U of M postdoctoral fellows will research race and place among communities of color

Contacts: Gayla Marty, Graduate School, (612) 626-3314, marty001@umn.edu
Ryan Maus, University News Relations, (612) 624-1690, maus@umn.edu
Bob San, University News Service, (612) 624-4082, sanx001@umn.edu

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (09/08/2008) — Two recipients of the 2008-09 University of Minnesota Postdoctoral Fellowship -- designed to develop a faculty more diverse, engaged in the community and interdisciplinary -- have arrived on campus to begin their one-year appointments.

Robyn Autry will hold dual appointments in the departments of sociology and history. Her research explores how race and nation are represented in historical museums, and she has a special interest in societies after conflict. Autry is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

LaRose Davis will hold an appointment in the department of English with affiliations in the department of African American and African Studies and the Institute for Advanced Study. She researches convergences of African American and Native American communities, past and present. She is writing a book about the role of place in African American and Native American cultures and literatures.Her doctoral degree is in English from Emory University.

The postdoctoral fellowship is a University-wide initiative to attract promising scholars with potential to pursue future faculty positions at the University of Minnesota and at other top research universities. It seeks to advance the intellectual agenda and enhance the cultural diversity of the university community.

“The Graduate School’s Postdoctoral Fellowship is a small but critical step in diversifying the faculty,” said Gail Dubrow, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “It provides opportunities for the nation’s most visionary new Ph.D.s -- whose work crosses disciplinary boundaries and connects our campuses to our communities -- to have a period of professional development at Minnesota before embarking on faculty careers.”

The fellowship particularly seeks to identify scholars whose research and scholarly interests reflect one or more of the following priorities: (1) scholarship that contributes to the understanding of diversity in its multiple forms, (2) strong interest in interdisciplinary research and scholarship or creative work and (3) engagement in partnerships with communities outside of the academy.

The fellows were selected from a competitive pool of 78 applicants representing 44 institutions within and outside the United States. The selection process involved 39 University of Minnesota departments and programs across five college units that assisted in identifying the top candidates. The fellows were selected based on evidence of outstanding academic and scholarly achievements, strong potential for success in pursuing a tenure-track position at a research institution, and the level of commitment from sponsoring University of Minnesota departments or units to provide research funding and faculty mentors.Each fellow will receive an annual stipend of $45,000 plus benefits and will pursue scholarly research, teach one course, participate in monthly professional development seminars and engage in mentoring relationships with faculty.

This is the second year of the program. Of the three fellowship holders completing their appointments this month, one -- Patina Mendez in entomology -- will continue for a second year. The two others were hired into tenure-track positions, Zenzela Isoke at the University of Minnesota and Ludwin Molina at the University of Kansas.

For more information, see www.grad.umn.edu/postdocfellowship.