Sander Thoenes Division II and Division III Research Award

Contact: James Miller, professor of communications, School of Cognitive Science.

Description: Awards for Division III students working in journalism; documentary photography, film or video; international relations; globalization; peace-building; civil society and human rights.

Award: Approximately $300 to $1,000.

Eligibility: DivisionII or Division III students working in the listed areas. Submit a 1-2 page application and budget with a letter of support from the Division II or III chair.

Deadline: Applications accepted at any time during the academic year. Award decisions are made in mid-October, end of February, and mid-April. Several awards are made each year.

All application material should be in .doc or .docx form.

Student research that has been supported by a Sander Thoenes award includes the study of the health of undocumented migrants, field work in Senegal focused on the accountability of NGOs, an investigation of the political implications of oil politics in Central Asia, and a study of the Sri Lankan civil war.

This program is named for Sander Thoenes. Awards are made from an endowment established by the continuing generosity of his many friends from Hampshire and around the world. Successful applicants’ research is carried out in the spirit of Sander’s extraordinary life and work.

Sander came to the College in 1987 from his home in the Netherlands. After concentrating in Soviet politics and journalism, he produced a highly original Division III study, “Between Glasnost and a Free Press: Soviet Journalism in the Gorbachev Years,” which relied heavily on primary research Sander conducted in Moscow.  He went on to report from dangerous, unsettled places where human rights were in jeopardy, including Russia and the former republics of the USSR. In September 1999, Sander was killed by Indonesian soldiers as he entered Dili, East Timor, to report on Timor’s United Nations-sanctioned vote to separate from Indonesia. He was then Jakarta correspondent for the Financial Times of London. Sander’s reporting also appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, U.S. News and World Report, and various other North American and European news media.

Sander’s death was noted by many admirers, not least Kofi Annan, then secretary general of the United Nations, who said, “It is largely thanks to the courage and determination of men and women like Sander that crimes against humanity are brought to the attention of the world’s conscience.” Sander was recognized posthumously by the National Press Club, the Overseas Press Club of America, and others. See memorialforsander.org form more information about him.

If you are looking for a different kind of research grant, visit CORC's Fellowships, Grants, and Scholarships page.