The Center for Missouri Studies educational initiative seeks to promote and disseminate scholarship about Missouri's past, including the interdisciplinary study of Missouri history and culture.
"The fellowships are designed to promote scholarship in underexplored areas of Missouri history and culture. They encourage us to take notice of the lessons that can be found, when we look at our past in new ways and in new places, such as at the intersection of business and sociology or history and science." – SHSMO executive director Gary Kremer
The fellowships program is a competition open to both academic and independent scholars. Each fellowship carries a stipend of $5,000 for a project that results in the completion of an 8,000 to 10,000-word scholarly essay, exclusive of notes, on one of the topics selected each year. Essays must be completed during the calendar year that they are awarded and must reflect significant scholarship in primary sources, evidence familiarity with appropriate secondary sources, and contain endnotes that comply with The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. The finished product will be considered for publication in the Missouri Historical Review, although completion of the project is no guarantee of publication. In addition, successful applicants will have an opportunity to make a public presentation based on their project at a mutually agreed upon time and place.
2025 Fellowships
The application period for the 2025 Center for Missouri Studies fellowships is now open.
Topics for 2025 Center for Missouri Studies Fellowships:
- Route 66 in Missouri. In commemoration of the Mother Road’s centennial in 2026, proposals are requested for a study of the legendary highway’s impact on Missouri and Missourians. Any aspect of the history of Route 66 in Missouri will be considered; possible areas of inquiry include but are not limited to Missouri’s political, economic, cultural, or environmental history as it relates to the highway. Originality and significance will be prioritized in evaluating the proposals.
- Missouri Migrations. Proposals are sought for a study of a population movement within Missouri and how it affected the history of the state. Examples of such migration trends include the movement of Black Missourians from the countryside to towns and cities during the Civil War and its aftermath; of rural and small-town Missourians to urban centers during the twentieth century; of whites from the central cities to the suburbs during the post–World War II era; or of farmers out of northern Missouri during the 1980s Farm Crisis, to name a few. Local case studies and regional or statewide analyses will both be considered.
Deadline for Completion of Application: September 3, 2024
Award Announcement: December 15, 2024
Application Process: Applicants should submit a proposal/application no more than two pages in length that includes the following information:
- Applicant's name and any institutional affiliation
- Title of proposed project
- Brief (250 words or fewer) description of the project
- List of main primary and secondary sources to be used in completion of the project
- Proposed timeline for completing the project
In addition to the above requirements, applicants must submit a curriculum vitae no more than two pages in length providing evidence of ability to complete the project.
Send Applications to: The State Historical Society of Missouri, 605 Elm Street, Columbia, MO 65201, or contact@shsmo.org. Write “The Center Fellowship” in the subject line.
Or, complete the form below:
Past Winners
- 2024
- Jenna Lyons, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
- John W. McKerley, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- 2023
- Jenny Barker-Devine, Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL
- Brooks Blevins, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
- Sarah S. Jones, Missouri State Museum, Jefferson City, MO
- 2022
- Craig R. Amason, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
- Connie Yen, Greene County Archives and Records Center, Springfield, MO
- 2020
- Greg Olson, Columbia, MO
- Kelly Schmidt, Loyola University, Chicago, IL
- 2019
- Thomas Ringenberg, Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO
- Huping Ling, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
- 2018
- Heidi L. Dodson, Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, Chapel Hill, NC
- Angela Firkus, Cottey College, Nevada, MO
- 2017
- Patricia Cleary, California State University, Long Beach, CA
- Bryan Winston, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
- 2016
- Sarah Lirley McCune, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
- Diane Everman, St. Louis Jewish Community Archives and Taylor Family Archives/Enterprise Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, MO
- Luke Ritter, Troy University, Troy, AL
- 2015
- Patrick Huber, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
- Taylor Desloge, Washington University, St. Louis, MO