Emily Lemanczyk, a candidate for May graduation from Hamilton, has been named a James Madison Fellow for 2005. James Madison Fellowships support graduate study of American history for aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government and social studies. After her graduation from Hamilton, Lemanczyk will pursue a master's degree at Columbia University.
Named in honor of the fourth president of the United States and acknowledged "Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights," a James Madison Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow's course of study toward a master's degree. That program must include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the United States Constitution.
Lemanczyk, a Syracuse, N.Y., native and government major at Hamilton, is a Dean's List student and recipient of the Siuda Scholarship, Deitz Scholarship and Corks Scholarship. She is an intern in Hamilton's Office of Media Relations and is features editor for The Spectator. Lemanczyk served as an editorial intern at Rolling Stone magazine from January-May, 2003, while she studied in Hamilton's Program in New York City, and traveled to Kenya with the Hamilton government class, "Seminar and Field School in Kenya: What Difference Does Democracy Make" in June, 2004. A graduate of Westhill High School, she is also a member of the a capella group Special K, the Hamilton College Appeals Court and was a member of Hamilton's cross country and outdoor track teams.
The 54 James Madison Fellows were selected in competition with applicants from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the nation's island and trust territories. The fellowships are funded by income from a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States and from additional private gifts, corporate contributions and foundation grants.
Recipients are required to teach American history or social studies in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of fellowship support. The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation's secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation's constitutional heritage.
Founded by an Act of Congress in 1986, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the federal government.
