The goal of this fellowship is to support students who would like to travel to conduct historical research or to prepare themselves to conduct historical research on an American history topic connected to their work in a history course, an independent study, or a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP). The travel itself need not be outside the United States, but the central focus of study should be research on peoples, events, networks, texts, ideas, or places outside the territorial boundaries of the United States.
A native of Iowa, Jones graduated from Grinnell in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in history, and then returned to teach at the college in 1954 after pursuing his doctorate in history at the University of Michigan. Over his forty-year career at Grinnell, Jones taught a rich array of courses in American history, European history, American studies, and the humanities, and was eventually named the L.F. Parker Professor of History in 1979. The grant honors Alan (“Al”) R. Jones, a legendary professor of history at Grinnell College, whose passionate teaching, scholarship, and civic engagement left an indelible mark on the character of the college as well as generations of students. Although his scholarly interests were wide ranging, Jones maintained a life-long fascination with the distinct history and culture of the college, captured in his 1996 book Pioneering, in his long-standing lectures on the history of Grinnell to incoming students, and in countless conversations with students, faculty, and alumni. The quintessential values that Jones found at the heart of Grinnell’s tradition — a passionate embrace of knowledge, critical thinking, rigorous debate, and social justice — were the same values that students and colleagues admired in him. Known for his sharp wit, generous humor, probing intellect, and social consciousness, Jones exemplified the liberal and humane spirit that Grinnell College seeks to cultivate.
The fellowship covers travel expenses, accommodations, photocopying (or other electronic forms of reproduction) and other costs directly related to research in a library, archive, museum, institute, or research collection outside of Grinnell.
Fellowship money may be used for specialized courses — such as special language or palaeography courses — that prepare students for a future research project. Funds may be used during the school year, over any school break, or over the summer.
Eligibility
Any Grinnell student (sophomore to senior) who is interested in pursuing historical research on an American history topic is eligible to apply for funding from the Alan R. Jones ’50 Travel Fellowship fund. Individuals may apply more than once, but students who have not previously received funding will get priority consideration.
Application Guidelines
Applicants must provide a typed, double-spaced proposal of not more than 2,000 words explaining how they plan to use the grant money if awarded. The proposal should provide a description of the project’s genesis (examples may include coursework or independent research), include a statement of the research question (if applicable) and present a research plan, an itinerary and a complete itemized budget.
Travel must adhere to college guidelines for student travel; see the “MAP Student Travel Guidelines” webpage for details. Attach the Application Coversheet on the History Department’s website. The department will consider proposals only if accompanied by the signature of the faculty project director or the applicant’s academic adviser.
Applications will now be considered throughout the academic year. The Alan R. Jones Travel Fellowship Committee may award grants contingent on funding availability. Applicants are advised to check levels of funding prior to submission by contacting the history department chair, Mike Guenther. Recipients of the Alan R. Jones ’50 Travel Fellowship must submit a written report suitable for distribution to history students and faculty explaining their use of the funding and benefits of the research.