Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholars Program

Awards and Eligibility | Obligations | Opportunities | Application & Deadlines

(Applications now being taken. Deadline: April 28, 2023)

The Special Collections and University Archives at Pittsburg State University is the University’s repository for rare editions, specialized subject collections, and manuscripts. The Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholars Program was established in December 2011 to provide financial support to researchers unaffiliated with Pittsburg State University. A gift from Mary L. Whitehead, a friend of the Library and its collections, funds the award. The endowment is named after members of the Hertlein and Whitehead families, who have deep roots in agriculture and labor history in the state of Kansas, two subject areas well represented in the Special Collections of Axe Library, and who have made significant donations of print and manuscript materials to the holdings of Special Collections at Pittsburg State University.

The research strengths of the Special Collections at Pittsburg State University are varied and numerous. The collections support studies in Kansas history and personalities, American socialism, free thought, Libertarianism, printing and printing history, music history, mining and labor history, and third-party political movements. Special Collections also houses the papers of socialist Julius A. Wayland, publisher Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, Congressman Joseph Skubitz, author and scholar Fred Whitehead, the Tri-State Lead and Zinc Producers Association, and the John F. Welsh Collection of Libertarian and Individualist Thought, among many others. The Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholars program provides funding for those who wish to pursue studies focusing on these primary and secondary resources in Special Collections at the Leonard H. Axe Library.

Awards and Eligibility

The program is open to all scholars, from graduate students to retired professors and independent researchers, regardless of nationality. The awards are primarily intended to help defray the costs of travel and living expenses for scholars from outside the region.

A stipend or stipends of $500, up to a maximum of $1500 per year, will be awarded. Recipients are responsible for making their own travel and housing arrangements, though information about local housing will be provided upon request.

The Special Collections staff will offer an orientation meeting and a tour of the campus and/or community if desired. Assistance in using the Library’s collections will be available throughout the study period. The study period may be scheduled at any time during the year, after July 1, 2023, excepting official University holidays. 

Obligations

Visiting scholars are expected to conduct their research primarily in the Pittsburg State Special Collections and University Archives library.

Visiting scholars must reside within a short driving distance during the award period.

When a Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholar publishes work resulting from the study period, the Library will appreciate acknowledgment of the award’s benefit as well as a copy of the publication(s) for our collection.

Within one year of the conclusion of the Library visit, Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholars should send a brief written report (one to two pages) to the Curator of Special Collections and University Archivist describing the extent of the research conducted and its value to the scholar’s overall project.

Opportunities on Campus

Visiting scholars may arrange with University departments or the University Library to offer a lecture or presentation on their research subject during the award period. 

Application and Deadlines

The application process for the 2023 award cycle is now open. Applicants are asked to provide the following:

• Curriculum vitae
• A research proposal no more than two pages in length
• A brief budget of expected expenses denoting amount needed
• One example of a prior publication, senior thesis, or similar advanced writing sample.

Send applications and letters to: