CFP - Outdoor Recreation History in the North American West Seminar (Aug. 7-8, 2025)

Call for Papers

Outdoor Recreation History in the North American West

Proposal Deadline: 15 January 2025
Seminar Date: 7-8 August 2025

 [Download CFP here]

North American West landscapes of mountains, forests, deserts, and rivers have served as sites for survival and work for centuries, but also as a playground. The development and growth of camping, hiking, hunting and fishing, skiing, biking, mountain and rock climbing, river-running, and other activities play key roles in attracting visitors to the region, retaining residents by driving local economies, coloring regional cultures, and shaping how many perceive the region. The viability these activities and the health of their associated outdoor spaces have faced continual challenge and change. Today, these include new technologies that are altering the forms of outdoor recreation and who participates in them, fast-growing recreation and tourism industries that dominate regional economies, increased usage and consumer demands that stress environments and those tasked with managing them, and changing climates. All this makes for uncertain futures and demands fuller historical understanding. New scholarship that acknowledges these issues along with colonial pasts, Indigenous relationships with landscapes, accessibility inequities to BIPOC and marginalized communities, survival of local communities, and other fraught issues can help better inform our present and guide our futures.

To facilitate these conversations, the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University will host a fully funded 2-day seminar on August 7-8, 2025. Selected participants will write and pre-circulate chapter-length pieces (approximately 6,000-8,000 words) before gathering on the BYU campus to workshop them together. These will subsequently be revised and published as an edited collection. Redd Center Associate Director and Professor of History Brenden W. Rensink will serve as seminar organizer and volume editor. Historians Annie Coleman (Notre Dame), Phoebe Young (CU-Boulder), and others will help facilitate small- and large-group workshop sessions. Authors are encouraged to consider diverse voices and perspectives in their work. Senior and junior scholars (including graduate students) are welcomed.

 

Apply using this link (https://tinyurl.com/outdoorrecreationhistory) by January 15, 2025.

Contact Brenden W. Rensink at bwrensink@byu.edu if you have questions.

 

Past edited volumes that have emerged from past Redd Center seminars include: 

• Religion in the American West, Todd M. Kerstetter and Fred E. Woods, eds. (University of Nebraska Press, forthcoming)
• The North American West in the Twenty-First Century, Brenden W. Rensink, ed. (University of Nebraska Press, 2022)
• Essays on American Indian and Mormon History, Jane Hafen and Brenden W. Rensink, eds. (University of Utah Press, 2019)
• Reconstruction and Mormon America, Clyde A. Milner, II and Brian Q. Cannon, eds. (University of Oklahoma Press, 2019)
• The Earth Will Appear as the Garden of Eden: Essays on Mormon Environmental History, Jedediah S. Rogers and Matthew C. Godfrey, eds. (University of Utah Press, 2018)
• Immigrants in the Far West: Historical Identities and Experiences, Jessie L. Embry and Brian Q. Cannon, eds. (University of Utah Press, 2013)
• Oral History, Community, and Work in the American West, Jessie L. Embry, ed. (University of Arizona Press, 2013)
• Utah in the Twentieth Century, Brian Q. Cannon and Jessie L. Embry, eds. (Utah State University Press, 2009)

Assistant Profesor in U.S. History at Utah State University

Overview

The Department of History at Utah State University (USU) in Uintah Basin invites applications for a tenure-track, nine-month position at the rank of Assistant Professor in nineteenth or twentieth century United States history, with areas of expertise in Utah history, Indigenous history, religious history, environmental history, and/or history of the American West. The successful applicant will teach our lower-division surveys in American History, our History of Utah course, and upper-division courses in their area(s) of specialization. The department seeks a colleague who can show evidence of teaching excellence and research productivity. Teaching is the primary focus of this position, and the faculty member will be responsible for teaching six courses per year, including courses taught in different modalities (face-to-face, online, and connect). The anticipated start date is August 2025.The department seeks a highly motivated teacher and researcher to join a vibrant community of scholars at our Roosevelt campus.

