Prizes

The following graduate students won CENFAD research awards.

Edwin H. Sherman Family Prize for Undergraduate Scholarship in Force and Diplomacy

Temple University’s Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy (CENFAD) is delighted to once again solicit submissions for its annual Edwin H. Sherman Prize for Undergraduate Scholarship in Force and Diplomacy. The recipient of the Edwin Sherman Prize receives a $1,000 award along with a certificate. CENFAD welcomes submissions from students or instructors/advisors/mentors.

Any paper written by an undergraduate student during the current school year, submitted by either the student or a faculty member at the student’s college or university, is eligible. The paper must address an issue, contemporary or historical, that demonstrates the intersection of force and diplomacy in international affairs. Papers should be no longer than forty-five (45) pages in length. The selection committee will accept only electronic submissions. Please email papers as an attachment in any format, along with the name and contact information of the paper’s author. Please make sure that the file is clearly titled (ApplicantsName-submission.doc, for example), and include the paper’s title, author’s name, and an email address in the document itself.

The deadline for submissions is 5:00 pm on April 12.

Please address all questions and Electronic Submissions to Grace Anne Parker.

Previous Winners

• 2024: Sofía Valdes, Temple University, "Violent Reverberations of The American War on Drugs in Latin America: A Comprehensive Policy Analysis"
• 2023: Kaitlyn Ley, Rowan University, “Reagan’s Foreign Policy and Human Rights: A Guatemalan Perspective”
• 2022: Brian Wu, University of Toronto, "Negotiating Economic Vulnerability and Human Rights Diplomacy: The Role of Perceptions in Germany-China Relations
• 2021: Ilan Hughes, University of Toronto, “Flying too Close to the Sun? Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems: New Laws Required”

Fellowships

CENFAD Emerging Scholar Graduate Award

Thanks to the generosity of Temple History PHD Todd Davis, CENFAD is delighted to announce the CENFAD Emerging Scholar Graduate Award, a new scholarship for applicants to the Temple University MA Program in History. The purposes of the award are to recruit and support MA-level students interested in diplomatic and military history and to do so especially among underrepresented candidates, including women. Each year, one awardee will receive $12,000 in tuition remission over a two-year period (covering about one 3-credit course per semester at in-state rates). The inaugural scholarship will be awarded in Spring 2022 for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years. If the awardee’s GPA is below a 3.5 after his/her first year of studies, second-year funding is subject to review. There is no application procedure. All students admitted to the MA program, including the MA Concentration in Public History, will automatically be considered. The awardee will be notified at the time of admission to the MA program.

For more information, please contact Alan McPherson, Marvin Wachman Director, CENFAD, [click-for-email].

Thomas J. Davis Endowed Fellowship in Diplomacy and Foreign Relations

This fellowship is made possible by the generosity of Todd Davis, who received his Ph.D. in History from Temple in 2002 and served as the first graduate assistant for development for the Center for the Study of Diplomacy (CENFAD). Todd named the fellowship after his father, a decorated first lieutenant in the U.S. Army who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. Responsibilities will be dedicated to advancing the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy. In this capacity, you will also be expected to assist in the publication of CENFAD’s newsletter, Strategic Visions, help publicize lectures and symposia, administer CENFAD’s website, coordinate CENFAD colloquia and other events, and contribute in parallel ways. As is the case with a conventional assistantship, you will not be expected to work more than 20 hours per week. Students should apply to Dr. Alan McPherson by December 15 for a fellowship for the next academic year. Please include an updated CV, a letter of recommendation from anybody that may attest to your relevant abilities and qualifications, and a 1-2 page statement on your abilities to successfully serve in this role.

Previous Recipients

• 2024-2025: Grace Anne Parker
• 2023-2024 Recipient: Joseph Johnson
• 2022-2023 Recipient: Ryan Langton​
• 2021-2022: Casey VanSise

Sergeant Major William F. Berger Prize Endowed Fellowship for War and Society

Responsibilities will be dedicated to advancing the History Department’s concentration in War, Empire, and Society, primarily as a teaching assistant in the course War and Peace, if it is being offered. As is the case with a conventional assistantship, awardees will not be expected to work more than 20 hours per week. The prize includes a stipend of at least $2,000. Continuing students apply to the Director of Graduate Studies by December 15 for a fellowship for the next academic year. Please include an updated CV, a letter of recommendation from anybody that may attest to your relevant abilities and qualifications, and a 1-2 page statement on your abilities to successfully serve in this role.

