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Official Website
(Text copied from the Watson Fellowship website)
THE THOMAS J. WATSON FOUNDATION inaugurated the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in 1968. The mission of the Fellowship Program is to offer college graduates of unusual promise a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel outside of the United States in order to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.
The Program provides Fellows an opportunity for a focused and disciplined year of their own devising -- a period in which they can have some surcease from the lockstep of prescribed educational and career patterns in order to explore with thoroughness a particular interest. During their year abroad, Fellows have an unusual, sustained, and demanding opportunity to take stock of themselves, to test their aspirations and abilities, to view their lives and American society in greater perspective, and, concomitantly, to develop a more informed sense of international concern.
In selecting Watson Fellows, we are most concerned with holistically identifying individuals who demonstrate leadership, resourcefulness, imagination or vision, independence, integrity, responsibility and emotional maturity, and courage. A candidate's academic record, while not of primary importance, is also considered, together with those extracurricular activities that reflect both initiative and dedication.
The proposed project should reflect a candidate's genuine interest in, and long-standing commitment to, a specific pursuit, whether or not this interest is evident in a formal course of study. The project must be one that can be conducted with great independence and adaptability, and it cannot involve formal study at a foreign institution. It must involve travel to areas where the student has not previously lived or studied for a significant length of time. Fellows are not allowed to return home at any time during their Fellowship year except in rare circumstances and with the prior approval of the program. In short, the project should be personally significant, imaginative, and feasible.
Administered in cooperation with up to fifty outstanding private colleges and universities throughout the United States, the Watson Fellowship provides a grant of $28,000 to each recipient. (Fellows whose spouse or dependent child will accompany them may be eligible for a grant of $38,000.) Please note increased amounts in the previous sentence. In addition, the Fellowship Program will supply, as a supplement to the stipend, an amount equal to twelve months of payments of eligible outstanding federally guaranteed and institutional student loans. The purpose of the student loan assistance program is to ease the financial burden of Watson Fellows during their Fellowship year, and to provide encouragement for all students, regardless of student loan debt, to apply for Watson Fellowships.
All Fellows are required to maintain contact with the Fellowship Program during their year abroad. In addition to quarterly progress reports, they must submit a final evaluation of their year together with an accounting of the expenditure of Fellowship funds. The Fellowship is taxable and must be reported by recipients as income. Taxes are not withheld by the Fellowship Program.
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program welcomes applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and academic disciplines. All graduating seniors at participating institutions are eligible for nomination by their institution.
Individual colleges and universities participating in the Watson Fellowship Program establish their own procedures and deadlines for the application process. A representative of the program will visit each campus to interview nominees during the fall and winter months. Up to 50 Watson Fellows will be selected from among the approximately 195 candidates nominated by the participating institutions.
Grinnell College is proud to be one of fifty colleges and universities who have been invited to nominate four seniors for the 2008-09 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship competition. Grinnell College has been invited to participate in this Fellowship every year since the program was founded in the late 1960s, and, with only two exceptions, has had at least one Watson Fellow in each class. A complete list of Grinnell's Watson Fellows can be found at the bottom of this webpage.
Doug Cutchins serves as Grinnell College's liaison to the Watson Foundation. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to meet with him to discuss their ideas and plans for a Watson Fellowship. To make an appointment with Doug, please call (641) 269-4408. For quick questions, you may email him at cutchins@grinnell.edu.
The following materials must be submitted to the Office of Service and Social Commitment, 1233 Park St., by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22, 2008. Please submit the original plus six copies (seven total), printed only on one side of the paper, arranged into packets in the following order:
- Grinnell College's Watson Application Form for 2008-09. This is a .pdf file, which requires Adobe Acrobat to open. The application is formatted with form fields, which allows applicants to complete it on their computer, print it, and submit it. However, please note that unless you are working with a full version of Adobe Acrobat, you will not be able to save your edits and changes.
- A personal statement, adhering to these guidelines from the Watson Foundation: "In your personal statement, you should discuss how your project is your project--and how it reflects your talents, concerns and commitments. It may include a description of your background, your college years, your professional goals and aspirations, and your reasons for seeking a Watson Fellowship to undertake your project. The personal statement is an opportunity to provide the Watson Fellowship Program with a sense of who you are, including how you would benefit from the unique experiences the Watson Fellowship permits and how you would embrace the challenges of immersing yourself in cultures other than your own for a year. The specific content of the personal statement is up to you, but we require that it not exceed five double-spaced typewritten pages in no less than 11-point font."
