Fellowship Program Invests Millions In Humanities And Social Sciences

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Vartan Gregorian, formerly at the University of Pennsylvania, has been known for his bold work as president of the Carnegie Corporation. Recently he made a statement that the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) get a lot of attention and should not eclipse humanities and social sciences entirely.

The Andrew Carnegie Fellowship program will award fellowships up to $200,000 each, allowing fellows up to two years to research and write. Scholars, journalists and authors are eligible to apply for the awards.

Mr. Gregorian wrote to 700 people for nominations and 300 applied with the charge that the sciences and humanities are "absolutely critical" to understanding the world and figuring out how to tackle society's problems.

The inaugural class was announced in April with $6.4 million divided up among 32 recipients.

In an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Daniel Tichenor, a professor at the University of Oregon, described his fellowship as a godsend.