Myser Research Grants for Visiting Scholars

Previous Research | About the Myser Initiative

The St. Catherine University Libraries offers annual travel grants to faculty, graduate students, and postgraduate or independent researchers from outside the Twin Cities wishing to use materials in the Ade Bethune Collection.  Funded by the Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity, the grants are intended to increase awareness of the Collection, Ade Bethune, and her work, and to foster research using the resources in the Collection.  Previous scholars have researched such topics as: woman and the Catholic Worker, the Liturgical Movement, art and the reformed rites of the Roman Catholic Church, and women and aging.

Up to $1500 will be distributed each year, on a first-come basis. The grants may be used as reimbursement for travel expenses to come to campus, lodging, food, photocopying, and other research related costs. Awards typically range from $500 to $1000.

To Apply

Applicants should submit the following:

  • Cover letter that provides a summary of the research project, including its importance to its larger field of study and why the Ade Bethune Collection is pertinent to it.  Also state the anticipated result of the project (journal article, thesis, dissertation, book etc.).
  • Planned dates for the visit and whether or not the applicant is willing to give a public or classroom presentation on the project while on campus
  • Estimated budget of travel, living, and research expenses
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • One letter of recommendation

Send application materials to:
     Deborah Kloiber, Archivist
     Ade Bethune Collection
     St. Catherine University Library
     2004 Randolph Ave.
     St. Paul, MN  55105
Or email them to bethune@stkate.edu

Conditions of Awards

Within two weeks of visiting the Ade Bethune Collection, Myser Research Grant recipients must provide a itemized list of expenses (with receipts) for reimbursement, and a short report on the work completed during the visit and how it fits into the overall project.  The final research product (e.g. journal article, thesis, dissertation, etc.) must acknowledge the St. Catherine University Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity and the St. Catherine University Libraries’ Ade Bethune Collection.  A copy must be deposited in the St. Catherine University Libraries’ Ade Bethune Collection.

Previous Research

Following is a selection of researchers who have used the Ade Bethune Collection:

Rebecca Davis, doctoral candidate, Art and Religion, Graduate Theological Union
"Women Artists of the Early Twentieth Century Liturgical Movement: The Contributions of E. Charlton Fortune, Sr. Helene O'Connor, OP and Ade Bethune"

Judith Tydings, doctoral candidate, American Studies, University of Maryland
"Old Yankee Women: Life Histories and Cultural Significance"

Katherine Harmon, doctoral candidate, Liturgical Studies, University of Notre Dame
"'There were many women there': Roman Catholic Women in the
Classical Liturgical Movement in the United States"

Rachel Norton, master's candidate, Art History, University of Maryland
"'Useful to the Mind': Ade Bethune's Illustrations for The Catholic Worker, 1934-1945"

About the Myser Initiative

The Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity is funded by a generous endowment by alumna Patricia O’Connor Myser and her husband John. Its purpose is to support programs and events which will infuse the spirit of Catholic identity more fully throughout the St. Catherine University  community. Its intention is to deepen the understanding of, respect for, and appreciation of the Catholic identity and heritage of the university. The Initiative’s integration approach is grounded in the belief that working first to infuse this spirit among the faculty and staff will be more likely to penetrate the whole educational process than top-down, separate department approaches might be. To accomplish its purposes the Initiative sponsors: weeklong summer planning workshops for faculty and staff, book discussions each semester, an annual award and lecture series bringing outstanding Catholics to campus, co-sponsorships of events with other groups, and funding attendance at various conferences by faculty and staff members. Amazing examples of creativity are exhibited in the ways in which faculty and staff have infused the spirit of the Catholic intellectual tradition and social teachings into their curriculum and various events at the University.