Participants in the 2022 NCAIS Summer Institute canoe the Chicago River.

Training the Next Generation of Indigenous Studies Scholars

Research and Learning Opportunities

If you are interested in teaching the NCAIS Summer Institute or the NCAIS Spring Workshop, we invite you to consider submitting a topic proposal for either program. NCAIS instructors find that our programs provide opportunities to think deeply about more focused topics through close reading of archival materials, extended discussion with graduate students, and engagement with Native communities and organizations. They also provide a unique setting in which to learn alongside and mentor graduate students.

Faculty at NCAIS institutions and alumni of NCAIS programs who are now working at non-NCAIS institutions are eligible to submit a proposal. NCAIS programs are typically co-taught by two instructors, and the Newberry provides compensation for teaching and covers travel and lodging for the programs. If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please send a short course description and a sample reading list to mcnickle@newberry.org. NCAIS alumni should also indicate from which NCAIS member institution they received their degree.

Proposals for the Summer Institute are due October 1 and proposals for the Spring Workshop are due June 1, both of the year prior, but they can be submitted at any time throughout the year. Please send proposals to mcnickle@newberry.org. Once a proposal is accepted, instructors will be prompted to draft a full syllabus and course schedule for review by the NCAIS Steering Committee. Prior to your proposal submission, our staff is happy to workshop ideas you have and provide sample syllabi for your reference. If you are interested in learning more, please email us!

Every year, the Newberry Consortium in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (NCAIS) Summer Institute brings students to the Newberry for a four-week intensive graduate course on an important theme in Indigenous Studies.

Drawing on the Newberry’s world-renowned collections in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, the institute encourages students to explore a range of primary source materials that will illuminate the class readings and deepen the students' experiences as emerging scholars. Student participants complete research projects as part of their involvement in the program.

Funding

Students selected for the summer institute are provided with free housing, reimbursement for travel, and a $600 living stipend.

How to Apply

Each NCAIS member institution sends one graduate student to the summer institute. To apply, contact the faculty representative at your university. We post the annual call for applications each winter.

In this workshop, students gain experience in an archive located in the United States or Canada. Workshop faculty lead students through a set of core readings, introduce them to archival holdings and key methodologies in Native American and Indigenous Studies, and organize field trips and social events. The workshop concludes with student presentations based on intensive research in the archives.

The spring workshop takes place in a different location every year. Recent locations include the University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections and Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library.

Funding

Participating graduate students are provided housing accommodations, meals, and travel expenses.

How to Apply

Applications open in late summer. Each NCAIS member institution sends one graduate student to the workshop. To apply, contact the faculty representative at your university.

Every February, graduate students are invited to the Newberry to present their research in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. We welcome submissions across a variety of disciplines touching on American Indian and Indigenous histories.

Funding

Scholarship funding is available to a limited number of graduate student participants. All meals are included for all conference presenters and served at the Newberry, where social activities provide a chance to interact with NCAIS faculty.

How to Apply

We post the annual call for applications in the summer. To apply, please email us your paper title and a 250-word abstract.

Faculty Fellowship

There are both long-term and short-term fellowship opportunities available for NCAIS faculty. Faculty long-term fellowships provide between four to nine months of support, and faculty short-term Fellowships provide one month of support. Both fellowships support research at the Newberry for a project in American Indian studies. Faculty members from any participating NCAIS institution are welcome to apply.

Graduate Student Fellowships

NCAIS Graduate Student Fellowships provide one to two months of support to graduate students from participating NCAIS institutions. These fellowships may be used to fund research at the Newberry and/or other institutions.

How to Apply

University of California Davis. Kathleen Whiteley, Native American Studies

University of Colorado, Boulder. Elizabeth Fenn, History

University of Chicago. Matthew Kruer, History

Cornell University. Eric Cheyfitz, American Indian and Indigenous Studies

Harvard University. Philip Deloria, History

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Renata Ryan Burchfield, American Indian Studies

University of Manitoba. Cary Miller, Indigenous Curriculum, Scholarship, and Research

University of Michigan. Amy Stillman, Native American Studies

Michigan State University. Kristin Arola, Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures

University of Minnesota. Jean O’Brien, History

University of Nevada, Las Vegas. William Bauer, History

University of New Mexico. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, American Studies

Northwestern University. Kelly Wisecup, English

University of Oklahoma. Warren Metcalf, History

Oklahoma State University. Kallie Kosc, History

Penn State University. Julie Reed, History

University of Washington. Josh Reid, History and American Indian Studies

University of Winnipeg. Karen Froman, History

University of Wisconsin Madison. John W. Hall, History

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Mark Freeland, Anthropology

Yale University. Alanna Hickey, English

Have a Question?

Get in Touch

The McNickle Center staff are Rose Miron, Director, and Sarah Jiménez, Program Assistant.

Research Guides

Bibliographies, checklists, and collection descriptions can help you find the sources that are most relevant to your research.

Browse Guides

Access to Culturally Sensitive Indigenous Materials

Respect for Indigenous cultural traditions and practices guides all aspects of library service at the Newberry.

Learn More