Dance Ph.D. Student Receives Fellowship
By Briana Van Havermaat, Student Intern of CHASS College Computing
Mark Broomfield, a dance student at UCR, received the prestigious Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship for 2006. During his first attempt of applying for the fellowship in the fall of 2004, Mark received an honorable mention. Determined to receive the fellowship in a second attempt of applying, he had several people help in the process.
Anthea Kraut, Mark’s advisor and Assistant Professor in the Dance Department, provided great support towards making certain he had the strongest application both years. The process involved writing a detailed research proposal of his project, a personal essay, and a sample essay of previous research, as well as an online application. He also received help from Assistant Professor Anna Scott in the Department of Dance as well as from friends, colleagues and other faculty outside of UCR.
The purpose of The Ford Foundation is to strive to enhance the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to expand the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the amount of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.
Broomfield 's research focuses on black masculinity and its expression within Western theatrical dance, combined with an analysis of the complicated intersections of critical race theory, black queer studies and sexuality studies. He challenges particular notions of a mythic black community, and its relationship to post-blackness, while observing publicly and privately held perceptions of male dancers. His work seeks to further the discourse of the dancing body to incorporate and foreground professional dancer's personal experiences as a way for dance to produce meaning in our contemporary culture.
Broomfield commented, “Receiving the news about the fellowship drew many responses, from jumping up and down in absolute joy and elation, happiness, thankful, a sense of relief, and just wanting to tell everyone who helped me in the application process.”
For the next three years The Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship provides Mark with a stipend and covers his tuition and fees. The fellowship also covers expenses to attend at least one Conference of Ford Fellows, and access to mentoring and support to current fellows. Mark believes the award should carry him through the completion of his Ph.D.