The James R. & Anita Horne Jenkins Family Foundation have donated funds for an endowment to support dissertation research and writing in the Department of Anthropology. The annual Jenkins dissertation fellowships will give preferential consideration to students who are economically disadvantaged, whose research will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in the department, or those studying Native American and Indigenous languages and cultures.

Dr. Andrea Louise Jenkins graduated from the department with a PhD in 2016. She studied the Native American experience in the public school system, and her dissertation focused on the Indian Education Program in Bay City, Michigan. Dr. Jenkins was born and raised in Midland, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan for her bachelor’s degrees and the University of Toronto for her master’s degree.

The first fellowship(s) will be awarded in the spring of 2019 for use during the 2019–2020 academic year. The number and amount of the fellowships are to be determined.