The Erskine A. Peters Dissertation Year Fellowship at the University of Notre

Dame, established in 1999, honors the life and academic achievements of one of the University's most distinguished and beloved professors, Dr. Erskine A. Peters (1948-1998). Dr. Peters taught English at the University and also became legendary for his commitment to scholarship, community service, and graduate education in the College of Arts and Letters. In keeping with the values that Dr. Peters held dear,

two overall goals exist: (1) to enable two outstanding African American doctoral candidates (at the ABD level) to devote their full energies to the completion of the dissertation; and (2) to provide an opportunity for African American scholars at the beginning of their academic careers to experience life at a major Catholic research university.

The fellowship is tenable for a full academic year beginning in August and concluding in May. It carries with it a $25,000 stipend and $2000 research budget. Fellows have access to all university facilities and are provided office space, use of a personal computer, an official academic home in the department of the Fellow's specialization, and access to a faculty mentor in the fellow's discipline. Fellows also participate in professional development workshops focused on employment strategies and career development.

Fellows are expected to be in residence at the University and to devote most of their time to the completion of the dissertation. In addition, fellows participate in a public forum discussing a variety of aspects related to African American and African Diasporan life, culture, and traditions. Many fellows make guest lecture appearances in courses related to their disciplines and participate in short-term mutual learning event for faculty and students (e.g., brown bag series, roundtable discussion, etc.).

The Peters Fellowship program, administered by both the Office of the Provost and the Department of Africana Studies at the University, invites applications from African-American doctoral candidates in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and theological disciplines who have completed all degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation.

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