NEWS AND EVENTS

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The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University invites applications for its Visiting Fellow Program in Western Studies for 2018-2019.  University faculty of all ranks, independent scholars, freelance authors and other public intellectuals who are working on a significant article- or book-length study regarding the American West are eligible to apply for the position.  The Visiting Scholar may be in residence for 2-4 months.  The Center will provide a stipend of $2,500 per month for 2-4 months, office space, a networked computer, campus library and activity privileges, and limited photocopying and printing.  Upon request, the Center will provide a part-time research assistant.

Applications for September 2018-April 2019 are due March 15.  

Julianne Newmark of New Mexico Tech described her experiences as a visiting scholar. “During my months as a Redd Center visiting fellow, I had an incredibly productive time, compiling hundreds of pages of manuscript notes drawn from my archival research in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections library and completing two scholarly articles. This archival research material has laid the foundation for my second book manuscript and such productivity would have been impossible without the singular focus on research afforded by a long-term fellowship like the Redd Center’s.  With a beautiful office to use, a helpful group of people at the Redd Center to consult, and the collegiality and intellectual inspiration of the BYU community to inspire me further, I was able grow as a scholar and build my own record of publication.”

John Turner of George Mason University wrote, “The Redd Center’s Visiting Fellow program was essential to the successful completion of my research. It granted me ready access to the extensive archival and library holdings at BYU, as well as enabling visits to other repositories in Utah. The Redd Center also facilitated affordable housing, many conversation partners, and a productive writing environment.”  

                Application packages should contain a formal letter describing the applicant’s background, research interests and desired dates of stay; a CV; a one-page discussion of the applicant’s research project and its significance; and the names and contact information for two references.  Electronic applications are encouraged and should be submitted to amy_carlin@byu.edu  Alternately, applications can be mailed to:

Charles Redd Center
for Western Studies
954 SWKT 
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602,

by the postmark deadline of March 15.   Incomplete applications will not be considered. Announcement of the awards will be made by May 1.  Award recipients will be required to submit a one-page report of work completed for inclusion in the Center’s annual report.  

                Visiting Scholars enjoy the luxury of focusing almost exclusively on their research and writing.  Visiting Scholars fully participate in the intellectual life of the Center and the University.  During their time at BYU they give a public talk on their research and lead a seminar session with interested faculty and students.  They also make themselves available for a small number of guest presentations to BYU classes on their research.  BYU, with a student body of 32,000, is located 50 miles south of Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Range and within an hour’s drive of several world-class winter sports resorts.

                Visiting Scholars will enjoy library privileges including access to BYU’s extensive western and Mormon archival collections.  Major western collections at BYU include the papers of Zane Grey, Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala Sa), Elizabeth Custer, William Henry Jackson, Charles R. Savage, Thomas F. O’Dea, Cecil B. DeMille, Arthur Watkins, Reed Smoot, Wallace Bennett, Walter Mason Camp, Earl A. Briningstool, Robert Spurrier Ellison, Finis Ewing and the Utah Parks Company as well as over 50 overland trail journals.  Major Mormon collections include the papers of Newell K. Whitney, Hyrum Smith, Emmeline Wells, Thomas and Elizabeth Kane, John Steele, L. John Nuttall, J. Reuben Clark, Adam S. Bennion, David M. Kennedy, Gustive O. Larson and Ernest L. Wilkinson as well as a rich array of LDS missionary diaries.  

The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University is pleased to announce multiple awards for 2018 that are available for research and public programs related to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Please see the descriptions below.

Follow the link to https://reddcenter.byu.edu/Pages/Apply-for-an-Award.aspx for application instructions. Applications for 2018 are due by 11:59 p.m. MST on March 15, and awardees will be notified by May 1.

The Redd Center offers the following awards:

Fellowship awards in Western American History provide between $1,000 and $3,500 to students and scholars interested in pursuing research regarding the American West in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections of the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU. Awards fund up to one month’s research. Funds are to be used for research support including travel and lodging expenses, but not as salary. Awards are to be used for scholarly projects including preparation of seminar papers, theses, dissertations, monographs, and books.

Faculty Research Awards funded by the John Topham and Susan Redd Butler Research Endowment provide up to $3,000 to faculty members at any academic institution to conduct research on any topic related to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Research may be conducted at any location. Awards are to be used for research support and not as salary. Both new and ongoing projects are eligible.

Independent Research and Creative Awards provide up to $1,500 to researchers who are not connected to an academic institution for studying Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Both new and on-going projects are eligible. Award funds are to be used for research support and not as salary. Research may be conducted at any location.

Summer Awards for Upper Division and Graduate Students at any academic institution provide up to $1,500 for research support for any topic related to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Research may be conducted at any location. The funds are to be used for research support and not as salary. Awards may be used for any worthy project including the preparation of seminar papers, theses, and dissertations.

The Annaley Naegle Redd Student Award in Women’s History provides up to $1,500 for research support concerning any aspect of women’s history in the American West (not limited to the Intermountain West). Applications not receiving the Annaley Redd Award but dealing with Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming will be considered for the Summer Awards for Upper Division and Graduate Student Awards. Research may be conducted at any location. The funds are to be used for research support and not as salary. Awards may be used for any worthy project including the preparation of seminar papers, theses, and dissertations.

Public Programming Awards provide up to $3,000 to any private or public organization planning a conference, museum exhibit, lecture series or similar public program on a topic related to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. Funds may be used for research or the actual costs of presenting the program. Indirect costs are not eligible to be covered under this award.

Clarence Dixon Taylor Historical Research Awards provide up to $2,500 for completed works from research regarding Central Utah (Utah, Carbon, and Wasatch Counties). Nominations can include theses, books, papers, monographs, articles, symposia, dramatic presentations, lectures, etc. Students and faculty of Brigham Young University or other institutions are eligible, as are other recognized scholars.

The Visiting Fellow Program enables university faculty of all ranks, independent scholars, freelance authors and other public intellectuals to conduct research and write at the Redd Center. It provides a stipend of $2,500 per month for two to four months, office facilities, a networked computer, a research assistant, a limited photocopying budget, and campus library and activity privileges. Visiting Scholars participate in Center activities and deliver public and classroom presentations on their work. Visitors may be in residence for two to four months during either the Fall Semester (September-December) or the Winter Semester (January-April).

Publication Grants to Presses provide up to $3,000 to assist in the publication of scholarly studies on Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming. The grants will be given to academic publishers to help offset the costs of publishing books and to lower the books’ selling price. At the time of application, the book should already have been accepted for publication by the press. The Redd Center may honor authors whose books receive a publication grant with a public lecture and book signing at Brigham Young University. The Center will defray the author’s travel and lodging expenses.

If you have any questions about the application process or about submitting your application, please contact Amy Carlin at 801-422-4048 oramy_carlin@byu.edu. If you have questions about the substance of your application you may contact either Brenden Rensink at bwrensink@byu.edu or Brian Cannon at brian_cannon@byu.edu

Follow the Redd Center on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BYUReddCenter/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/BYUReddCenter/) to stay up to date with events, awards, and announcements.

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