The HTI Doctoral Fellowship Program

The Hispanic Theological Initiative is a program administered and based at Princeton Theological Seminary under the leadership of Rev. Joanne Rodriguez. The intent of this project is to increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of Hispanic PhD students, leveraging institutional resources toward dissertation completion and the eventual doctorate that will result in a greater presence of Hispanic faculty and senior administrators in seminaries, schools of theology, and universities.

This project has importance for the growing Hispanic population in the United States. The basic purpose of the project is to ensure completion of written dissertations by academically advanced Hispanic students. The fellowship applicant must study at a university or seminary that holds membership in the Hispanic Theological Initiative Consortium (HTI), a body of 24 degree-granting institutions. (Princeton Theological Seminary administers the consortium and is also a member.) Eligible students will have successfully completed their oral examinations by doctoral committees, defending their research and demonstrating their comprehensive knowledge of the field of study. Only completion of their written dissertations remains and will be accomplished through support in fellowships made possible by the grant and awarded through HTI.

Up to 10 fellowships of $25,000 each can be awarded annually for Hispanic students who are then known as HTI Fellows. A committee judges the merits of each fellowship application. Fellowships cover stipends for mentors or editors and travel/lodging expenses of mentors/editors and students to the HTI Summer Workshop. Also covered is travel for HTI Fellows to deliver lectures, the publishing costs of articles and book reviews, purchase of scholarly texts, and costs of membership in professional organizations. Costs to attend other career-oriented workshops and meetings are covered as attendance at regional and national professional meetings will help the HTI Fellow to become a recognized presence and develop a network in the chosen career field.

Why is fellowship support needed at the dissertation level? Often, PhD students are older, with families to support and outside employment necessary to meet family and academic expenses. Obstacles frequently exist for Hispanic scholars especially, some cultural in a population that is often constrained economically with little access to higher education. The fellowships provide each HTI Fellow with a mentor. Statistics show that students who have passed their comprehensive examinations are more likely to finish their dissertations with mentoring and fellowship support. The transition from being a full-time student to becoming an independent student is a time when focus may be lost because of the lack of weekly contact with fellow classmates and faculty. HTI’s mentoring and networking opportunities and its Professional Development Conference provide a variety of spaces for doctoral students to build collaborative relationships ease the transition to an independent scholar.

An HTI Fellow and their mentor will meet regularly with the progress of the HTI Fellow reported to HTI. The mentor helps the HTI Fellow develop a network, publish articles, and successfully develop a thesis. Next, an editor replaces the mentor in a similar relationship, guiding the HTI Fellow in style, syntax, and development of the dissertation argument, leading ultimately to timely completion of the dissertation phase of doctoral work.

Since the first fellowship was awarded in 1996, 143 Hispanic scholars have been able to achieve a doctorate with HTI support. The program maintains a graduation rate of 97% and a time to degree of 5.5 years.