The Davis Center: An Exceptional Experience

 

My year in Dickinson Hall as a Davis Center Fellow at the History Department of Princeton University was not just one of my most important and rewarding intellectual experiences. Without any exaggeration, I can honestly say that the Davis Fellowship was a turning point in my academic career.”

Simeon Evstatiev
Davis Fellow 2013-14
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

 

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A Wealth of Resources

 

 … having access to one of the finest libraries in the United States, right outside my office door, is something I will remember—longingly.”

Monica Black
Davis Fellow 2010-11
University of Tennessee

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The Davis fellows were the kind of conversation partners that I imagine most academic writers wish to have. Our spirited discussions with colleagues in each Friday seminar enriched and refined the arguments I’ve been pursuing in my research. The seminars also introduced me to a ‘network’ of colleagues on campus and beyond.”

Brandi Hughes
Davis Fellow 2013-14
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

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Intellectual Community

 

At the risk of sounding “over-enthusiastic,” I cannot stress enough how stimulating it was to join such an active intellectual community, supporting junior and senior scholars alike, attuned both to some of the newest initiatives in global and transnational history as well as old-fashioned enough to actually offer the pleasure of lectures without Power Point!”

Atina Grossmann
Davis Fellow 2014-15
Cooper Union

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This is intellectual discourse and community at its best—discourse that makes its participants smarter and better—and I am struck by how utterly rare it is elsewhere in academia.”

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin
Davis Fellow 2011-12
Dartmouth University

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Stimulating Conversations

 

When one is so focused on a particular project, it is something of a relief to also participate in the stimulating and varied intellectual atmosphere provided by the Davis Center, the history department, and the Princeton campus.”

Hugh Thomas
Davis Fellow 2010-11
University of Miami

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The Wednesday lunches and accompanying discussions were perhaps the greatest surprise for me. Normally, I use lunchtime to reflect and recharge, on my own, before resuming work, and I fully expected to resent the encroachment into my normal routine. However, I deeply appreciated the opportunity to select, read, and discuss, in detail, relevant pieces, and I always returned to my work recharged by the honest, thoughtful, and always stimulating conversations we shared over sandwiches and salads (and the occasional spinach pie).”

Jennifer L. Foray
Davis Fellow 2014-15
Purdue University

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Support and Renewal

 

The intellectual range and intellectual seriousness (and rich sense of humor) of the fellows produced a very supportive intellectual community.”

Thomas Bender
Davis Fellow 2008-09
New York University

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The recharging of my intellectual batteries was an unexpected windfall.”

David S. Barnes
Davis Fellow 2014-15
University of Pennsylvania

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Organization and Administration

 

Enough wonderful things cannot be said of Jennifer Houle [Goldman]. Before we even arrived, Jennifer was sure to make us feel welcome and went to great lengths to secure housing and amenities for us. Jennifer is a master of organization and a bureaucratic sage... The Center would not be the same without her."

Sarah Schrank
Davis Fellow 2004-05
California State University, Long Beach

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The department’s manager, Jennifer, has been exemplary in her efficiency and warmth... Even before our arrival in Princeton, Jennifer worked to make sure that all the fellows settled down well... Jennifer kept the community of fellows together with her easy accessibility and readiness to help out with various bureaucratic complications... As an international fellow, I really valued all the help extended by her."

Ranjani Mazumdar
Davis Fellow 2003-04
Jawaharlal Nehru University