This award is named in honor of the late Marilyn Yarbrough, Kenyon parent and trustee. A legal scholar and university administrator who was a former editor of the Black Law Journal and a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, Marilyn Yarbrough often addressed gender and racial discrimination in her scholarship and teaching. Download a list of previous Marilyn Yarbrough Teaching Fellows.

One of the most significant challenges confronting small liberal arts colleges in the United States today is increasing the members of underrepresented groups teaching at such institutions. A diverse faculty benefits students, faculty and staff alike by enriching the nature of the education experience for all. We recognize, though, that young scholars who are members of underrepresented groups frequently choose to pursue their careers as teachers and scholars at research universities rather than at small liberal arts colleges.

In order to encourage such scholars to consider college rather than university teaching, Kenyon College offers the Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellowship. The program is for scholars in the final stages of their doctoral work who need only to finish the dissertation to complete requirements for the Ph.D. We hope the experience of living and working for a year at Kenyon will encourage these fellows to consider a liberal arts college as a place to begin their careers as teachers and scholars. In the past, fellowships have been awarded in: African and African American studies, American studies, anthropology, art history, Asian and Middle East studies, biology, English, history, math, modern languages and literatures (Spanish), music, religious studies, sociology, gender and sexuality studies.

Kenyon will provide a stipend of $39,498 plus health benefits, housing (or equivalent allowance), and a small moving allowance. The College will also provide some allowance to cover research, travel to conferences and professional expenses. The fellow will be provided an office, a networked computer and secretarial support services.

The fellow is expected to write the dissertation and to teach one course each semester, usually in the fellow's general research area. Fellows are also expected to offer a college lecture or departmental seminar on the dissertation topic at some point during the academic year in residence. Kenyon College assumes that the fellow will participate in the intellectual life of his/her home department, as well as in the broader cultural life of the College. Our primary expectation, however, and the main focus of this fellowship, is the completion of the dissertation.

Eligibility to apply for the Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellowship is limited to those meeting all of the following four criteria who are citizens or nationals of the United States or otherwise "protected individuals" as defined in 8 USC 1324b(a)(3)(B).

  • Members of underrepresented groups (e.g., ethnic minorities; women in fields that attract mostly men, or men in fields that attract mostly women; and persons who are first-generation college attendees).
  • Individuals who are enrolled in a research-based Ph.D. program in one of the following fields: African and African American studies, American studies, anthropology, art, art history, Asian and Middle East studies, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, classics, dance, drama, economics, English, environmental studies, history, humanities, international studies, legal studies, mathematics, modern languages and literature, music, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, political science, public policy, psychology, religious studies, scientific computing, sociology, and gender and sexuality studies.
  • Individuals who aspire to a teaching and research career.
  • Persons who have not yet earned a doctoral degree at any time and in any field.

The MYDF search will accept applications from mid-Oct. through Dec. 31.

To apply, visit employment opportunities. 

Questions? Contact Amy Quinlivan at quinlivana@kenyon.edu.