Acknowledgements

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The Department of History acknowledges the generous donations from our alumni, emeritus faculty, and friends, and we offer our sincerest thanks for contributing to the Department’s excellence and helping graduate achieve their educational goals.  

These funds provide resources for Departmental Fellowships. Students cannot apply directly to any named fund in the list below, but rather should apply for the general Departmental Fellowship competition held each March.

Among the important departmental fellowships endowed by alumni benefactors are:

• The William Appleman Williams Fund honors the memory of one of the greatest historians of modern America, a legendary teacher, and a beloved colleague at the University of Wisconsin. Williams received a M.S. in History in 1948 and Ph.D. in History in 1950 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The fund is intended to serve the broad needs of twentieth-century American history by offering research grants and sponsoring lectures.  David G. Meissner (B.S. 1960) gave a lead gift to establish the fund in honor of Professor Williams.

• The Sandoway Fellowship in History, established in 2004 by Roger and Anne Blattberg, is a one-semester fellowship that supports a History graduate student who is close to completing the dissertation. Roger Blattberg earned his B.A. (1965) and M.A. (1967) in History at UW-Madison.  Each fall, the Blattberg Fellow organizes a workshop for students and faculty that will address a broad question relating to historical knowledge and method.  

• The Ina Jo Rosenberg and Shiri Eve Leah Gumbiner Fellowship Fund was established by Noah D. (B.A. History 1972, M.S. Social Work 1975) and Shelley R. Rosenberg to honor Mr. Rosenberg’s deceased sister, Ina Jo Rosenberg and her deceased daughter Shiri Gumbiner. The fund annually provides a one-semester fellowship to a History graduate student who demonstrates significant financial need.

• The Robert B. L. Murphy Fund (BA '29 MA '30), established in 1995, provides support for graduate students enrolled in the Department of History.

• Professor Francis Schrag, Department of Educational Policy Studies, established the Schrag Prize in German Jewish History in memory of his father, Paul J. Schrag, an eloquent witness to the experiences of German Jewry in the twentieth century. The prize is awarded annually for the best graduate research paper on German Jewish history.

• Stanley Sher (BA '56) and Burton Pines (BA '61 MA '64) created the George Mosse Teaching Fellow to honor George Mosse, the internationally acclaimed historian who taught generations of our students from his arrival in 1955 to his retirement in 1988. Graduate students chosen as Mosse Teaching Fellows teach an undergraduate course while completing his or her dissertation in European History.

• The Jim Sloan History Opportunity Fellowship was established by James Sloan, a 1958 graduate of the UW-Madison School of Business and an avid reader of history. The fund is designed to supplement the primary fellowship that a graduate student receives from other sources, including foundations, scholarly associations, and government agencies.

• The Julie A. and Peter M. Weil Distinguished Graduate Fellowship provides multi-year support for outstanding graduate students in American Jewish History and in select U.S. history fields. The benefits of the Weil fellowship are among the most generous offered to graduate students at UW-Madison. Peter Weil (B.A 1970, J.D 1974) is a tireless advocate for the university; he and his wife, Julie, have been engaged and involved friends to the Department of History. The Weil fellowship is a demonstration of the Weils' life-long journey of learning and affection for the university and their commitment to furthering the study of American Jewish history and continuing the tradition of excellence in the History graduate program. A plaque honoring the Weils and the Weil fellows is located in 3650 Humanities Building. See this article for more information (pdf).

• The Dennis R.A. Wharton & Martha Washburn Fellowship funds research and program advancement in American History.

• The Minna Grotophorst Willis Scholarship in History was established by the will of Minna Willis, who received her B.A. in 1925 and her M.A. in 1928 in History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The scholarship is designated for a woman studying for her Ph.D. in History.

• The James F. Vander Schaaf Fund was established in memory of James F. Vander Schaaf who died while working on his Ph.D. in History.  It provides support for History graduate students specializing in United States History.

• The Harry Hadyn Clark-Merle Curti Scholarship in American History was established with a gift from Harriet M. Sweetland who received her M.A. in 1942 in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a professor of Literature at UW-Milwaukee. The scholarship provides assistance for graduate students concentrating in American Studies in American History.

Generous donations from faculty and emeritus faculty have enabled the Graduate Program to create fellowships for graduate students:

• The William J. Courtenay Fellowship supports graduate students who are close to completing all requirements for the Ph.D. Courtenay Fellows have full responsibility for teaching a one-semester undergraduate course, with preference given to students working in the fields of Ancient, Medieval, or Early Modern European history.

