Center Fellowships

Application window for 2025-2026 Fellowships will open in January.

To receive full consideration, applications must be received on or before March 1, 2024.   

The Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast invites applications for research and creative fellowships for the 2024-2025 academic year.    

The Center supports the production, curation, and transmission of knowledge about Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf Coast with a commitment to multicultural, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-focused projects. To achieve these goals, the Center supports the work of scholars, authors, artists, community leaders, and others who represent varied specializations and backgrounds.   

Our fellowship program supports projects that contribute to the broader understanding of our region. The Center encourages applications from any scholarly discipline or creative field. We are especially interested in work that consider our core geographic region or situates it within broader national, hemispheric, or global contexts. The Center funds projects in art, environment, history, journalism, literature, performance, social sciences, and other forms of scholarly inquiry or creative endeavor. If circumstances permit, the Center may request Fellows to present their results with the Lamar University and Southeast Texas communities. 

We request that Fellows acknowledge the support that they receive in future outcomes such as publications, film and audio productions, performance and exhibition literature, and other formats, citing “The Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast at Lamar University.”     

Fellowships are open to scholars, creatives, advanced graduate students, and community leaders whose work contributes to the Center’s mission. Fellows may receive awards up to $5,000. Lamar University faculty may also be eligible for a one-semester 25% teaching load reduction. If warranted, Fellows may apply for an additional year. The Center encourages applications for lesser amounts and may offer partial funding upon the recommendation of the Fellowship Jury.   

Previous fellows have used our support for projects resulting in scholarly publications, short documentary films, oral histories, archival preservation, poetry anthologies, and music and theater performances.   

Present and Past Fellows

 

Application Instructions 

To apply, submit the following in PDF format:   

Research statement (maximum 1000 words) that provides a narrative description of the scholarly, creative, or community project that includes the following:   

  • Explanation of the project’s significance, discussing its relevance to the mission of the Center for History and Culture. 
  • Detailed plan with a clear methodology.
  • Timeline with reasonable goals for completion. 
  • Declaration of specific outcome including but not limited to publication, exhibition, curation, performance, or community engagement. 
  • (Optional) Plan for student involvement and/or community initiative. 

 Funding request of up to $5000 that includes the following: 

  • Clear statement (maximum 300 words) explaining how the funding will further the applicant’s research, creative, or community agenda. 
  • Brief budget with specific and reasonable allocations. 
  • The Center may offer partial funding upon recommendation of the Fellowship Jury.  

Previous grants and awards (both internal and external) received in the last five years.   

Brief CV or resume (1-2 pages) demonstrating a record of scholarship or creative output and the potential to contribute to the Center’s mission.   

Send applications in PDF format as email attachment/s to the Center director Jimmy L. Bryan Jr (jlbryan@lamar.edu)  by March 1, 2024.   


Fellowship Evaluation Criteria 

The Fellowship Jury may consist of members of the Center’s Advisory Board, previous Fellows, Faculty Affiliates, or other experts in their respective fields. The jury will rank each fellowship application based on the following criteria:   

  • Merit of proposed research or creative agenda (50%)—gauging the potential significance of the project’s contribution to the Center’s mission based on stated methodologies and outcomes.   
  • Previous contributions in applicant’s field (20%)—taking into account experience, publications, and other scholarly, creative, or community outcomes. 
  • Relevance to core region (20%)—the significance of the project to Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf Coast regions.  
  • Potential for student and/or community engagement (10%).