Previous Recipients

• 2023-24: Grace Ann Parker
• 2021-22: Joseph Johnson
• 2020-21: Stanley Schwartz

Research Fellowship Competition for Temple University Graduate Students

CENFAD accepts applications from Temple graduate students for the John Votaw, Jeffrey Bower, and Marvin Wachman Fellowships (in the Fall) and the Marvin Wachman and Richard Immerman Fellowships (in the Spring). These fellowships provide stipends of varying amounts to defray the cost of research conducted in connection with completion of the PhD dissertation. All have been made available through the generous contributions of CENFAD supporters. Applicants for these funds must be Ph.D. students in the History Department. The application must include:

• A letter of application that spells out your qualifications for the award.
• A current C.V.
• A one-page description of your research project, if applicable. Include a statement of how you intend to use these funds, as precisely as possible. If plans include travel to archives or libraries, please indicate which ones, and provide an estimated budget for the research trip. Included budget descriptions can exceed the one page limit.
• One letter of recommendation.

Please attach the abstract, C.V., and statement, including expected date of graduation, as three separate files, and arrange for the advisor/reader to submit the letter of support separately (and also electronically).

Students are eligible to receive the same award twice. Students do not apply for a specific award. They simply apply for a CENFAD research fellowship. Submissions must be made electronically to Dr. Alan McPherson.

John Votaw Endowed Research Award

Endowed research award for Temple University graduate students of diplomatic and military history, with preference going to military history. Direct questions or applications should apply to Dr. Alan McPherson. The deadline is October 1.

Previous Recipients

• 2022-2023: Graydon Dennison

Jeffrey Bower Endowed Research Fellowship

Awarded to a Temple University graduate student of military or diplomatic history. Preference is given to students who incorporate a study of technology into their work. Direct questions or applications should contact Dr. Alan McPherson. The deadline for spring awards is October 1.

Previous Recipients

• 2022: 2022: Anthony Guerrero
• 2021-2022: Ryan Langton
• 2020-2021: Ethan Cohen

Marvin Wachman Fellowship in Force and Diplomacy

To be awarded to a Temple University graduate student in the history of U.S. foreign relations. Direct questions or applications should contact Dr. Alan McPherson. The deadline for fall awards is October 1; for spring awards the deadline is March 1.

Previous Recipients

• 2022-2023: Ethan Cohen, Graydon Dennison, Joseph Johnson, Brandon Kinney, Brian McNamara, Alexandra Southgate, and Casey VanSise
• 2021-2022: Ethan Cohen, Graydon Dennison, Ryan Langton, and Casey VanSise
• 2020-2021: Graydon Dennison, Mike Fischer, Mathias Fuelling, and Ryan Langton

The Richard Immerman Research Award

Awarded to a Temple University PhD student in History whose research project is congruent with the mission of CENFAD. Award recipients shall be selected by a committee comprised of the Dean of the School, the Director of CENFAD, and a College faculty member whose primary academic specialization is the history of United States foreign relations. The maximum award is $3,000. The deadline is March 1.

Inaugural Immerman Winners

• 2023-2024: Anthony Guerrero
• 2021-2022: Ethan Cohen
• 2022-2023: Brandon Kinney

Conference Travel Funds

CENFAD Conference Travel Grants

Temple University’s Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy (CENFAD) is happy to offer a limited number of grants to facilitate graduate student travel to conferences.

1) a one-paragraph description of the conference and your contribution to it, keeping in mind the CENFAD’s mission to promote “the study of force and diplomacy”

2) a budget, including other sources of funding, what you are requesting from CENFAD, and your proposed mode/cost of travel; and

3) a proof that you will be presenting, for instance a copy/screenshot of the program page where you appear.

• The deadline for submissions is Fall Semester-5:00 pm on October 1.
• Spring Semester-5:00 pm on March 1.

Please address all questions and Electronic Submissions to Dr. Alan McPherson.

Center Contact

Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy
Temple University, Department of History
918 Gladfelter Hall
(215) 204-7466
Fax: (215) 204-5891
[click-for-email]