May 3, 2010 — The University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs has selected eight scholars for the 2010-11 Miller Center National Fellowship Program. The program awards each fellow a one-year, $20,000 grant to complete his or her dissertation, which explores America's relationship to the world, public policy questions, 20th-century politics or governance in the United States.

The Miller Center received applications from scholars across the country in a variety of fields that include history, politics, American studies, international relations and public health. The applications were judged on their scholarly quality and their potential to shed new light on important political and public policy questions.

"As the Miller Center's National Fellowship Program heads into its second decade, these new recruits are joining a network of over 100 former fellows and mentors who are not only committed to expanding our scholarly understanding of politics and public policy but to conveying these insights to citizens eager to grasp issues ranging from why nations go to war to the adequate provision of health care in the United States," said Brian Balogh, director of the National Fellowship Program. "Like their predecessors, they are on the fast track to careers at some of the nation's best universities."

The 2010–11 Miller Center Fellows are:

• Francesca R. Ammon, American Studies, Yale University
Recipient of the Monell Fellowship
Project: Demolition and clearing of buildings and land in postwar America

• Sarah S. Bush, Politics, Princeton University
Project: U.S.-funded democracy assistance programs, including the training of female politicians and the purchasing of electronic voting systems, in other countries
 
• Merlin Chowkwanyun, History and Public Health, University of Pennsylvania
Recipient of the Wilson Carey McWilliams Fellowship
Project: The history of public health in the United States from 1945 to 2000, with a focus on the dilemmas of "community health"

• Kyle M. Lascurettes, Politics, University of Virginia
Project: The reasons why powerful countries seek to rework the foundational rules that govern relations between states in international politics
 
• Quinn Mulroy, Political Science and American Politics, Columbia University
Project: The methods by which regulatory agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, ensure that public policy enforcement goals are met
 
• Jonathan Renshon, International Relations and Political Psychology, Harvard University
Project: How the concern for status and prestige affects global states' decisions in the domain of international security
 
• Katherine Unterman, History, Yale University
Project: International rendition of fugitives and American power
 
• James G. Wilson, History, University of Virginia
Project: How and why the final decade of the Cold War unfolded
 
Each fellow will be paired with an academic mentor, a leading national scholar in the fellow's field of study. The program also offers the option of residency, so that fellows may come to Charlottesville and take advantage of the Miller Center's wealth of academic resources.

The Miller Center will hold a conference on May 6-7 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the fellowship program. The conference will include dozens of former fellows, many of whom now teach at leading universities across the country. Also in attendance will be editors from leading academic presses and journalists from major media organizations who will discuss strategies for getting scholarly work in various outlets – from books and journals to newspapers and television to blogs and social media. A full conference agenda [link to: http://web1.millercenter.org/fellowship/2010conference.pdf] is available online.

The Miller Center has awarded nearly 100 fellowships since 2000. A majority of recipients have gone on to tenure-track positions or prestigious post-doctoral fellowships at leading colleges and universities. Others are now in public service or at non-profit foundations.