The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) is pleased to announce the creation of the E. M. Bakwin Fellowship. Mr. Bakwin, a graduate of Hamilton College (1950) and the University of Chicago (1961), served as Chairman of the Board of MB Financial Bank in Chicago.

Mr. Bakwin has had a long-standing interest in the history, literature, and art of Western culture.  His generosity has touched Hamilton College, the University of Chicago, Shimer College, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and many other institutions.

The Bakwin Fellowship awards a stipend of $1600 for advanced research in regional archives and libraries on subjects that comport with the central concerns of the AHI as defined in its charter. Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers are encouraged to apply. Recipients of the award will reside, free of charge, for one summer month (June or July) in the Jane Fraser Room of the AHI’s headquarters, a historic mansion located in 21 West Park Row, Clinton, New York. A panel comprised of AHI fellows and board members will evaluate the applications. Deadline for their receipt is Monday, March 2, 2009; the AHI will announce the award winner on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

To apply, candidates will need to fill out a fellowship application. It must include a copy of the applicant’s résumé, two letters of reference, and a proposal that should not exceed five double-spaced pages.

Proposals should reference the manuscript or rare book collections to be consulted and how precisely they will contribute to the intellectual significance of the project. Area repositories include the Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University; the Oneida County Historical Society; Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University; Special Collections and Archives, Colgate University; Rare Books and Special Collections, Hamilton College. In assessing proposals, evaluators will follow closely those criteria spelled out in the fellowship program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Thus,

1. The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to scholars and general audiences.

2. The scholarly quality or promise of quality of the applicant’s work.

3. The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant’s clarity of expression.

4. The feasibility of the proposed plan of work, including, when appropriate, the soundness of the dissemination and access plans.

5. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project.

Recipients of the award will be expected before their departure to present a public lecture on their research topic at the AHI.

Completed applications should be sent to Robert L. Paquette, Alexander Hamilton Institute, 21 West Park Row, Clinton, NY. 13323.