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Home > For Educators & Students > Fellowship Opportunities :Francis Maria Fellowship

Francis Maria Fellowship in Arab American Studies (Now accepting applications for 2013-2014)

Students: please contact IHRC Research Archivist Daniel Necas (necas001@umn.edu) to confirm that your research project is eligible for the IHRC research requirements of the fellowship. We suggest you then submit a request for nomination to your department by December 15th since nomination materials must be submitted by your department to the IHRC Fellowship Selection Committee by February 15th for award in the upcoming academic year.

Background:The Francis Maria Graduate Fellowship in Arab American Studies was established in 2003 with a major gift from the Francis Maria Foundation for Justice and Peace. Its objective is to further develop the Francis Maria collection of mid-20th century Arab American history and related Arab American activities occurring in the IHRC.

The fellowship varies in amount and duration with a maximum 1-semester living stipend of $8,300 and up to, but not more than, $8,300 toward tuition, mandatory fees and health insurance, subject to United States tax law. Maria Fellowships may be awarded more than once to the same student during her/his enrollment in the University.

Departments in which graduate students are enrolled arrange individual financial assistance packages of varying terms and amounts, often applied to the second and third years of study, usually through research or teaching assistantships

Eligibility: Both International and U.S. Citizen students are eligible. To be considered for this fellowship candidates must:

  • be admitted to, or currently enrolled in, a Masters or PhD degree program in the University of Minnesota Graduate School;
  • have research interests related to the history and culture of Arabs (in the United States or the Arab diaspora) that require research in the IHRC Arab collections: http://ihrc.umn.edu/research/vitrage/index.php
  • have reading proficiency in Arabic as well as English languages. (International students should consult TOEFL requirements :http://www.ets.org/toefl/

Selection Process: The IHRC Director appoints a Fellowship Selection Committee of faculty and/or IHRC staff and chairs the Selection Committee. Decisions are made by March 15th. Fellows are nominated by their departments of graduate enrollment. Prospective first-year graduate students who wish to be considered for the fellowship must apply for admission to a department and request the department nominate them for the fellowship. Previously enrolled students may also request that their departments nominate them for the award. In both cases, students indicate their interest in being nominated after consulting with the IHRC and completing and sending to their department a Request for Departmental Nomination form no later than December 15th for award in the following academic year. Nomination by letter to the IHRC from departments must be submitted to the Fellowship Selection Committee of the IHRC no later than February 15th for the upcoming academic year. The letter should either confirm the admission of an incoming student or the current status of the student enrolled in a current graduate degree program. Since the purpose of this fellowship is to supplement departmental support of degree candidates, the letter should also describe existing or likely commitment of departmental funds to the student nominated.

Information on the UM admission process and regarding specific graduate programs is available at website http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/. Or, write to Director of Graduate Studies (Department Name), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Applications for admission must be submitted electronically. All materials required for admission by the specific graduate program AND the Graduate School must be received before a nomination for this fellowship can be forwarded to the Selection Committee.

Further information about this fellowship and the Latvian American collections and activities of the Immigration History Research Center may be obtained from the IHRC. The IHRC welcomes preliminary inquiries from students considering enrollment in the University and candidacy for this fellowship.