Funding Opportunities

CALS Dissertation Support Awards

The Center for American Literary Studies, in collaboration with the College of the Liberal Arts, sponsors annual Departmental Dissertation Release Awards and Center and Institute Grants. These awards supplement the automatic dissertation semester release (Fall or Spring) from teaching or related service with the title “CALS Fellow,” and a research grant.

Humanities students named CALS Fellows will not only be excused from teaching or related duties (by means of an automatic Department Dissertation Release Award); they will also:

receive an additional grant of $1000 to support their research and related activities;
be affiliated with CALS and have opportunities to participate in and plan its activities;
share common experiences with others affiliated with CALS, and share work in progress with faculty and other graduate students;
profit from stimulating research environments and gain recognition for their affiliation with a Center or Institute.

How to Qualify and Apply

Students who wish to be considered for a Center and Institute Fellowship Award should forward an application to the Associate Dean’s Office care of Alena Sunderland. D. Scott Bennett, Associate Dean for Research, will review the applications and send them to centers and institutes for consideration.

Applications are due on April 1st. Visit the Liberal Arts website for a full description of the program, its eligibility requirements, and the application process.

View Previous CALS Dissertation Fellows

CALS Spotlight

See all Success Stories

Dr. Verna Kale Elected President of the Hemingway Society

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Verna Kale, Associate Editor for The Letters of Ernest Hemingway and Associate Research Professor of English at Penn State, has been elected President of The Hemingway Society for the 2026-2028 term.

Congrats to Dr. Kale on this honor!

Henry James Letters Receives MLA Seal

Congratulations to Michael Anesko: Volume 19 of The Complete Letters of Henry James has received the MLA Approved Edition Seal. Well done, Michael!

Wong Appointed as Inaugural Poet Laureate

On June 2, 2025, current doctoral student Carmin Wong was announced as the inaugural Poet Laureate of State College. In this position, Wong will serve the community by promoting the consumption and creation of poetry in State College.

Additionally, Wong was featured in the 2025 Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative-in-Residence. Her showcase, "Them Poems Along Won't Save Us' was featured online by the Academy of American Poets and broadcast on WBUR.

Working with Girls Write Now as a 2025 Teaching Artist, Carmin Wong, was interviewed by the organization she has been a part of for over ten years.

Congratulations, Carmin, on all of your accomplishments!

Mackey-Barkers Accepts Position at Stony Brook University

Yolanda Mackey-Barkers has accepted a position as an assistant professor of African American Literature and Culture at Stony Brook University. She graduated in Spring 2025. Her dissertation is titled, "The Black Renaissance and the Radical Politics of Black Print Culture, 1915-1945" and was directed by Xiaoye You. Congratulations, Yolanda, on this job market success!

Erlandson Accepts Position at Del Mar College

Andrew Erlandson, a past recipient of a CALS research seminar funding award, has accepted a tenure-track job offer from the English and Philosophy Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Andrew’s dissertation, “Disabled Democracy: Figuring Disability in Earth Nineteenth-Century Literary and Political Discourses,” was directed by Chris Castiglia. Congratulations, Andrew, on the job market success!

Haddaway Accepts Position at Middle Tennessee State University

Rebecca Haddaway has accepted a tenure-track position in early American literature at Middle Tennessee State University. She graduated in Fall of 2023. Her research centers on abolition and medical discourse in early America and her dissertation was co-directed by Claire Colebrook and Carla Mulford. Congratulations, Rebecca, on this great job market success!

Murray Ross Accepts Position at James Madison University

Courtney Murray Ross has accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in English at James Madison University. She graduated this spring with her PhD in English and African American Studies. Her research centers on Black women, reproduction, and space in nineteenth-century African-American literature and her dissertation was co-directed by Michael Bérubé and Gabrielle Foreman. Congratulations, Courtney, on this great job market success!