The Institute has a faculty Director and a small staff who manage the program and facilitate research by the resident Fellows. A committee made up of three outside consultants and the Institute’s Executive Committee chooses a small number of Michigan Faculty Fellows, who spend an entire academic year on special assignment to the Institute. At about the same time, a committee of University of Michigan faculty, chaired by a member of the Executive Committee, selects Graduate Student Fellows for a ten-month fellowship. To the core community formed by the Faculty and Graduate Student Fellows, we add several distinguished Visiting Fellows, who typically join us for two to five weeks.

Each Fellow has furnished office space and a personal computer at the Institute’s new quarters in the South Thayer Building. Graduate Student Fellows receive a stipend of $2,640 per month for ten months, beginning in either July or September, according to the individual Fellow’s preference. The Institute pays each Fellow’s candidacy tuition and fees for the two terms, usually fall and winter terms, and GradCare health insurance for the fellowship period.

Expectations

• Graduate Student Fellows are in residence for the year.
  
• Graduate Student Fellows attend the weekly two-hour Fellows Seminar.

• Applicants must be University of Michigan students and have attained candidacy at the time of application, or provide a letter from their department vouching for the fact that they have successfully completed all of the requirements for candidacy.
  
• Former or current holders of Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships are not eligible for Humanities Institute Graduate Student Fellowships. Current applicants may certainly apply for both awards; a person who wins both awards must choose one or the other by the stated deadline.

• Promise of dissertation project and strength of academic record.
  
• Interest in interdisciplinary work, as shown by the dissertation project and the applicant’s breadth of academic experience.
  
• Humanities content of the project.
  
• Letters of support: one letter must be from the dissertation chair, and one from a faculty member in a department or program other than the student’s home department; letters may come from faculty at other universities.
  
• The Selection Committee seeks to achieve variety and balance of disciplines in selecting the Fellows.

Complete Applications include 5 complete sets made up of:

1. Fellowship Application Form (signed) and curriculum vitae
2. Two brief statements described on the Fellowship Application
3. Writing sample(s), strictly limited to 20 pages
4. All graduate transcripts (official or unofficial)
5. Proof of candidacy (unless posted on transcript)
6.Two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from the dissertation advisor, another of which should be from a faculty member in another department, are required. Make copies of the blank recommendation form and send each recommender 1) a signed recommendation form; 2) a copy of your dissertation statement; and 3) a copy of your graduate education statement. Recommenders should mail their letters directly to the Institute.