Stubbs-Davis Graduate Fellowship

Allison and Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Allison and Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Graduate Fellowship

Our department is pleased to offer the Allison and Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Graduate Fellowship to an outstanding incoming student in SJSU’s master’s degree program in Applied Anthropology. 

The fellowship honors the distinguished career of Dr. William Boyd Allison Davis (1902-1983), an American anthropologist and educator who was the first African American to hold a full faculty position at a major university, the University of Chicago, where he earned a doctoral degree in anthropology. Among many accomplishments, Dr. Davis is remembered for his groundbreaking work on race and class in the southern US during the 1930s, his research on IQ tests in the 1940s and 1950s, and his applied anthropological work on educational policy throughout his career. His wife, Elizabeth Stubbs Davis, worked closely with Dr. Davis as an advisor and research assistant, conducting interviews and editing his work. The SJSU Anthropology Department is proud to recognize and honor the legacy of these distinguished scholars.

The Allison Davis Graduate Fellowship is granted to one student each year and includes an unrestricted honorarium of $2000. Preference is given to students who are first-generation college students and those who demonstrate evidence of financial need. Students from under-represented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Application Process

To apply for the Allison and Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Graduate Fellowship, please submit a 450-500-word statement summarizing how your work or career objectives include a commitment to race, class, education, or African American communities. You should submit the statement as part of your departmental application for the SJSU M.A. Program in Applied Anthropology. Fellowship recipients are typically notified in May or June. The award is publicly announced in early September each year.

This fellowship is made possible by a generous endowment granted to our department by Farzad and Danae Khorasani.

Recipients of the Allison and Elizabeth Stubbs Davis Fellowship

  • 2022, Chyna Lee
  • 2023, Mayela Sanchez