The Mellema Program in Western American Studies

The Mellema Program in Western American Studies invites applications for research assistance grants on any subject in its area of coverage, namely the North American continent west of the Mississippi River. This may include Western Canada, Alaska, the Mexican-American border region, and interaction with peoples and societies along the Pacific Rim. Awards for research/travel expenses typically will be in the amount of up to $3,500 in total, for research and travel expenses or library purchases. They are intended for well-defined research projects underway, not as startup grants for projects that are in the initial planning and defining stages.

The Mellema Program also is interested in promoting student scholarship. Applications that involve a student researcher can receive larger awards, to support payment for student work.

Although it is housed in the Historical Studies Department, the Mellema Program supports work in any relevant discipline or interdisciplinary domain—including but not limited to literature, geography, geology, popular culture, music, dance and the visual arts, political science, history, and religion. Any Calvin University faculty member is eligible for an award; preference will go towards those on a regular appointment. Proposals aimed at the completion of terminal degree requirements cannot be considered. Proposals should include a 2–3 page statement of purpose and method, a CV, a budget, and a schedule for completion of the project.

The Mellema Program invites applications for course-development grants. Grants are for the creation of a new course which focuses primarily on North American land, life, or experience west of the Mississippi River. This may include Western Canada, Alaska, and the Mexican- American borderland region. Such a course may be offered in a regular term or a summer intensive term and may come from within or across disciplines. Previous awards have gone to geology, history, literature, and religion. Preference will go to courses likely to be repeated on a regular basis. Proposals should include a statement of course objectives, methods and areas of study, a tentative syllabus or course outline, and a budget. Awards typically will be made in amounts up to $2,500 in total, for research and travel expenses and pedagogical and library materials.

In 1993, Dirk and JoAnn Mellema provided a generous donation to establish a Western American Studies Program (MPWAS) at Calvin University in the history department. The purpose of the MPWAS is to promote the study of the culture, land, and history of the Western U.S. The program promotes research and teaching related to the West as well as public lectures and cultural events that serve the larger Western Michigan and Calvin University communities.

The first phase of the program, organized by history department chair and acting director James Bratt, begin in 1995–1996. It included library enhancement, course development, and an inaugural conference.

Library enhancement began with the purchase of several hundred books, full runs of five scholarly journals, microform collections containing some 1,500 nineteenth century primary sources, and three video series related to the American West. Early course development grants funded courses in natural resources and westward expansion and Western American literature.

The inaugural Mellema Program conference was held in 1997 and included lectures by prominent historians of the American West as well as seminars for Calvin University alumni social science teachers working in Western states. The inaugural also familiarized the larger college community with the subject and promise of the new program. Developments in 1997–1998 expanded the program to include the Canadian West and Northern Mexico, providing MPWAS with a distinctive identity in the field and reflecting Calvin University’s historic Canadian connection.

In 1998–1999, Calvin University conducted a search for a permanent director who would promote Western American studies across the disciplines, an American cultural historian who could develop an ongoing program of research in the North American West and encourage Christian perspectives on Western American cultural studies. In February 1999, William Katerberg was hired to direct the MPWAS and teach in the History Department. He has been the director of Mellema since 2000.

MPWAS has continued to fund and host annual Mellema lectures; provide grants for research and course development by faculty in departments such as history, literature, religion, and geology; and purchase library materials, including significant microform collections of primary sources. Calvin University’s library now holds the largest collection of Western American studies material in Michigan. The Mellema Program also has helped to sponsor cultural events such as concerts, film series, readings by writers, and dance recitals.