Alice Dreger
CN ’94
Independent scholar; a historian of anatomy; patient advocate for individuals with a range of birth anomalies (i.e. conjoined twinning, dwarfism). She is particularly known for her work with those who are intersex.
Purpose
The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and particularly to help Ph.D. candidates in these fields complete their dissertation work in a timely manner. In addition to topics in religious studies or in ethics (philosophical or religious), dissertations appropriate to the Newcombe Fellowship competition might explore the ethical implications of foreign policy, the values influencing political decisions, the moral codes of other cultures, and religious or ethical issues reflected in history or literature.
Since the first round of competition in 1981, more than 1,200 Newcombe Fellows have been named. Fellows from early years of the program are now senior faculty members at major research universities and selective liberal arts colleges, curators and directors at significant scholarly archives, and leaders and policymakers at nonprofit organizations and in cabinet-level government agencies. In the past decade, national honors such as the MacArthur Fellowship, Pulitzer Prize in History, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences have been accorded to more than a dozen Newcombe Fellows—a number that will continue to grow as more and more Fellows enter the most productive phases of their careers.
The Fellowship
The Newcombe Fellowships are provided to Ph.D. candidates at American institutions located in the United States who will complete their dissertations during the academic year 2021-2022. In the current Newcombe competition, at least 21 non-renewable Fellowships of $27,500 will be awarded for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing; in addition, Fellows' graduate schools will be asked to waive tuition and/or remit some portion of their fees. Successful candidates will be notified, and the public announcement of new Fellows made, in spring 2021. For more information about the program, you can download the program brochure (PDF).
About the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation
The Woodrow Wilson Foundation administers the Newcombe Fellowship competition at the request of and in consultation with the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, a private foundation created under the will of Philadelphia philanthropist Mrs. Newcombe, who died in 1979. In addition to the Newcombe Dissertation Fellowships, the Newcombe Foundation funds three college scholarship programs: for students with disabilities, for returning women students, and by establishing and augmenting Special Scholarship Endowment funds at selected colleges and universities, helping students complete degrees in higher education.
If You're Interested
Please review the information on the following pages:
You may also browse the selection committee members and Fellows from the most recent competition:
Contact Us
For general program, application, and Fellowship questions:
If you have further questions, after reviewing information on this Web site, including application information, eligibility requirements, and FAQ, please contact [email protected]
For questions when filling out the application or for technical difficulties:
If you have registered and/or begun an application and have questions, or if you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact technical support at [email protected], with a concise, specific question and a phone number where you can be reached.
Connect With The Fellowship
Featured Fellow
Carl J. Strikwerda
CN ’81
President, Elizabethtown College; first Newcombe Fellow to become a college president.
Nancy Sherman
CN ’81
Nancy Sherman CN ’81 explores the moral psychology of war from the warriors’ side.
Send Us Updates
Fellows: New accomplishment? New address? Change in status? Let us hear from you.