• The E. David Cronon Fund for History honors Professor Cronon’s deep devotion to the Department of History at UW-Madison, where he earned his M.A. (1949) and Ph.D. (1953) in American History. He joined the department faculty in 1962 and was elected chair in 1966. He was named dean of the College of Letters and Science in 1975. During his 15-year tenure as dean, he helped the Department of History maintain its traditional standing as a top-ranked program. The fund supports History graduate students working in the field of United States history.

• The Merle Curti Fund was established by the Department of History in 1968 to honor Professor Merle Curti for 25 years of distinguished service at the University. Augmented generously by Professor Curti himself, the fund honors his achievements in ways appropriate to his teaching and scholarly interests. Every other year, the Curti Fund sponsors the Curti Teaching Fellowship, which offers an advanced Ph.D. student the opportunity to teach his or her own undergraduate course.

• The Lovina Edson Fund for Ancient History, established by Professor Charles F. Edson, is used for graduate fellowships and support.

• Professor Carl Russell Fish taught US history with an emphasis on New England. The Fish Fund supports graduate students in the US history program.

• The Milton Gutsch Fund provides scholarships in US history. Professor Gutsch was a member of the US history faculty in the early 20th Century.

• Mary E. Higby established the Chester and Jane Higby Memorial Endowment in memory of her father-in-law and mother-in-law. The Higby endowment provides funds for the study of Modern European History. Professor Higby taught Modern European History.

• The Gerda Lerner Fellowship Fund was established with a gift from Professor Gerda Lerner, an internationally renowned women's historian who established our Ph.D. program in U.S. Women's history in 1984. Professor Lerner was a WARF Senior Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of History until her retirement in 1991. This fund supports a fellowship award to a first- or second-year graduate student in Women's History with preference given to nontraditional candidates, such as re-entry students or older women, or to women who show strong motivation and good academic potential but lack some other qualification for scholarship aid.

• The George L. Mosse Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Modern Jewish History promotes the study of modern Jewish history within the framework of European or American history by attracting outstanding Ph.D. candidates. It offers multi-year support packages to incoming students, including the opportunity for one year of study at the Hebrew University under the George L. Mosse Exchange Program.

• The George L. Mosse Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in LGBT History is a multi-year package intended to attract and support outstanding Ph.D. candidates who wish to study some aspect of LGBT history in any area of the world.

• The George L. Mosse Exchange Program enables graduate students from UW-Madison to spend an academic year at The Hebrew University in order to advance their studies and broaden their intellectual horizons. 

• The Michael B. Petrovich Fund was established in 1989 to honor Emeritus Professor Michael Petrovich, who joined the Department of History in 1950, created the Russian and Slavic history program, and helped to build the Russian Area Studies Program. This fund provides for distinguished lectures, fellowships, and travel grants for research and study abroad on topics that reflect Professor Petrovich’s scholarly interests.

• Robert Reynolds taught Medieval European history. Graduate fellowships are among the activities that the Robert Reynolds Fund supports.

• The Norman K.  and Constance W. Risjord Fellowship was established in 1987 to fund History graduate students in any field.  Professor Risjord taught US history.

• The Thomas and Sheila Spear Fund for African History fund provides fellowships or other forms of financial support for graduate students in the African history program, with preference to students from Africa or students who are African-American. 

• The Jan Vansina Fund serves the broad needs of African History, especially graduate support, fellowships, and research grants. It was established in 1994 by Emeritus Professor Thomas Spear to honor Professor Vansina, one of the foremost authorities on African history.  

Among the important departmental fellowships, scholarships, and prizes endowed by friends of the Department are:

• The American Association of University Women provides the $1,000 annual Martha L. Edwards Scholarship to women graduate students on “recognized ability and promise.” The award usually goes to a dissertator to help fund her research. 

• The Marshall and Jane Beard Fund assists out-of-state graduate students studying history at UW-Madison through scholarships, fellowships, programs, and service.

• The Judith Cochran Memorial Fellowship was created in memory of Judith Cochran, who advised graduate students with extraordinary compassion and expertise for nearly two decades. The fellowship is awarded to exceptionally promising graduate students in any field of history.

• The Theodore Herfurth, Jr., family’s extraordinary gift to the Department of History funds graduate student research at all levels. 

• Established in 1995, the Margaret A. Krase Fund gives support to graduate students in the Department of History.

• The Colonial Dames Fellowship in Early American History is awarded annually by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. It is open to graduate students writing theses or dissertations on any aspect of early American history.

• The Doris G. Quinn Fellowship supports graduate students in their last year of Ph.D. studies, allowing Quinn Fellows to finish writing the dissertation without financial distraction.

Additional contributions to these funds are most welcome. For more information, visit:  Opportunities For Giving.
For more information on establishing a graduate student support fund in the Department of History, please contact Anne Lucke at the UW Foundation, 608-262-6242 or anne.lucke@uwfoundation.wisc.edu