The Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism announced its new Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh Research Travel Grants program, a three-year initiative to help support research projects that consider archival information pertaining to University President Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, according to a University press release.
According to the Center's website, the grants will help cover travel and lodging costs for researchers traveling to the Notre Dame Archives to access information about the life and legacy of Hesburgh. This opportunity is open to researchers of any academic discipline. Applicants must clearly demonstrate how their projects will relate to Hesburgh.
The Cushwa Center offers a number of annual research grants, designed assist scholars who wish to use Notre Dame’s archival collection in Catholic Americana.
Hesburgh served as president of the University for 35 years from 1952 through 1987 and died last February at the age of 97. Over the course of his life, Hesburgh was an influential figure in higher education, Catholicism, the civil rights movement and international affairs. During his time as president of the University, he doubled enrollment and allowed women to attend Notre Dame.
“Hesburgh’s unique perspective and prodigious contributions stand to inform and enrich a broad range of narratives in American social, religious and political history, as well as ongoing discussions in public policy, philosophy of education, peace studies and theology,” according to the Center's application page.
The Notre Dame Archives, housed in Hesburgh Library, contains primary source documents about the work and life of Hesburgh. According to the website, Hesburgh often sent his papers to the Archives once they were no longer needed for his ongoing work. After his time as University president, he sent the files representing his years in office in addition to many documents from his outside activities.
“The Cushwa Center has a longstanding tradition of providing financial support to scholars who are conducting research into the Catholic history of the United States,” Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the Center, said in the press release. “Through the creation of the Hesburgh Research Travel Grants, we are looking forward to making new connections with scholars of education, peace studies, political science, policy studies, theology and other fields.
“Thanks to this new funding opportunity, Father Ted continues to act as a catalyst and a connector, drawing people from different disciplines and perspectives together to advance our understanding of the world.”
The deadline to apply for the first rounds of grants is April 1. Applicants must submit a description of their project and how it pertains to Hesburgh, as well as a proposed budget of estimated travel, lodging and research costs. Grants will be awarded twice yearly, each April 1 and Oct. 1, through 2018.