Review of applications begins December 7, 2024, and continues until the position is filled.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate excellence in teaching and effectiveness in research 
• Teach one or more of our lower-division U.S. surveys (HIST 1700, HIST 2700 and HIST 2710) 
• Contribute to the department’s lower-division, upper-division (including HIST 3850: Utah History), and graduate curricula 
• Produce high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship 
• Contribute to service in the Department, College, and University 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: 

• A PhD in U.S. History or related field by July 2025 (ABD will be considered at time of application if degree is completed by July 2025) 
• Evidence of teaching excellence 
• Evidence of scholarly productivity 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to contribute to other units in the History Department, including the Public History emphasis, the Classics Program, the Religious Studies Program, or the Global Peacebuilding Certificate.  

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach: 

1. CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV"
2. Two syllabi: 1) for any survey course in U.S. History, and 2) for any upper division course in indigenous, religious, environmental or regional/local history to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10"
3. The names and email addresses of three references (your references will be asked to upload a letter of recommendation if your candidacy advances to the next level).
4. A cover letter that speaks to your experience as a teacher and researcher (to be copied and pasted into a fillable field at the end of the application). 

The committee may request copies of course evaluations or other teaching materials if your candidacy advances to the interview stage. 

 

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent benefits

ADA

Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  

College/Department Highlights

The History Department at Utah State includes dynamic teacher-scholars in History, Religious Studies, and Classics as well as undergraduate and master's level students interested in a global field of study. The faculty values high-quality research in keeping with its research mission, but it also places the highest importance on accessible and quality teaching. The department offers majors/minors in history, history teaching, and religious studies. It also offers minors in Latin, Greek, Classical Civilization, and Latin Teaching, and two masters’ program in History and Ancient Languages and Cultures. Faculty in the program are located at the main campus in Logan as well as at locations around the state as part of the university’s statewide mission. For more information on the department, see our website: http://history.usu.edu  

 

All faculty are part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which plays an instrumental role in teaching critical thinking, knowledge-building skills and the ability to pose meaningful questions that advance understanding and knowledge. Students in our college confront the great questions and controversies, learn about the forces that have shaped our world, and develop the skills to tackle its most pressing challenges. Our graduates are creative problem-solvers with a passion for making a difference. The education they receive here prepares them to address the problems of today and to succeed wherever their career path takes them tomorrow. 

University Highlights

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

 

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu. 

 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

 

*updated 04/2024

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

 

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

If you have any questions, reach out to Amanda Katz.

Biographers International Organization (BIO) is very happy to announce the new Kitty Kelley Dissertation Fellowship in Biography that will provide $25,000 each year to a doctoral student who is writing a dissertation in English focused on the life of another person or upon the lives of two or more individuals. This generous fellowship is endowed by Kitty Kelley, a founding member BIO and long-time advocate for biography and biographers, as well as the bestselling author of multiple biographical works where she has displayed courage and deftness in writing unvarnished accounts of some of the most powerful figures in politics, media, and popular culture, including Oprah Winfrey, the Bush Family, the Royal Family, Nancy Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

 

Reflecting on the impact of this new fellowship, BIO Committee Chair Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina remarks, “BIO is delighted to offer this exciting opportunity for a Ph.D. student writing a biography as their dissertation. Kitty Kelley’s generosity in funding a biographical project at the dissertation level will go a long way to encourage the writing of biography at the final stages of academic training. We hope that the fellowship will inspire universities to endorse such projects, which combine the rigor of doctoral research with the art of storytelling.”

Kitty Kelley explains her decision to create this fellowship. “Biography is the art of telling a life story. By exploring the past, we illuminate the present, and enlarge the future. I hope this dissertation fellowship opens a wide world of ideas and imagination coupled with potential and purpose.” 

