William Sanders Scarborough Fellowships
Deadline: January 15, 2023
This fellowship is intended to honor and remember Professor William Sanders Scarborough and to help foster diversity in the fields of Classical and Hellenic Studies and the Humanities more broadly by supporting students and teachers from underrepresented groups in their study and research at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
William Sanders Scarborough (1852–1926), the son of an enslaved woman and a freedman, was a pathbreaking African American Classical scholar and public intellectual. Scarborough’s scholarship included philological works on Greek and Roman authors, as well as studies of African languages and African American folklore. His First Lessons in Greek (1881) was the first foreign language textbook by an African American author. He taught at Ohio’s Wilberforce University and Payne Theological Seminary, serving as Wilberforce’s president from 1908–1920. At least twice in his life (1886 and 1896), Scarborough hoped to attend the American School, with the encouragement of the School’s Managing Committee. Lack of funding, coupled with his many professional responsibilities, kept Scarborough from realizing his dream of going to Greece.
Eligibility: Graduate students, faculty members (K-12 and all levels of post-secondary education), and independent scholars residing in the United States or Canada, regardless of citizenship, whose geographic origin, diverse experiences, and socio-economic background are underrepresented at the School (including persons from the Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color communities), and whose studies, research, or teaching would benefit from residency at the School. Fellowship recipients need not be specialists in the field of Classical Studies. The School welcomes applicants from faculty of K-12 schools and from students or faculty from public and private universities, colleges, and community colleges; and encourages applications from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Terms and Duration: The fellowship supports up to three months in residence at the School to carry out proposed research projects, to join the School’s academic programs (field trips and seminars during the academic year, excavations at the Agora or Corinth, scientific field schools, etc.), and/or to develop knowledge, resources, and collegial networks to enhance their teaching. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Programs Administrator well in advance of submitting their proposal for advice on fitting the resources and opportunities of the School to their needs and interests. Fellowship winners will be paired with ASCSA mentors who can assist them in planning and preparing for their time in Greece. Field trips in Greece involve very high temperatures in the summer and early fall and walking over very uneven terrain; these factors should be taken into account when planning an application. Applicants intending to use the fellowship to participate in an ASCSA summer program must submit the Scarborough application AND a separate application to the relevant program(s) of interest. Applicants wishing to use the Scarborough fellowship to offset costs of participation in the Regular Member academic program of the School must also apply directly for Regular Membership (deadline Jan. 15, 2023); admission to the Regular Program requires that applicants write an examination in mid-February. The fellowship may not be held concurrently with Regular Member Fellowships.
Awards granted in the January 2023 competition should be used between June 1, 2023 and May 30, 2024.
Each award provides for $1500 per month (rounded upwards to the nearest whole month to a maximum of 3 month) as a stipend. The fellowship provides room and board at Loring Hall, a waiver of any applicable School fees (including summer program course fees), and one roundtrip economy-class airfare to Athens. Meals, Monday through Friday, are provided at Loring Hall for the fellow. The cost of participation on trips during the academic year is not covered (costs are billed in Athens after each trip). Meals or incidental expenses outside Loring Hall are not covered by the fellowship.
The School intends to make up to four awards each year.
Application: Submit an online application here. A complete application will include:
- A 2-page, single-spaced, statement indicating your eligibility, describing the proposed use of the fellowship including any formal program at the School you plan to apply for, the proposed timeframe for your work at the School, and your project or research goals (as applicable).
- A curriculum vitae.
- A copy of current transcripts for student applicants (scans of official transcripts are acceptable).
- Arrange for two letters of recommendation. Recommenders will be asked to upload their letters via the online application system, Submittable. Upon submission of the online application, recommenders will be sent an automated email with instructions about how to submit their letters of recommendation. Or, applicants may choose to send the request at any time by clicking the “Send Request Now” button on the online application form.
Award decisions will be announced in March 2023.
Click here for more information.
