A research fund for graduate students has been established in memory of John Perry Miller, a former dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, who died last year at the age of 85.
The John Perry Miller Research Fund, established by Graduate School Dean Thomas Appelquist, is made possible by gifts to the school in the former dean's memory. Awards range up to $3,000 and are given to students whose doctoral research projects show "exceptional promise" but are hampered by a lack of funding from other sources. The fellowship is not restricted to a particular discipline and will support travel, acquisition of special skills or other special costs of research.
Miller, who was the eighth dean of the school, was educated at Harvard University and joined the Yale faculty in the department of economics in 1939 after teaching briefly at Harvard and Princeton universities. He authored several books on trade practices and competition, as well as many journal articles in the fields of economics and education. Appointed dean of the Graduate School by then-President Whitney Griswold, Miller is credited with leading the school during a time of enormous change at Yale. In the words of one of his successors, Miller helped the school "occupy a central place in that redefinition" by a rigorous application of the highest academic standards to admissions and faculty appointments. His work influenced other graduate schools across the country, and he was considered a leader in national conversations reassessing the relationship of graduate education to the kind of work Ph.D. recipients actually did after receiving their degrees. Miller was named the Elizabeth S. and A. Varick Stout Professor of Economics in 1969 and served as director of the Institute for Social and Policy Studies 1969-73. In addition, he was chief executive officer of The Campaign for Yale 1973-77. He retired in 1981.
The first Miller fellowship was awarded this academic year. Applications (accepted on an ongoing basis) should be made through a student's appropriate associate dean and should include a brief description of the research project and a budget.