The Kitty Kelley Dissertation Fellowship in Biography will provide $25,000 in financial support so that a doctoral candidate may devote a year to completing a dissertation in the field of biography. A fellow is expected to pursue the dissertation project on a full-time basis during the funding period and must be writing a dissertation in English focused upon the life of another person or upon the lives of two or more individuals. It cannot be fictionalized nor should the focus be primarily autobiographical. It need not cover the entire life of its subject or subjects. Applicants must have completed all course work, passed all preliminary examinations and received approval for a dissertation proposal. Students who have already received a dissertation fellowship are not eligible. The fellowship is open to students in all fields and academic departments, provided that the dissertation is biographical in its methods and focus. 

For the fellowship starting September 1, 2025, the deadline to apply will be January 15, 2025, and the winner of the $25,000 scholarship will be announced no later than May 1, 2025. The request for applications is now open. For more information, please visit: https://biographersinternational.org/award/kitty-kelley-dissertation-fellowship-in-biography/

ABOUT BIO

Biographers International Organization (BIO) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the art and craft of biography, cultivating a diverse community of biographers, encouraging public interest in biography, and providing educational and fellowship opportunities that support the work of biographers worldwide. For more information, visit: www.biographersinternational.org.

Research Fellowship in Texas History

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) offers each year the Research Fellowship in Texas History for the best research proposal utilizing collections of the State Archives in Austin or the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas. Research topics should be significant to Texas history, with preference given to fresh areas of study and/or under-sourced archival collections. Applicants may contact ref@tsl.texas.gov for more information about collections. Apply by January 15, 2025. Find more information and the application form online here: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/researchfellowship

Established in 1998, the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards recognize excellence in nonfiction that exemplifies the literary grace and commitment to serious research and social concern that characterized the work of the awards' Pulitzer Prize-winning namesake, J. Anthony Lukas, who died in 1997. Four awards are given: two J. Anthony Lukas Work-In-Progress Awards, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and the Mark Lynton History Prize.

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards

Two J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards, in the amount of $25,000, are given annually to aid in the completion of significant works of nonfiction on topics of American political or social concern. Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the Awards as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires.

 

J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize

The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, in the amount of $10,000, is given annually to a book-length work of narrative nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern that exemplifies the literary grace, commitment to serious research, and original reporting, that characterized the distinguished work of the award's namesake.

Mark Lynton History Prize

The Mark Lynton History Prize, in the amount of $10,000, is awarded to a book-length work of history on any topic that best combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression. 

Lynton Scholarship Program

The Lynton scholarship program annually provides two research grants of $5,000 apiece to outstanding students in the Book Seminar class at Columbia Journalism School. These grants help support the reporting of narrative non-fiction books in the tradition of J. Anthony Lukas. Since the Lynton scholarships were first awarded in 2005, many of the student recipients have gone on to produce acclaimed books on subjects ranging from the destruction of the Great Lakes to the underworld of pop music piracy to an early school desegregation case brought by a family of Chinese immigrants.

 

About J. Anthony Lukas

 

The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award, J. Anthony Lukas published five epic books, each of which examined a critical fault line in America’s social and political landscape by examining individual lives caught up in the havoc of change.

A former foreign and national correspondent for The New York Times, Lukas tackled the country’s generational conflict in his first book “Don’t Shoot: We Are Your Children”; examined the impact of school desegregation in “Common Ground,” and told a sweeping tale of class conflict at the turn of the century in “Big Trouble,” completed just before his death in 1997.

His other books were “The Barnyard Epithet and Other Obscenities: Notes on the Chicago Conspiracy Trial” and “Nightmare: The Underside of the Nixon Years.”

Prof. Samuel G. Freedman on J. Anthony Lukas in Salon(link is external) (June 12, 1997)

Robert W. Snyder on Lukas’ “Common Ground” in CJR (link is external)(Sept./Oct. 2006)

About Mark Lynton

One of the three Lukas Prize Project Awards, the Mark Lynton History Prize, is named for the late Mark Lynton, a business executive and author of “Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee’s Memoir of World War II.” Lynton was an avid proponent of the writing of history, and the Lynton family has sponsored the Lukas Prize Project since its inception.

