UMaine Student Chosen for James Madison Fellowship
Contact: George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — UMaine political science major Molly Feeney of Knox, Maine has been chosen by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation as one of its prestigious 2008 James Madison Junior Fellows.
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation junior and senior fellowships, typically one per state annually, support the graduate study of American government by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government and social studies. Fellowships carry a stipend of up to $24,000 for up to two years of full-time study for college graduates, to cover the costs of tuition, required fees, books, and room and board. Last year, no one from Maine received a fellowship in either junior or senior category, and only eight in the last 16 years have been awarded to Maine residents, according to the foundation’s fellowship directory.
They are awarded through a national competition and are based upon applicants’ essays, letters of recommendation and their perspectives on the importance of teaching about the United States Constitution in secondary schools. After completing graduate study, James Madison Fellows are required to teach American history, American government or social studies in grades 7-12 for a minimum of one year for each academic year of graduate assistance they receive.
Feeney, who currently is working on an honors thesis on education policy, intends to teach history or social studies for several years after she receives a master of arts in teaching degree from UMaine. Her master’s work will include a concentration in social studies. Feeney recently student-taught at her alma mater, Mt. View High School in Thorndike, and her future plans include law school.
Feeney is the daughter of John Feeney III of Knox and Julie Feeney of Winslow. In addition to her student teaching this past year at Mt. View, Feeney also spent a semester interning in Washington, D.C. for Maine Congressman Michael Michaud. She is an active member of the Maine Democratic Party and of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society. In her spare time, Feeney coaches high school track at Mt. View and enjoys stock car racing.
As a James Madison Fellow, Feeney also is invited to attend an accredited four-week summer institute at Georgetown University in 2009 on the principles, framing, ratification and implementation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a requirement for all fellows. Attendance at the summer institute is paid for by the Madison Foundation.
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is a federally endowed and privately funded program designed to strengthen instruction about the Constitution in the nation’s schools. College seniors and college graduates who intend to become secondary school teachers of American history, American government, or social studies are eligible for the fellowships.
In addition to the selecting winners from each of the 50 states, the foundation selects also selects a fellow, either junior or senior, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. If funding permits, additional fellowships are occasionally made in states with large populations. Last year, 57 fellowships were awarded in total.