Emerging Archival Scholars Program
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
9-13 July 2012
PURPOSE
The Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI) is pleased to announce a recruitment and outreach scholarship program to encourage minority students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to consider undertaking doctoral education focusing in Archival Studies, a multidisciplinary field that examines the social, cultural, political, and technological imperatives and professional practices of record keeping and remembering in society. The program, which is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is designed to introduce students to the nature of doctoral education and the rewards and demands of a research-oriented career, e.g., as a professor, in the archives field. Our goal is to stimulate and begin to nurture the growth of a new and more diverse generation of scholars who are versed in interdisciplinary research that addresses issues in Archival Studies, broadly conceived.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Up to six Emerging Archival Scholars will be selected and awarded a scholarship that will cover round-trip travel, accommodation, and most meals to attend the annual weeklong Archival Education and Research Institute, attended by faculty and doctoral students from the U.S. and around the globe. The next Institute, AERI 2012, will be held at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 9-13 July 2012.
During the Institute, each scholarship recipient will be assigned both a faculty research and a Ph.D. student mentor who will help Scholars navigate the Institute and the intellectual and social environments. In addition to mentors, scholarship recipients will participate in a workshop discussing application processes and expectations for Ph.D. programs in the U.S. and internationally as well as the nature and scope of future possible careers. They will also participate with other AERI attendees in workshops, seminars, and field trips. For Scholars who indicate an interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in this field after attending AERI, mentors will be selected for them to work with on a continuing basis and they will be alerted to other possible opportunities, such as bridge programs, additional scholarships and research opportunities that might be available through AERI or at different academic institutions.
Scholars may also be selected or volunteer for fuller immersion into the research process and be assigned (with their agreement) to a research team that will involve the student in a supervised research project that will last no longer than a year. In this case, participants may be invited and funded to present their research results in a poster session at AERI in 2013.
ELIGIBILITY
American citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible including, but not limited to, persons who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, or Puerto Rican, as well as other individuals who will add diversity to the field of Archival Studies.
Applications will be considered only from undergraduate students who have completed their junior year, and students who have completed their first year of a Master’s degree program, but have not received a Master’s degree by the time AERI 2012 begins. Applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and be successfully moving toward an academic major in any field. No prior knowledge of or experience in Archival Studies is required.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Students interested in applying for one of the available scholarships must provide the information below:
A resume (no more than 2 pages)
A completed application form (available at http://aeri.gseis.ucla.edu/fellowships.htm#easp)
A personal statement (no more than 2 pages, single-space) that addresses all of the following questions
1)What research interests might you like to pursue in graduate school, and why?
2)What research or scholarly experience do you have in your field?
3)How do you plan to use the degree that you are currently seeking?
Official transcripts of all academic courses completed a your current academic institution at the time of application
Two letters of recommendation from faculty members familiar with the student's work
Completed applications are due no later than March 1, 2012. Awards will be announced by March 30, 2012.
Resumes, application forms, personal statements, and letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically to kwhite [at] ou.edu
Official transcripts should be postmarked by March 1, 2012 and mailed to
Dr. Kelvin White
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Oklahoma
401 W. Brooks, Bizzell Library, Room 120
Norman, OK 73019-6032