“I was born Max­ Otto Ludwig Loewenstein, in Stuttgart, Germany,” begins Mark Lynton’s autobiography, “Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee’s Memoir of World War II,” published in 1995 by The Overlook Press. A student at Cambridge University when WWII began, Lynton provides a witty account of his odyssey from internment at a Canadian detention camp to his return to England and, ultimately, enlistment in the British military, where he served for seven years. Assigned to the Pioneer Corps, Lynton later transferred to the Royal Tank Regiment, attaining the rank of captain. He completed his career with British Intelligence, interrogating German officers.

Born on April 16, 1920, Lynton moved to Berlin two years later when his father was named head of a major German car manufacturer. Raised by a Swiss nanny, Lynton was bilingual in French and German and was educated in Germany, France and England.

Lynton had a long career working for Citroen and was a senior executive at the firm Hunter Douglas in the Netherlands at the time of his death in 1997. His wife, Marion Lynton, and children, Lili and Michael, established the Mark Lynton History Prize as part of the Lukas Prize Project to honor Lynton, who was an avid reader of history. The Lynton family has generously underwritten the Lukas Prize Project since its inception in 1998.

The Lukas Prize Project is co-administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE DECEMBER 5, 2024

See more here.

The O’Connor Chair in the History of Hispanic Texas and the Southwest, Director of Center for Mexican American Studies

The Department of History in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at St. Mary’s University, ranked #1 by US News and World Report for Social Mobility in San Antonio and #1 for Best Value in the West, invites applications for the O’Connor Chair in the History of Hispanic Texas and the Southwest and the inaugural director of the university’s new Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS). This tenured appointment will be made at the level of associate professor or professor.

Supported by the O’Connor Endowment established in 1982, the holder of the O’Connor Chair in the History of Hispanic Texas and the Southwest teaches one course per semester on Mexican American and Latino history topics, engages in scholarship in these areas, and supports the History Department’s undergraduate History Program and graduate Public History Program. The O’Connor Chair is active in campus and community outreach, which includes organizing a lecture series.

The O’Connor Chair also will serve as director of a new Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS), providing intellectual and visionary leadership. CMAS serves as an academic home for student learning, faculty and student scholarship, and related campus and community programming focused on Mexican American Studies and, secondarily, Latin American and Latino/a/e Studies. It contributes to the University’s longstanding mission as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) by supporting and advancing Mexican American Studies as a field of study. The role is an exciting opportunity to build interdisciplinary scholarship and programming across the four schools: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the Greehey School of Business; the School of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the School of Law. CMAS also supports our Hispanic Serving Institution’s diverse student population, more than half of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino and more than 40% as first-generation college students.

While serving as director of CMAS, the workload for the O’Connor Chair is distributed as follows:

• Scholarship (traditional and/or public-facing) and campus and community engagement associated with the O’Connor Chair and CMAS (50 percent)
• Teaching (a 1:1 teaching load each academic year), student mentorship, working with student research assistants, and advising in the History Department at the graduate and undergraduate levels (30 percent)
• Service, including providing intellectual leadership for the Center for Mexican American Studies and overseeing staff; managing the CMAS and O’Connor Chair budgets in collaboration with dean and department chair; active and collegial participation in the activities and service of the History Department (20 percent) 

Minimum qualifications:

• Ph.D. in History or a related field emphasizing historical scholarship 
• An established record of scholarship (traditional and/or public facing) in the field of Hispanic, Mexican American, and/or Latino/a/e history of Texas and the Southwest that merits rank of associate professor or professor at St. Mary’s University 
• An established record of teaching Mexican American and/or Latino/a/e history of Texas and the Southwest that merits rank of associate professor or professor at St. Mary’s University 
• Capacity through the O'Connor Chair and CMAS directorship to support the university's Catholic and Marianist educational mission 

