The Josephine Forman Scholarship provides financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue a career as an archivist, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession. The scholarship is given to applicants who demonstrate excellent potential for scholastic and personal achievement and who manifest a commitment both to the archives profession and to advancing diversity concerns within it.
Established in October 2010 by the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church and named for Josephine Forman, archivist for 18 years of the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church and author of We Finish to Begin: A History of Travis Park United Methodist Church, 1846–1991.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
- The applicant must be of American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern/North African, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander descent.
- The applicant must be currently enrolled in a graduate program or a multi-course program in archival administration, or have applied to such a program for the next academic year.*
- The applicant shall have completed no more than half of the credit requirements toward her/his graduate degree at the time of the award (i.e., June 1).
- The applicant must be enrolled in a graduate program and begin school no later than September 1 or the fall semester/quarter immediately following the award. Otherwise the award will be rescinded.
- Applicants may have full-time or part-time status.
Scholarship Award:
One scholarship of $10,000. Awardees also may be invited to attend the annual meeting of the General Commission on Archives and History and/or the Quadrennial Historical Convocation, with funding provided by GCAH.
Also included is complimentary registration to the SAA Annual Meeting in the year in which the scholarship is received.
Application Deadline & Requirements:
Click here to preview the application and/or to apply. All applications must be submitted by February 28 of each year and include the following:
- A cover letter stating interest in the scholarship, accompanied by an essay of not more than 500 words outlining the applicant’s interest in the archives profession as well as how they would advance diversity concerns within it..
- Official transcripts from the applicant’s most recent academic program. NOTE: Allow enough time to get transcripts by application deadline.
- Two letters of recommendation from teachers/professors and/or professional archivists. NOTE: Please notify your references ahead of time. Your references will need to upload their letters of recommendation to your online form by the application deadline.