You have to know the past to understand the present.

Carl Sagan

College of Human Ecology Graduate Summer Archival Research Fellowship

This current summer fellowship is open to graduate students within the College of Human Ecology (CHE). Fellowship recipients receive an award of $7,500 for on-site scholarly research employing the unique resources available from the College and the Cornell University Library. One fellowship will be awarded each year.

The College of Human Ecology’s mission of improving human lives can be traced back to the early 1900s and the interdisciplinary teaching and research done by faculty and students in what was then the New York State College of Home Economics. This fellowship provides the opportunity to do research in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and Mann Library in order to investigate contemporary societal issues through the lens of the past. Relevant historical subject areas may include, but are not limited to: the role of women in the family and society, the history of women in higher education, the history of food, nutrition, housing, consumer economics, the family, child development, psychology, design, clothing and textiles among other key topics in American social history.

At the conclusion of the residency, the fellowship recipient is invited to schedule a public presentation on their research for a later date. Research projects should be intended for publication. 

Apply Now

By January 15, 2025

To get early feedback on your preliminary ideas, submit a query via email to nac223@cornell.edu by January 15, 2025.

By March 14, 2025

Submit a notice of interest via email to nac223@cornell.edu indicating: your name, department, and topic of interest.

By April 7, 2025

Applications are due. See instructions, application document template, and resources below.

Application instructions, template, and resources

Note: The former Dean's Fellowship in the History of Home Economics existed from 1992-2019, offering a summer or sabbatical residency to use the unique resources available from the College of Human Ecology and the Cornell University Library system in pursuit of scholarly research in the history of Home Economics and its impact on American society. Historical subject areas from this fellowship inform the investigation of contemporary societal issues. Some of the presentations given by recipients of the Fellowship are available on eCommons and​ on Mann Library YouTube channels. Other presentations have been digitized and are available in the University Archives.