Preferred qualifications: 

• Leadership experience relevant to the roles of the O’Connor Chair and Director of the Center for Mexican American Studies 
• Engagement with public history and/or local history methods and practices. 
• The ability to communicate with stakeholders in Spanish and English 

St. Mary's University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence: www.stmarytx.edu/about

. St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic university in the Southwest and continues to advocate the Marianist mission. St. Mary's enrolls approximately 3500 students in a diverse university with four schools, more than 40 academic programs including Ph.D. and J.D. programs, and numerous pre-professional programs. The successful candidate is expected to support and contribute to the University's Marianist educational mission.

San Antonio offers a wealth of archives, community organizations, historical sites, and museums, which offer opportunities for historical research and community engagement. The St. Mary’s University History Department prides itself on its partnerships with local historical institutions and active community networking and engagement. San Antonio’s rich historical legacy provides exciting classroom to community connections.

Applications can be found at http://stmarytx.applicantpro.com/jobs/ with the option to upload all supporting documents electronically. Along with the application, please include (1) a letter of application addressing the minimum and/or preferred qualifications listed above and (2) a curriculum vitae. Additional materials and references may be requested in subsequent rounds of the interview process. For questions, please contact Dr. Lindsey Wieck (lwieck@stmarytx.edu).

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. Any offer of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a clear background check and submission of official transcripts.

St. Mary’s University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourages all qualified candidates apply.

The 2025-2026 Huntington Library Research Fellowships 

The Huntington Library is now accepting Research Fellowship Applications for the 2025-2026 fellowship year for Long-Term Fellowships, Short-Term Fellowships, and Travel Grants. Applications are submitted online: https://fellowships.huntington.org   
The deadline for submission is 11:59 PM PST on November 15, 2024. It is advisable to begin your online application well before the application deadline. For more information, see Fellowship FAQs or email Fellowships@huntington.org. 

Resources 

The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution, which promotes humanities scholarship on the basis of its library holdings and art collections. 

The Library holds more than 11 million items that span the 11th to 21st centuries. Its diverse materials center on fourteen intersecting collection strengths. The Art Museum features British, European, American, and Asian art spanning more than 500 years and includes more than 45,000 objects.  

Support 

The Huntington offers 15 Long-Term Fellowships; 13 for the academic year (9-11 months) in residence, each with a stipend of $50,000, and 2 for an academic term (4-5 months) with a $25,000 stipend. Although both of the academic term (4 to 5 months) and nine of the academic year (9 to 11 months) fellowships are open to scholars working on projects in any area where The Huntington’s collections are strong, there are specific awards for the study of maritime history (The Kemble Fellowship), the history of medicine (The Molina Fellowship) and the history of science (The Dibner Fellowships). Three awards (the Thom Fellowships) are reserved for recent post-doctoral scholars. 

Approximately 130 Short-Term Fellowships are available for one to three months in residence and carry monthly stipends of $3,500. They are open to scholars in any field where the Huntington’s collections are strong. 

We offer six one-month Travel Grants for Study Abroad for humanities research to be carried out in libraries or archives outside of the United States or Canada and nine one-month Exchange Fellowships with Corpus Christi, Jesus, Lincoln, and New Colleges, Oxford; Trinity Hall, Cambridge; Trinity College Dublin/Marsh's Library; the University of Birmingham; the University of Durham; and the John Rylands Research Institute and Library at The University of Manchester.

For details of eligibility and the applications process, see https://www.huntington.org/fellowships. 

Selma Moidel Smith Student Writing Competition in California Legal History

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The California Supreme Court Historical Society (CSCHS) encourages all students working on California legal history (NOT just the history of California courts) to apply for this prize. Papers may include elements of digital humanities and may also be co-authored. This is a GREAT WAY to get attention for your hard work!