- A project proposal, adhering to these guidelines from the Watson Foundation: "The proposal should describe your plan for the 12-month fellowship year, including a description of your proposed project and details as to how you intend to carry it out. In addition, you should include information about what it is that prepares you to undertake your project. The specific content of the proposal is up to you, but we require that it not exceed five double-spaced typewritten pages in no less than 11-point font." Please note that Watson Fellows are not allowed to travel to countries under State Department Travel Warnings; please check this list to ensure that the countries you plan to visit are not currently under travel warning. Contact Doug Cutchins if you have any questions about this policy.
- (Optional) Other documents considered necessary for explaining the feasibility of the proposal, including such items as a budget, list of contacts, or itinerary. Applicants who proposal includes an artistic talent or skill (such as photography, dance, singing, etc.) may submit materials that demonstrate their abilities; before doing so, please contact Doug Cutchins to work out the particulars of what materials should be submitted, and how.
- An unofficial copy of your transcript, obtained from the Registrar's Office in the John Chrystal Center. Do not print out your transcript from PioneerWeb and submit this instead of the unofficial transcript.
The application form, personal statement, and project proposal should each be stapled separately, then paper-clipped together with the transcript to form a complete packet.
In addition, you must also:
- Arrange to have two letters of recommendation submitted by the September 22 deadline. These should be submitted directly to the Office of Service and Social Commitment. There is no form or instructions for these letters, though referees may contact Doug Cutchins if they have any questions. These letters must also conform to the Watson Fellowship guidelines: "At least one of the letters of recommendation should be from a faculty member, though the other may come from an off-campus source who knows about you and your proposed project. Letters of recommendation should address the nominee's personal qualities and academic abilities, as well as the suitability and feasibility of the proposed project."
- Print, sign, and submit one copy (separate from your packets) of the Scholarship Permision Form and Waiver
On September 4, 2008, the Watson Foundation announced that the Fellows' stipend has been increased to $28,000 ($38,000 for applicants traveling with a spouse or dependant child). Please take this new amount into account when planning your Watson proposal.
- W. Houston Dougharty, Vice-President for Student Affairs
- Jennifer Michaels, Rosenthal Professor of Humanities; Professor of German
- Andrew Mobley, Associate Professor of Chemistry
- Jack Mutti, Meyer Professor of International Economics
- Deanna Shorb, Dean of Religious Life
- John Stone, Lecturer in Computer Science
Committee members may write letters of recommendation for candidates, provided that they are a natural and strong fit for the student and their project. Committee members should not be asked to write letters of recommendation simply because they are on the committee. Letters from committee members will not be weighed more heavily than letters from non-committee members.
Jonathan D. Buswell, '69; Agricultural Economic Development; Honduras, El Salvador,Guatamala, Nicaragua
John Garang DeMabior, '69; Rural Development; East Africa
Gregory M. Coggs, '70; Comparative Law; Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria
Benson F. Smith, '70; Film; England
Mary E. Brooner, '71; The status of women: a Third World perspective; Ghana, Ceylon
Thomas J. Cole, '71; The sub-culture of povery and the impact of welfare systems; Great Britain
David N. Feldman, '71; The aesthetics of "lower" forms of popular culture; England, France, Denmark, Sweden
Douglas S. Russell, '71; New Town planning & population decentralization; Finland, West Germany, England, Sweden, Denmark
Edward M. Hirsch, '72; The relationship of violence to poetic form; Wales, France, England
Norris Stubbs, '72; A dual project: comparative Afro-Caribbean music and problems of engineering in the Caribbean; Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Honduras, Guyana
Robert E. Eckhardt, '73; European approaches to the problems of the aged; Spain, Sweden, Poland
David L. Gaines, '74; Mime; Western Europe, Poland, Japan
Gregg H.S. Golden, '75; First Amendment Rights: Their Parallels in Other Countries; England, France, Norway
Charles M. Becker, '76; State credit allocations; Yugoslavia, Tanzania, New Zealand
Susan B. Hyatt, '76; Multi-Ethnic Traditions in the Balkans; Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria
Patrick Irwin, '77; American Jazz & Jazz Musicians; UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria
Ann K. Lion, '78; Comparative Study of Family Planning; Barbados, Jamaica
