Departmental Grants and Fellowship Opportunities

Doing history is at the core of the learning experience of every history major at Colby. Students learn to apply key concepts and methods of historical study by engaging in and practicing historical research and writing. The history department oversees two competitive grants to support curious, ambitious, and outstanding student research projects, whether it comes in the form of an honors project, an independent study, or an internship. Interested students can submit their application for both grants below through DavisConnects by applying to the Sarah Janney History Fund. For more information, please reach out to Arnout van der Meer, the Chair of the History Department.

This competitive grant is intended to support student research as well as to allow History majors to accept otherwise unfunded internships while gaining valuable experience related to the major and to future career opportunities. Funding is available to continuing, full-time Colby students who are History majors and will provide up to $3,000 toward student expenses. Recipients of this prestigious award are expected to write a formal report at the end of their research. The deadline for applications is Friday October 11, 2024.

Sarah (Sally) Janney Rose ‘76 was an avid history major at Colby who later served the College as a Board of Trustee. When she arrived from Maryland at Colby in 1972, she was not immediately impressed by her new surroundings, quipping she would have rather went to Hampshire. But Colby and Waterville quickly grew on her as she became involved in campus life and played tennis for the college. After graduating she worked as a financial analyst in Washington D.C., but she never lost nor forgot her passion for the study of the past. In 1982 she gifted the history department the Sarah Janney History Fund to support student research and more, ensuring following generations of students the opportunity to pursue their historical passion like she did. Sarah Janney Rose passed away too soon in 1989, at age 35.

This competitive grant supports students interested in research and scholarship that takes them to institutions beyond Colby College. These could be research trips both nationally and internationally. Funding is available to continuing, full-time Colby students who are History majors and will provide up to $3,000 toward student expenses. Recipients of this prestigious award are expected to write a formal report at the end of their research. The deadline for applications is Friday October 11, 2024.

Jonathan Barry ‘98 was an engaged History and English double-major at Colby who later served the College as a member of the Board of Overseers. Jonathan continued his post-graduate studies at Oxford University before joining Goldman Sachs. As a history student Jonathan thrived on original research, both in his seminars as well as in his honors thesis. Wanting to provide others with the opportunity to feel the same sense of discovery and achievement that he enjoyed, he created the The Jonathan and Kimberly Barry Research Fund for History in 2011.