$5,000 first-place, $2,500 second-place, and $1,000 third-place prizes will be awarded to the best papers on California state or colonial history, broadly considered. Recent winners include a study of the death penalty in California, the evolution of California land law, the desegregation of Stanford Law School, and disability law and the campaign for independent living. as well as a jointly authored paper on Chinese adoption practices and their role in immigration decisions after the Chinese Exclusion Act.

We accept papers of at least 7,500 and not more than 15,000 words, including notes and other explanatory matter. The competition is open to students and recent graduates in history and/or law, provided that they did not have full-time academic employment at the time the paper was written. The paper should also be unpublished; prize winners will likely receive an offer to publish in California Legal History, CSCHS’s journal.

Papers may be self-nominated or sent in by a professor or supervisor. To ensure anonymity, the author’s name should appear only on a separate cover page, along with the author’s mailing address, telephone number, email address, and the name of their school.

Submissions are due by July 1, 2025 and should be sent to director@cschs.org with the subject line “Smith Prize.” The winners will be announced in July 2025, and an award ceremony (likely over Zoom) will be held in August or September.

For the Prize Committee: Sarah Barringer Gordon, Laura Kalman, Stuart Banner

American Heritage Center

We support a variety of scholar activities through the grants, fellowships, and awards we offer and encourage applications from researchers with diverse backgrounds and disciplines. The AHC is committed to fostering an inclusive research environment and promoting innovative inquiry that provides new perspectives on a wide range of historical and contemporary topics.
Our collections span regional, national, and international subjects with particular strengths in the American West and topics that intersect with global cultural, environmental, and industrial developments.
Explore our collections on Archives West. Unless otherwise indicated, send all applications and inquiries to AHC Archivist Leslie Waggener. All application materials should be submitted electronically.  

Grants

Travel Grants

Supports research projects utilizing the AHC's extensive collections. Open to scholars at all stages, from graduate students to established researchers.

Grant amount: $750 per grant to cover transportation, lodging, and food expenses.
Number of grants: Ten grants awarded annually (five each in fall and spring cycles).
Application deadlines:Fall cycle: October 31, 2024. Research visit to AHC must be completed by August 31, 2026.
Spring cycle: March 31, 2025. Research visit to AHC must be completed by August 31, 2026.
Application requirements:Completed application form.
Project description (max. 2 pages).
Current CV.

 

Travel Grant Application (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

Research Fellowships

Alan K. Simpson Fellowship in Western Political History

Award: $3,000 stipend for a 20-day residency at the AHC. Stipend can be prorated for shorter visits.
Payment: Issued upon completion of research visit and submission of a project summary. No advance payment allowed.
Focus: Western political history. AHC archives offer insights into the careers of a diverse array of politicians, activists, and influencers within the political landscape, including significant holdings that represent a wide range of political beliefs.
Eligibility: Open to scholars at all levels, from graduate students to tenured faculty.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Visit deadline: August 31, 2026.

 

Call for Alan K. Simpson Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

Bernard L. Majewski Research Fellowship

Award: $3,000 stipend for a 20-day residency at the AHC. Stipend can be prorated for shorter visits.
Payment: Issued upon completion of research visit and submission of a project summary. No advance payment allowed.
Focus: History of economic geology, including exploration and development. Also supports inquiry into related fields such as environmental and natural resources history. Projects combining AHC materials with data from other sources, such as archaeology or earth sciences, are also encouraged.
Eligibility: Open to scholars at all levels, from graduate students to tenured faculty.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Visit deadline: August 31, 2026.

 

Call for Majewski Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

Fellowship for the Study of 20th Century American Popular Culture

Award: $3,000 stipend for a 20-day residency at the AHC. Stipend can be prorated for shorter visits.
Payment: Issued upon completion of research visit and submission of a project summary. No advance payment allowed.
Focus: Influence of popular culture on American society. AHC's collections offer extensive materials on the entertainment industry, including papers from producers, directors, actors, and musicians. Notable holdings cover the cartoon and comic book industry, as well as representations of the "Western image" across various media.
Eligibility: Open to late postdoctoral investigators and new faculty (Assistant Professor or below).
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Visit deadline: August 31, 2026.

