February 21, 2008 — University of Virginia doctoral student Dana John Stefanelli has been awarded a research fellowship by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Stefanelli will conduct research at the library of the New York Historical Society for his dissertation, "A Capital City: Financing the Development of Early Washington, D.C.," which examines the role of government and the private sector in developing the nation’s capital.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute awards short-term fellowships to doctoral candidates, postdoctoral scholars and independent scholars to conduct work in five archives in New York City: the Gilder Lehrman Collection at the New York Historical Society, the library of the New York Historical Society, the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the New York Public Library and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Stefanelli is one of 26 Gilder Lehrman Fellows for the first half of 2008. The Gilder Lehrman Institute has funded a total of 501 fellowships since 1994.

Stefanelli graduated cum laude from Florida State University with a B.A. in history and political science. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of Virginia. His previous honors include a graduate fellowship for digital scholarship in the humanities from U.Va.

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The institute serves teachers, students, scholars and the general public. For information, visit www.gilderlehrman.org and its quarterly online journal, www.historynow.org.