Joseph Bertram Gittler Fellowship Established by Dr. Gittler with a posthumous gift from his estate, the Joseph Bertram Gittler Fellowship is a dissertation completion fellowship for philosophy graduate students who have been admitted to candidacy. Applicants are asked to submit a two-page description of the dissertation project and a plan for completion that includes what has been accomplished so far on the dissertation. The student’s advisor must also submit a letter in support of the application. Awards are made annually in the spring with support being provided during the following academic year. Dr. Gittler was a scholar, poet, and musician. Born in New York City on September 12, 1912, he was the son of Morris and Toby Rose Gittler. Dr. Gittler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the mid 1930s from the University of Georgia and later served as a member of the faculty here. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Gridiron, Alpha Phi Omega, the Demosthenian Society, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and pi Mu Epsilon. Dr. Gittler went on to serve on the faculty at Duke University and George Mason University and was a Fulbright Scholar at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel and Hiroshima University in Hiroshima, Japan. He served as Graduate Dean of Ferkauf Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science of Yeshiva University in New York. He was professor and chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Rochester. He served as a professor at Iowa State University and received his doctorate in Sociology and Philosophy from the University of Chicago. Dr. Gittler authored nine books during his academic career. He passed away on June 20, 2005. The Gittler Fellowship endowment is held by the University of Georgia. Application Process Applications for the Joseph Bertram Gittler Fellowship will be evaluated by the Department’s Award Committee this year. The Gittler is a dissertation completion fellowship for philosophy graduate students who have been admitted to candidacy. It is intended for those in their final year of completing their dissertations. Although it will be particularly valuable for those who have exhausted their Departmental GTA support, those still on support will be considered. The award is a $17,000 grant. Its receipt does not exempt students from University tuition. The following application materials should be emailed to Professor Edward Halper, the Chair of the Awards Committee by June 6, 2025: A two-page description of the dissertation project and a plan for completion that includes what has been accomplished thus far on the dissertation. A letter from the student’s major professor stating what has been accomplished thus far and attesting to the quality of the work and the likelihood that the student will complete the dissertation within the Award year. It is the student’s responsibility to solicit this letter from the major professor.