 

Call for Popular Culture Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

 

George A. Rentschler Fellowship on the Study of the American West

Award: $3,000 stipend for a 20-day residency at the AHC. Stipend can be prorated for shorter visits.
Payment: Issued upon completion of research visit and submission of a project summary. No advance payment allowed.
Focus: Insightful scholarship exploring the complex narratives, cultural dynamics, and historical developments of the American West.
Eligibility: Open to scholars at all levels, from graduate students to tenured faculty.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Visit deadline: August 31, 2026.

 

Call for Rentschler Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

Peter K. Simpson Fellowship on the American West

Award: $8,000 stipend for a 20-day stay divided between AHC and Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.
Focus: Original research advancing knowledge and understanding about the history and myths of the American West.
Eligibility: Open to scholars at all levels, from graduate students to tenured faculty.
Application deadline: March 30, 2025.
Visit deadline: Research visits to AHC and BBCW must be completed within 15 months of award notification.
Submit proposals: Send electronically to BBCW Research Assistant Nathan Bender (NathanB@centerofthewest.org).

 

Call for Peter K. Simpson Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

 

Women in Public Life Fellowship

Award: $3,000 stipend for a 20-day residency at the AHC. Stipend can be prorated for shorter visits.
Payment: Issued upon completion of research visit and submission of a project summary. No advance payment allowed.
Focus: Women in public life across various fields. AHC's collections offer extensive resources on women's issues, prominent figures, and everyday experiences from the past 150 years. Materials cover politics, activism, professional achievements, and social history, supporting multifaceted research in women's roles in American culture.
Eligibility: Open to scholars at all levels, from graduate students to tenured faculty.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Visit deadline: August 31, 2026.

 

Call for Women in Public Life Fellowship Proposals (PDF) - Includes full details to apply.

Clements Center for Southwest Studies is looking for a Program Manager!

Program Manager - (DED00000402)

Description

Salary Range: 

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU’s more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University’s small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dedman School of Law, Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem – paired with entrepreneurial drive – creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU’s relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Department:

The Clements Center promotes research, publishing, teaching, and public programming in a variety of fields of inquiry related to Texas, the American Southwest, and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

The Program Manager carries out the mission of the Center to promote research, publishing, teaching, and public programming in a variety of fields of inquiry related to Texas, the American Southwest, and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. As the Center's only staff member, the Program Manager is charged with significant responsibility, a high degree of autonomy, and wide latitude to exercise independent decision-making. The position requires strong working knowledge of the academy and university publishing, and an intellectual curiosity for and engagement with the Center's work, including the ability to recognize broad trends in the academic fields within the Center's purview. The Program Manager is required to keep the Center’s financial accounts in order, write and edit copy, plan and manage events, manage diverse groups of people, advise residential fellows, and generally maintain excellent organization.

Essential Functions:

• FELLOWS - The Center's largest budget items are its annual residential fellowships. The Program Manager participates in the selection of fellows, makes appropriate financial arrangements with fellows’ home institutions, manages their onboarding, meets with them regularly while in residence, provides financial and other forms of support, and assists them in building their professional networks in the academic and publishing communities.

• FINANCIAL - The Program Manager has authority over the Center's 20 accounts, manages and spends funds, and creates the budget. They approve fellows' travel and research expenses and oversee endowments and grants, including the creation of annual endowment reports. They work with the Development office to secure additional funding and manage cost-sharing arrangements with other institutions. 

• SYMPOSIA - The Center sponsors one or more annual symposia with an outside institutional partner, resulting in a book published by an academic press. The Program Manager works with the co-conveners to execute their vision, usually over about a 5-year period, until the book is published. This involves organizing and attending a multi-day workshop for 20+ academics, often held at the Taos campus.

