April 18, 2008

To: Deans

From: Alan Brinkley

Re: Inviting Applications for the 2009-10 Sovern/Columbia Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome

It is once again time to invite applications for the Michael I. Sovern/Columbia University Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. This endowed Fellowship was established to honor President Emeritus Sovern for his many years of service to the University and the academic world.

The American Academy in Rome (www.aarome.org) is a distinguished interdisciplinary center for advanced study that regularly houses about 75 scholars, many of them – like the Sovern Fellows – for periods of one to two months. Its current director is Carmela Franklin, who is also a professor of classics at Columbia.

Each year a full-time Columbia officer will be selected as the Sovern/Columbia Affiliated Fellow. The Affiliated Fellow will receive a 4-6 week residency at the Academy. The residency will provide:

● housing (single room with private bath)

● meals six days a week (lunch and dinner)

● opportunity to participate in trips and tours organized for and by Academy Fellows

● invitations to all Academy concerts, conferences, exhibitions, lectures, readings, and symposia

● access to all Academy scholarly resources, including the Library,
Photographic Archive, Antiquities Collection and Archaeology Room

The Sovern/Columbia Affiliated Fellow can be a scholar or artist in any field, a curator, librarian or administrator. The Affiliated Fellow will be responsible for handling all other costs associated with the Affiliated Fellowship, including travel and other living expenses. During the academic year, the 4-6 week residency must be scheduled between September 1 and April 30. During the summer period, the 4-6 week residency must be done between May 1 and July 31.

I would appreciate your bringing this opportunity to the attention of faculty and others to whom it might be of interest. Give the short term of the Fellowship, it may be that faculty who are already planning to be on leave will be the most likely candidates.

Individuals wishing to be considered for the 2009-10 Fellowship should send a letter of application of no more than two pages in length to me
by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2008. [Applications may also be submitted via e-mail to rrs20@columbia.edu.] The letter should include the dates of the
proposed residency, a description of what the individual proposes to do in Rome and a statement of how the Affiliated Fellowship will facilitate those endeavors. The winner will be announced before the end of May. Following the time in Rome, the Affiliated Fellow will be asked to write a report/evaluation of his or her residency experience for the Academy.

Previous Sovern/Columbia Affiliated Fellows:

2006 - 07 Matthew Connelly

2007 – 08 Gauri Viswanathan

2008 – 09 Consuelo Dutschke