Departmental Fellowships and Prizes

The Mavrinac Prize is given annually to honor the best original research project submitted by a student. Endowed by the generosity of the Mavrinac family, the prize commemorates the life and career of Professor Albert A. Mavrinac, Dana Professor of Government, emeritus. Professor Mavrinac taught at Colby from 1958 until 1992 and was the first chair of the Government Department.

Established in 1966 by Professor Albert A. Mavrinac, the Dubord Prize is given annually “in recognition of outstanding work in political science” to the senior with the highest academic standing in the Government Department. Supported by the law firm of Marden, Dubord, Bernier, and Stevens, the award is presented in memory of the Honorable F. Harold Dubord, a member of the Class of 1914 and justice of the Supreme Court of Maine.

The Laurie Peterson Memorial Award in Government is awarded annually to a junior government major who, “through academic achievement and evidence of leadership and character, has made an outstanding contribution to the department.” Laurie Peterson died in 1972 during her junior year at Colby, and in 1973 her family established this memorial award in her name.

In the spring of 2002, the parents and friends of Ben Ling ’98 established a fellowship to honor Ben’s memory. Awarded annually, the Ling Fellowship supports a Colby government major who undertakes either an internship or a significant research project.

While he was at Colby, Ben majored in government and was involved in a number of internships and major research projects. A  summa cum laude graduate of Colby, Ben went to Washington in order to pursue a career working on agricultural and ranching issues. He died of cancer in 2001.

Purpose

To encourage and support students participating in internships or undertaking major research projects during the summer, the fall semester, or Jan Plan.

Student Eligibility

Any sophomore or junior government major may apply for the Ling Fellowship, which is awarded on a need-blind basis.  The Ling Fellowship can run for any period of time from June 1 of the calendar year in which it is awarded, through the end of the following January, i.e. a fellowship awarded in May 2020 may be used between June 2020 and the end of January 2021.

Award

The Ling Fellowship provides up to $2,000 toward expenses incurred during the internship or research project for which it has been awarded.

Program Eligibility

Internships may be either paid or unpaid, full time or significant, part time; the work of the internship must, however, be clearly and significantly related to the student’s academic program or professional and career goals.

Research projects must be clearly connected to a student’s course of study at Colby, e.g., research for an honors thesis or major independent study project.

Application Procedures

Applications for Summer 2022 will be live on this DavisConnects webpage on February 28, 2022. Students will submit a general application (please visit the DavisConnects student funding page to prep all essay questions and application materials) and then answer the following question before March 14 at 11:59 p.m. EST:

Please describe how this opportunity commits to a larger, coherent course of study or direction in personal and professional development as a government major.

Any questions about the Ling Fellowship should be addressed to Professor Dan Shea, 207-859-5357, [email protected]

Any questions about the general funding application process should contact Scott Lamer, associate director of global experiences at DavisConnects, at [email protected].

Deadlines

Application Opens: February 28, 2022 at 12:00 a.m. EST
Application Closes: March 14, 2022 @ 11:59 p.m. EST
Award Notifications: April 8, 2022 @ 5:00 p.m. EDT
Post-Acceptance Requirements: Friday, May 20, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. EDT

Recipients

Established in 2016 by students and friends of Government Professor Cal Mackenzie upon his retirement from Colby, the Mackenzie Fellowship honors his 38 years of teaching in the Government Department. It supports a Colby government major who undertakes an internship in the United States or abroad.