• TRAVEL TO CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND SYMPOSIA - The Program Manager must attend academic conferences to promote the work of the Center to interested academics, and host Center receptions and gatherings at these conferences. They attend and participate in all fellow's manuscript workshops, and all symposia co-sponsored by the Center at other universities or institutions nationwide (and internationally).

• PUBLIC RELATIONS - The Program Manager is solely responsible for gathering information to create, write and edit the Center's annual newsletter. They are responsible for the Center website, including writing its content. They keep a presence on social media and design promotional material such as fliers, posters and mailers. They work with SMU Public Affairs and other off campus organizations to promote event, keep contact lists updated, and do other PR activities.

• RESEARCH TRAVEL GRANTS - The Clements Center awards money to SMU graduate students to conduct dissertation research on subjects grounded in the Southwest. The Clements Center also awards money to outside scholars to come to SMU to conduct research for their own work in SMU's DeGolyer Library. The Program Manager seeks applications for both of these, helps choose the awardees, and supports them academically and financially.

• PUBLICATIONS -  The program manager works with academic press editors and the individual fellows to secure book contracts and financial subventions for fellows' books. The Center also self-publishes books on topics within its mandate. The Program Manager helps select authors and assists them in preparing book manuscripts, secures permissions, ISBNs, etc. They work with printers/editors, seek endorsements, see the book to final publication, and oversee sales.

• ANNUAL BOOK PRIZE - The Clements Center awards an annual book prize for the best book on Southwestern America published the year before. The Program Manager seeks submissions from academic presses, works with the outside (non-SMU) judging committee and the Western History Association concerning the judging process, then plans, budgets, and promotes an evening lecture event for the winner.

• PUBLIC PROGRAMMING - Each year the Clements Center hosts monthly noon talks and at least two evening lectures per semester. The program manager assists in securing speakers and making arrangements, writes and designs promotional materials, plans and budgets the event, and attends all functions.
• NETWORKING - The Program Manager keeps in regular contact with more than 120 former fellows and all graduates of SMU's history PhD program, tracking their academic achievements and institutional affiliations worldwide. They introduce fellows to faculty within SMU and the greater DFW area and make connections at academic conferences and workshops to promote SMU fellows and graduates and the work of the Center.
• Evening/weekend hours required for workshops, lectures and special events. 
• Occasional travel, sometimes internationally, will be required.

 

Qualifications

 

Education and Experience: 

A master’s degree in history (or an adjacent discipline) is required, with degree in U.S. History related to Texas, the American Southwest, or the U.S.-Mexico borderlands preferred. A doctoral degree is preferred. 

A minimum of two (2) years of experience is required. Five years is preferred. Experience in event and budget planning is required. Experience in financial decision making is also required. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.

Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills.  

Ability to create/write/edit content for newsletter, website and promotional materials is essential. 

Candidate ability to create/write/edit content for newsletter, website and promotional materials is essential. 

Candidate must be able to work well with academics from numerous liberal arts disciplines from around the country and world. 

Candidate ability to speak Spanish is a plus. 

An interest in and capacity to teach occasional courses in Southwest and/or borderlands history is also preferred.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

• Sit for long periods of time
• Kneel, stand
• Walk for long distances

Deadline to Apply:

This position is open until filled.

EEO Statement:

SMU will not discriminate in any program or activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. The Executive Director for Access and Equity/Title IX Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and may be reached at the Perkins Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, accessequity@smu.edu.

Benefits:

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.

SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.

The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.

 

Primary Location: USA-TX-Dallas

Job: Other

Organization: Dedman College

Schedule: Regular

Shift: Staff

Employee Status: Individual Contributor

Job Type: Full-time

Job Level: Day Job

Travel: Yes, 25 % of the Time

Job Posting: Sep 12, 2024, 8:43:20 AM