Hedley Donovan Scholarship

The Donovan scholarship program was established by a generous bequest from the family of Hedley Donovan. Mr. Donovan graduated with a history major in 1934 from the University of Minnesota. After a long career in journalism, Mr. Donovan became editor-in-chief of Time, Inc. Following his retirement from this position, Mr. Donovan served as an advisor to President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Donovan died in 1990. The scholarship was founded because Hedley Donovan credited much of his success in life to his education at the University of Minnesota.

The Donovan scholarship annually rewards up to three exceptional history majors who demonstrate the potential for the kind of leadership Mr. Donovan displayed. The scholarship provides major funding ($8,000), which permits the Donovan scholar to undertake an exceptional program of study, research, or work in Minnesota or elsewhere. Projects might include conducting research in regional, national, or international archives or libraries; serving an internship with a government, cultural, or social service agency here or abroad; or working with an international scholar.

Application Procedure & Eligibility Requirements

Applications for the Donovan scholarship must meet the general department requirements for scholarships as well as these additional requirements as noted below:

  • A 5-page detailed plan of study for the scholarship and a description of its importance to the applicant's career. This is the most significant part of the application and should demonstrate the importance and feasibility of the proposed plan of study. Please include a proposed budget.
  • A biographical statement (500-1000 words) including a brief statement of your accomplishments as a student of history.
  • A letter of reference from a historian at the University of Minnesota.
  • A current transcript (including your previous fall semester grades); unofficial copies are fine.
  • The Donovan Scholarship is due First Monday in March.

Please contact the undergraduate advisor David Perry, or consult the advice from past participants, if you have any questions. 

What can you do with the Donovan?

  • Shannon Delahanty - "After returning to the U [from London], I incorporated my research from the Imperial War Museum and the National Army Museum into my Honors Thesis. I have taken my investigation into the interactions between the British and Imperial forces with the local populations as a precursor to the British Mandate system, and more specifically the creation of Iraq by a British gentlewoman named Gertrude Bell. In addition to my thesis, my experience in the archives vastly improved my understanding of archival gaps and disparities."
  • Benjamin Halom - "Thanks to the Donovan Scholarship, I was able to travel to the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, California, and use their extensive archive of California history to research lynching in the Antebellum west. I ended up drawing on some of the materials I found there, especially the scrapbook of Judge Benjamin Ignatius Hayes, for my summa thesis on lynching, law, and sovereignty in 1850s Los Angeles."
  • Joselin Navarro-Cano - "I studied Chicanx and Latinx people surviving and challenging the U.S Education system. I traveled to Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas to explore their Chicanx/Latinx archives. I was able to interview some activists that were part of the Chicano Student Movement. I am also working on an Oral History Project in which I am documenting the stories of Latinx people in Minnesota and their experiences in U.S schools."
  • Robert Moss - "I traveled to Germany for a month during the summer of 2019. I visited four different cities including Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, and Frankfurt, in order to perform my research about the lives of German citizens during the bombing of Germany by the US and Great Britain during the Second World War. I visited institutions such as the Military History Museum in Dresden and the State Archives of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The documents I found included reports by journalists of the damage done to German cities like Hamburg, stories of people who traveled around Germany trying to alleviate the burdens faced by hundreds of thousands of people affected by bombings, and the relocation of children from urban and industrial centers.

 

Past Recipients