Collection for a book project, Trading Looks: Dress, Culture and Racialization in French Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley, 1673-1769. - Professor Mary Ann Levine, Anthropology, Franklin and Marshall College
Support to consult the French Michilimackinac Research Project Collection for an archaeological investigation and book project on frontier diplomat Madame Montour.