Western Association of Women Historians
Bylaws for WAWH
Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship (Approved 2007)
- The Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship is an annual award to graduate students who show promise of significant contributions to historical scholarship. Funds from these Awards may be used for purposes directly or indirectly related to the dissertation, such as expenses for research, attendance of scholarly conferences, and the preparation of the dissertation.
- Applicants to the Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship must be current members of WAWH when they submit their application. Current WAWH board members are not eligible to apply. Applicants for the fellowship may apply for it more than once but may win only once.
- All recipients shall be graduate students in history who have been advanced to candidacy and are writing the dissertation at the time of application. They should expect the Ph.D. no earlier than December of the calendar year in which the award is made.
- Applicants for a Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship must submit the following to the selection committee:
- A completed application form. A curriculum vita is not an acceptable substitute.
- A summary of the dissertation project, an explanation of how the dissertation project will advance our understanding of the issue(s) under study, a survey of the major primary sources, a discussion of the historiography, a summary of research already accomplished, and an indication of plans for completion of the dissertation in no more than five double-spaced pages.
- One confidential letter of recommendation from a dissertation committee member sent directly to each member of the Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship Committee. A file maintained by a university office is not an adequate substitute for the specified letters of reference.
- Applicants who want acknowledgement of receipt of application materials must send them to each committee member by certified mail with a return receipt. Applicants who do not meet the deadline for submission or include all the required materials will not be considered.
- The Award Committee Members shall:
- Be appointed by the President for a three-year term.
- Have terms that are staggered in a three-year cycle. Each year a new committee member will be appointed. In case of an incomplete term of service, an appointment will be made to complete the term of service
- The Award Committee Chair shall:
- Ideally have at least one year experience on the particular committee prior to taking over the position of Chair.
- Be responsible for overseeing the work of the committee, including checking to see if applicants are WAWH members and contacting each committee member to determine if each member has the same number of applications, for the timely determination of award recipient(s), and for the notification of the decision to all applicants, selected or not, as well as the Executive Director.
- Present, or appoint someone to present, the award to the winner at the annual conference
- Make a summary report to the Executive Board at the annual meeting.
- Each Committee member shall review and rate each application for the Founders' Dissertation Fellowship. From their individual ratings, Committee members shall confer and reach a consensus on the recipient.
- The Committee shall use the following criteria in selecting recipients (all are given equal weight):
- Scholarly potential of the graduate student;
- Significance of the dissertation project for historical research;
- Originality and clarity of argument;
- Progress already made toward completing research for the dissertation.
- Timeliness of the topic.
- The award will be determined by the Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship Committee subject to funding availability and the applicant pool.
- Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship recipient(s) shall be announced at the annual conference.
Bylaws of the WAWH - Founders’ Dissertation Fellowship (approved 2007)
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updated May 20, 2007