The Marcus Bach Fellowships for Graduate Students in the Humanities are awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to support the completion of an MFA project or doctoral dissertation. The fellowship’s goal is to foster intercultural communication and/or the understanding of diverse philosophies and religious perspectives, and projects in this area are the most appropriate.

The Marcus Bach Fellowships are made possible by a bequest from the estate of Dr. Marcus Bach. Dr. Bach received a doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1942 in Speech and Dramatic Arts (now the Department of Communication Studies and the Department of Theatre Arts). Awardees must also show an awareness of the specific ideas and research of Dr. Bach. (For more information on Dr. Bach, please see the Brigham Young University website devoted to him.)

Bach Fellowships provide a single semester of support, which includes

• $10,500 Salary
• Associated Fringe Benefits
• Tuition Scholarship for 2 s.h. credit
• 50% of Mandatory fees

Each year, up to four Bach Fellowships will be awarded.

Eligibility

• The applicant must use the fellowship period to complete an MFA project or to conduct post-comprehensive research and writing on the doctoral dissertation.
• The applicant’s research/creative project must focus on intercultural communication and/or the understanding of diverse philosophies and religious perspectives. Especially appropriate are proposals which show an awareness of the ideas and research of Dr. Marcus Bach.
• Students in the creative arts, humanities, and related social sciences are eligible to apply, so long as their project has a relevant focus.
• Awardees must register for at least 1 s.h. credit during the fellowship semester.

Application Process

Eligible graduate students apply through their departments. The DGS or DEO may recommend up to three student applications to the CLAS Associate Dean for Graduate Education. Applications for the 2021-2022 fellowships should be sent by the DEO or DGS to Gabriella McDermott at gabriella-mcdermott@uiowa.edu by Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

Application materials must include the following collated into one pdf:

• the completed application cover sheet, available here.
• a short description (up to 2 pages, 12 pt. font) of the creative or research project, and of the work already accomplished,
• a brief (1 page maximum) statement describing connections between the project and Marcus Bach’s research/ideas,
• a copy of the applicant’s current transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable),
• a statement of support from the applicant’s adviser, which includes comments about the progress towards completing degree requirements, and
• a statement of support from the DGS or DEO. If more than one application is submitted through a program, the DGS or DEO should rank the applications and provide a brief explanation of the rankings.

Awardees are selected by the CLAS Associate Dean for Graduate Education in consultation with the CLAS Graduate Education Policy Committee.

Projects Funded

View a list of projects funded since the Fellowships were established in 2005.

Questions: Please contact Gabriella McDermott.