Clark University and Chapman University, in Orange, Calif., will partner to create a new graduate fellowship in Holocaust history, the two universities announced today (Nov. 10). The fellowship will be offered as a “unique and innovative academic collaboration” between the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education at Chapman and the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark.
The fellowship program, created by Marilyn Harran, Stern Chair in Holocaust Studies and director of the Rodgers Center, and Debórah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and director of the Strassler Center, will send one graduate or postdoctoral student from Clark’s Strassler Center – the nation’s sole doctorate in Holocaust studies—to study and teach at Chapman’s Rodgers Center, which focuses on teaching undergraduates. The initial fellowship will begin in fall semester 2011 and run through spring semester 2013.
“This announcement brings to fruition what began as the shared dream of my colleague Debórah Dwork at Clark University and me,” said Harran. “We envisioned a fellowship program that would benefit each of our institutions, introducing new perspectives and research to our Chapman undergraduate history program while offering an outstanding junior scholar from Clark the opportunity to gain classroom experience while strengthening his or her publication record.”
Nancy Budwig, associate provost and dean of research at Clark University, added, “This innovative fellowship provides a wonderful launch for a junior scholar and an opportunity to grow Chapman’s top-notch program in Holocaust Studies. It is a concrete example of the synergy between teaching and scholarship, and forges a path for continued excellence, consistent with Clark’s and Chapman’s belief in the importance of teacher-scholars.”
“The fellowship links two Centers on opposite coasts with shared ambitions: to enrich undergraduate education with the freshest scholarship, and to afford junior scholars the opportunity to complete major projects.”
– Deborah Dwork
Dwork of Clark’s Strassler Center agreed: “The Chapman University Fellowship in Holocaust History is a cutting-edge academic initiative. It stands as a model for growing superior scholarship and teaching. Reaching beyond institutional boundaries.”
The fellowship position targets graduates and candidates of the Ph.D. program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University with a track record of growing accomplishment and who demonstrate exceptional potential as scholars and as educators. The selected fellow will teach a Holocaust studies course each semester, present a public lecture each year, mentor and advise students, and enjoy hands-on involvement with Rodgers Center activities while bringing a major scholarly project to closure.
The Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts trains students, educators, and activists to develop a sophisticated understanding of genocide. Offering the nation’s sole doctoral program in Holocaust History and Genocide Studies in conjunction with Clark’s history department, a new doctoral program in Psychology of Genocide in conjunction with the psychology department, and a rich undergraduate program, the Strassler Center’s program is interdisciplinary in nature.
The Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education at Chapman University in Orange, California is one of a very few such centers in the United States located in and supported by a private university. Under the leadership of Marilyn Harran, Ph.D., Stern Chair in Holocaust Education, Chapman University offers its undergraduate students the opportunity to minor in Holocaust history and to conduct research utilizing the artifacts and resources of the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library. Students attend lectures, film screenings and presentations by world-renowned scholars of the Holocaust and by inspiring survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust. Students are encouraged to volunteer and to participate in the many Rodgers Center events open to the Southern California community, especially the annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest, in which hundreds of middle and high schools throughout California participate.
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