The Philadelphia Center

TPC Research Fellowships

The Philadelphia Center Research Fellowships in the Liberal Arts - Tuition Remission Available to GLCA students       

PHILADELPHIA, PA, December 1, 2008 – The Philadelphia Center (TPC) is pleased to offer tuition remission (up to approximately $12,000) to well-qualified Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) students. In partnership with Independence National Historic Park, the American Philosophical Society Museum, and the Rosenbach Museum and Library, TPC invites GLCA students to apply for the 2009-2010 Research Fellowships in the Liberal Arts.

“We hope to help create scholars who will be committed to a field of knowledge. We hope to show them what’s possible within the field and to activate their passion for history, literature, arts, and sciences,” said Dr. Mark Andrew Clark, Fellowship Director and Philadelphia Center faculty member.

TPC’s Research Fellowships will provide opportunities for students to explore their disciplinary interests. Recipients will be expected to develop and focus their future professional and academic goals and aspirations throughout the course of the semester.

“Our experiential education model makes us the perfect site for this kind of fellowship. Students will be exposed to a host of opportunities which only a city, specifically Philadelphia, can offer,” said Clark.

The American Philosophic Society (APS) was founded in 1743 by Ben Franklin and promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library research, and community outreach. Early “natural philosophers” dedicated themselves to the study of nature, and although now these early members would be considered natural scientists, the term “philosophical” stuck. Research Fellows can expect a dynamic fellowship tailored to their interests. Students will meet leading scientists and humanists; perform curatorial research; act as museum docents; develop public programming; and will learn about all APS Museum exhibits.

Rosenbach Research Fellows will work with the librarian and collections staff in determining a project of mutual benefit to the Fellow and the museum. Students will have the rare opportunity to work with original manuscripts and letters, write research bibliographies, and collaborate with scholars.

“Our mission is about inspiring curiosity, inquiry, and creativity and the Research Fellow would help us bring our exciting collections and authors’ stories to the public. There are so many fascinating stories generated by our collections,” said Curatorial Assistant Katherine Haas.

The Rosenbach Museum and Library was founded in 1954 to preserve the eclectic collection of Dr. A.S.W. and Philip Rosenbach and since then, the museum’s holdings have continued to grow. The Rosenbach is a major cultural destination – a research center and museum that is home to one of the nation’s great collections of rare books and manuscripts.

The Research Fellow for Independence National Historic Park will work closely with the Park’s curators, architects, archaeologists, and historians to study historical topics related to the Park’s mission of interpreting the founding of the American republic. The Fellows will perform independent research using primary source material related to social, political, economic, or cultural history topics relevant to such icons as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

For more than 40 years, The Philadelphia Center has offered college students a semester of experiential education, a unique hands-on opportunity geared toward professional, academic, and personal growth in an active urban environment. Students earn a full semester of academic credit from Hope College, TPC’s managing institution, for participating in the program’s three central components: 32 hours per week of work at an internship, two courses, and independent city living. The Philadelphia Center is an officially recognized program of the Great Lakes Colleges Association.

Research_Fellowship_Flyer5.pdf