WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., August 10, 2009 -- Williams College has appointed two women as Gaius Charles Bolin Fellows.  They will teach at the college while they complete advanced degrees.  The appointment is for two years.

Lillian Bertram, an M.F.A. degree recipient in poetry at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, will be the Bolin Fellow in English. Her poetry has appeared in a number of literary journals including Harvard Review, Georgetown Review, The Oakland Review, and the Susquehanna Review. Her teaching interests include the Black Arts Movement, historical poetry, Latin American poets of resistance and revolution, poetry in the community, and the craft of poetry. She received her B.A. in creative writing and Hispanic studies from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006.

Shay Welch, a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at Binghamton University, will be the Bolin Fellow in Philosophy. Specializing in social and political philosophy and feminist theory with an emphasis on consent and obligation, she is currently writing on the effects of oppression on social freedom. She also researches the effects of power relations on daily themes such as beauty, sex, and fitness. Welch received her M.A. from Florida State University in 2006 and her B.A. from the University of South Alabama in 2002.

Established in 1985, the fellowship aims to promote diversity on college faculties by encouraging applicants from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, first-generation college graduates, women in predominantly male fields, or disabled scholars, to pursue careers in college teaching. Named in honor of the first black graduate of Williams, who was admitted in 1885, Bolin Fellows devote the larger part of their first year on completing their dissertation or, in the case of MFA recipients, building their creative portfolios, as well as teaching one course. They spend the second year developing their academic careers and teaching one course.

The Bolin program has been enhanced for the 2009-10 academic year. The fellowship previously lasted one year and was open only to Ph.D. candidates. Now two years, post-MFA artists are also encouraged to apply.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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News:Amanda Korman