June Bradley, '78; New Generation of European Art Photographers; France, England, Italy, West Germany
Jo Looye, '79; Handicrafts and Economic Development; Chile, Ecuador
Keith Graves, '79; Acoustical Analysis of Baroque Music in Halls of Baroque Period; Italy, Austria, West Germany, France, England
Kathleen Kurz, '80; Child Nutrition; Kenya, Tanzania
Angelo Ioffreda, '80; Old/New World Aspects of Viticulture; Italy, France, Chile, Argentina
Donna Olds, '81; Jamaican Cultural History; Liberia, Jamaica
James Jensen, '81; Bio-Gas Digestion Systems; England, India, China
Laure Capouya, '82; Landscape Artists in the New World; Mexico, Brazil
Kathryn Jackson, '83; Nation Building in Africa; Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa
Todd L. Oberman, '83; Grass-Roots Citizen's Groups; Yugoslavia
Cynthia Chessick, '84; Women in Israel; Israel
Elizabeth Keegan, '85; Writers and Literature; China
Amy Fraenkel, '85; Acid Rain in Europe; Sweden, France, England
Meghan Hays, '87; Cuba, Yugoslavian & Nicaraguan Women. The Family & the Socialist State; Cuba, Yugoslavia, Nicaragua
Sarah Fee, '87; The Funerary Art of France and Madagascar; France, Madagascar
Peter McBride, '87; Latin American: Retracing the Nature Studies of Darwin and Wallace; Latin American countries
Lorelei Kelley, '88; Women's Involvement in Arms Control Disarmament; Sweden, W. Germnay, England, New Zealand
Timothy Manatt, '88; The Conciencia Group; Argentina
Emily Green, '89; Cutural & Social Perceptions of Children; Guatemala, El Salvador
Michelle Kuenzi, '89; Development, Modernization, & Women's Subsistence Strategies; Senegal, Mali
Lauri Jennisch, '90; Geriatric Health & Social Services; Sweden, England, Canada
Jon Kosek, '90; Resource Use and Protection; Costa Rica, Kenya, Nepal
Steven Pickle, '90; Political Organizations of Indigenous Peoples; Norway, Australia, New Zealand
Bruce Emond, '91; AIDS Counseling and Information Services; Thailand, Malaysia
Seth Peterson, '91; Chinese Democracy Movement-in-Exile; France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada
Louis Saletan, '91; Effects of Reforms on Soviet Performance Arts; USSR
Shaan Hamilton, '92; Waste Management and the Environment; England, Latvia
Adrienne McAdory, '92; Race vs. Ethnic vs. Class Consciousness: A Study in Africa; Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone
Adam Stam, '93; Agrarian Reform in Russia; Russia, Ukraine
Rachel Stamm, '94; The Relationship Between Ecotourism and Marine Mammal Conservation; Norway, Canada, Dominican Republic, Bahamas
Todd Foreman, '95; Minority Groups in British Commonwealth Labour Parties; New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom
Veronica Ocampo- Raeder, '95; The Dance of Humans and Nature: Finding Signatures in Tropical Rainforests; Belize, Tahiti, Kenya, Brazil
Aaron Gross, '96; The Practice of Ahimsa in Jainism and Tibetan Buddhism; India
Ryan Gibson, '98; Creating a Modern Irish Mythology by Translating Words Into Forms; The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland
Margaret L. Taylor, '99; Space, Place and Identity in the European Circus; England, France, Denmark, Switzerland
David Burnett, '00; Technopreneurs: Making Asian Tigers Roar Again?; Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India
Megan Williams, '00; The Dustbin of History: Monuments in Eastern Europe, 1945-2000; Germany, Poland, the Baltics, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Macedonia
Matthew Magee, '01; Hepatitis C in Rural and Urban Populations; Italy, Egypt, India
Michael Abel, '02; Williamsport Bound: Youth Baseball in Asia and Latin America; Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Venezuela, Curacao
Hai-Dang Phan, '03; Trans-planted and -lated Selves : Poetry in Exile; England, France, Australia
Devan McGranahan, '04; Sustainable Grazing and the Management of Native Mammals on African Ranches; Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya
Qi Zheng, '04; Magic Bullet or Water Gun: Perception and Use of Antibiotics; Ireland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand
Omondi Kasidhi '05; Bringing Home More Than A Medal: The Socioeconomic Impact of African Runners; South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, and Ghana
Kyle Marquardt '05; The People's Fate: Language and Politics in Three Turkic States; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
Jason Rathod '06; Finding Self in the Other: Cultural Fusion in the Indian Diaspora; Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius
Sarah Parker '07; Innovative Traditional Music: Marimba and Youth Culture in Southern Africa; Botswana, Namibia, South Africa
Linn Davis '08; Investigating the Investigators: Journalism in Two Developing Democracies; India and South Africa
Graciela Paz Arias '08; Into the Young Mind of a Cultural Revolutionary: Retracing Che's Travels; Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela
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