What is the C. Reasoner Fund?
With a $50,000 commitment — half through an endowment and half in immediate-use funds — 1985 Penn State Spanish alumna Cheryl Reasoner Wethers has created the C. Reasoner Memorial Fund in the Africana Research Center (ARC) in the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts. The fund honors the memories of Wethers’ father and brother, both of whom were named Chester. It will support mission-focused research by faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students in the ARC.
“I believe in education. I believe in opportunity. I believe in supporting underrepresented students and in the importance of research, but that’s not why I decided to support the ARC. I created this fund to honor the students from two decades ago who were committed to trying to make a better place at Penn State and have their voices heard.” -Cheryl Reasoner Wethers
Read more about the C. Reasoner Fund
Who is eligible?
Post-doctoral fellows, including dual-title, in African Studies or African American Studies; faculty members in African Studies or African American Studies; or those whose primary research centers on the African diaspora; as well as undergraduate students who are African Studies or African American Studies majors or minors.
Research projects and proposals must center on the African diaspora. We encourage and support research and scholarship that enhance the lives of African people across the diaspora and that serve as a catalyst for promoting environments in which cultural production and discourse on the strength of diversity can be nurtured, with the intent to advance the research, teaching, and outreach of Penn State. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged.
How to apply:
Complete the form below in which you describe the project that you would like to be funded and explain its relevance to current knowledge about the African Diaspora. Recipients will need to be reimbursed for expenses.