Samantha (Sam) Adams, Ph.D. candidate in the Women’s and Gender Studies and English Joint Program, received the inaugural Sidonie Smith Award for Doctoral Studies Completion in the Humanities. Sam studies African American literature, Black feminisms, gender and sexuality, and ecocriticism.
The Sidonie Smith Award for Doctoral Studies Completion in the Humanities is made possible by a recent generous gift from Professor Emerita Sidonie Smith's partner, Bill Kinley. The gift was made in honor of Professor Smith's 80th birthday, and includes the Sidonie Smith Undergraduate Study Abroad Support Fund in the Department of English.
Professor Smith is both an LSA alumna and former chair of the English and Women's and Gender Studies departments. When she returned to Michigan as a faculty member, she worked with doctoral students in the Women's and Gender Studies and English programs. She remarks, "it is critical that our doctoral students find the support they need to complete their dissertations, especially when departmental funding comes to an end."
The gracious gift allows Sam to continue her work with the Institute for the Humanities and, in conjunction with the student’s partial fellowship, enables the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies to provide the equivalent of full summer funding to support this outstanding student.
Read more about the story behind these gifts here.
