During the summer of 2007, the College of Arts & Sciences offered, for the first time, Humanities Fellowships to students interested in research with a particular professor for the summer term.

According to Dr. Alexander Friedlander, Assistant Head of the Department of Culture and Communication, and the creator of the program, the purpose of the program was to "promote research interest among students." Friedlander said that the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Donna Murasko, decided to provide such opportunities because none were available. The Dean funded stipends of $4000 for five Humanities Fellows, who worked about eight weeks.

The procedure for applying to the Humanities Fellowships was fairly straightforward, but, for a new project, drew a large response. Faculty submitted proposals in which they outlined the key objectives of their research project and stated the responsibilities and involvement expected of the student. Students then applied to work on one or more topics by submitting a short essay explaining why that topic was particularly interesting to them. The end result was overwhelming: there were 16 faculty projects from 11 faculty members, and 54 applications from about 48 students.

The Associate Deans (Dr. James Herbert and Friedlander) and Dean Murasko reviewed the applications separately and then together. "As there were so many outstanding applications, we decided to increase the number of the awards to 12 students, who worked with nine faculty [members] – three faculty had two Fellows working on different projects," said Friedlander.

The following students and faculty were paired, respectively:

Stephanie Kuo and Dr. Gabriella Ibieta David Evans III and Dr. Kali Nicole Gross Stephaine Nguyen and Dr. Michael J. Sullivan Lindsey Wrazien and Dr. Naomi E. Severin Goldstein Jessica Bozarth and Dr. Rachel Reynolds Steven Leitner and Dr. Richardson Dilworth William Mulgrew and Dr. Richardson Dilworth Andrew Damiter and Dr. Ronald Bishop Nisa Asgarali and Dr. Rose Corrigan Aubrey Montgomery and Dr. Rose Corrigan

One of the Fellows, Stephanie Kuo, said, "To work alongside Dr. Ibieta through Drexel's Humanities Fellowship this summer was a truly extraordinary experience. Under the guidance of Dr. Ibieta, I have grown to become a better writer, thinker, and scholar. Most importantly, however, I realized that in order to write (effectively and well), one must be empathetic. From much of the personal analysis Dr. Ibieta shared with me, I saw that she was extremely sensitive to the meaning conveyed by specific, choice words and minor details that seems typically imperceptible to most."

Mid-October, after summer term and with the Humanities Fellowships ended, there was a lunch for both students and faculty to share their experiences.

"It was exciting to hear the experiences and see how much the students had learned and grown as a result of the Fellowship," Friedlander said. "A number of the students are continuing to work with the faculty members beyond the summer."

The Humanities Fellowships had a lasting affect on both students and professors. Students will take what they learned this summer with them into the future to become better students and better writers.

Kuo said, "My participation in Drexel's Humanities Fellowship was rewarding on so many levels, and I thank the College of Arts and Sciences and the English Department for generously endowing me with such an incredible opportunity."