Secretary Spellings Names 44 Jacob K. Javits Fellows

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today named 44 Jacob K. Javits fellows to pursue graduate study in selected fields within the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Selected from 899 applicants, fellows are chosen on the basis of superior academic achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise.

“The Jacob K. Javits fellows are among America’s best and the brightest,” Spellings said. “I look forward to their contributions in fields from English to economics, and from playwriting to public policy.”

Fellows were selected by panels of academic scholars appointed by the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Board, which is comprised of distinguished scholars appointed by the Secretary of Education. The Board established the following academic fields for this year’s competition:

Arts fields — creative writing, music performance, music theory, music composition, music literature, studio arts, television, film, cinematography, theatre arts, playwriting, screenwriting, acting, and dance.

Humanities fields — art history, archeology, area studies, classics, comparative literature, English language and literature, folklore, folk life, foreign languages and literature, less commonly taught languages, history, linguistics, philosophy, religion, speech, rhetoric, and debate.

Social Sciences fields — anthropology, communications and media, criminology, economics, ethnic and cultural studies, geography, political science, psychology, public policy and administration, and sociology.

The fellowship consists of a maximum stipend amount of $30,000, not to exceed the fellow’s financial need, and an institutional payment of $12,981, accepted by the institution of higher education in lieu of all tuition and fees for the fellow. In total, the Department is awarding $1,891,164 for the 44 students.

According to program rules, 20 percent of the 44 fellowships were awarded in the arts, 20 percent in the social sciences, and 60 percent in the humanities.

A Javits fellowship may be renewed annually for up to four years. In addition to the 44 new fellowships announced today, 176 students who attend 62 colleges and universities are continuing Javits fellows.

Note to editors: Following is a list of new Javits fellows, alphabetical by the fellow’s home state, and includes the field of study and institution he or she will be attending.