Endowments

Graduate and undergraduate students in the English Department thrive in vibrant programs, many of which are supported by friends. We want to continue to improve and grow but we need your help. Please give to English using the link at the bottom of the page.

You can support general Department activities, contribute to the department's extant endowment funds, or even create new endowed fellowships or scholarships.
If you would like to establish an endowment to honor a teacher, mentor, or friend, contact the Office of Development in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at 412-624-3202.

Below are details about several of our endowments.

 

 

 

 

Jane Bilewicz Allred Endowed Fund

Established by Jane Bilewicz Allred (A&S ’71), this fund supports the work of the Writing Center. Jane Bilewicz Allred has founded and advanced successful marketing and technology businesses and now works as an independent consultant. She credits her liberal arts education for her ability to communicate complex technological concepts as easily understood business benefits.

Nancy C. Anderson Memorial Fund

Established by her parents in 1990, this fund honors Nancy Anderson who worked as a department adviser and later as Assistant to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. The fund supports the work of a graduate teaching assistant or teaching fellow.

Block Endowment

The William Block Senior Award, founded by the family who owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, was established in honor of Bill Block, Sr., the late publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, whose outstanding leadership of the newspaper for nearly 60 years was nationally recognized and locally esteemed. The endowment supports a distinguished visiting writer.

Fred R. Brown Literary Award

The Fred R. Brown Literary Award recognizes the accomplishments of talented fiction writers, usually emerging novelists. This award was made possible by Fred Brown (A&S ’71) and Melanie Brown (CGS ’86, KGSB ’90, KGSB ’93), who are life-long residents of Western Pennsylvania and alumni of the University of Pittsburgh.

Eric O. Clarke Dissertation Prize

The Eric O. Clarke Dissertation Prize was generously created in August 2011 by Dr. Petra Dierkes-Thrun (PhD ’03) and her husband, Dr. Sebastian Thrun, in memory of Eric Clarke, an innovative scholar in nineteenth-century British literary studies and sexuality studies. Dr. Clarke was a faculty member in Pitt’s English Department from 1992 until his death in 2010. He joined Pitt’s faculty as an assistant professor in 1992 and was promoted to associate professor in 1998. Dr. Clarke served as the English Department’s director of Graduate Studies from 2001 to 2006. The purpose of the Prize is to recognize graduate students in the Department of English and/or graduate students in any department of the School of Arts and Sciences who have qualified for the Doctoral Certificate in Cultural Studies whose dissertations centrally address one or more of the following fields of inquiry: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer studies, queer theory; feminist studies, feminist theory; philosophy, critical theory, literary theory; or British or comparative literature and culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries. 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Crow Memorial Fund

Initially a small fund to support the Reading Room in honor of Charles Crow, a Shakespeare specialist who taught from 1931 until his retirement in 1973, the fund reached endowment proportions as of February 1997. This fund provides books, equipment, and audio-visual materials for the Crow Room.

Carol Kay Memorial Fund

This fund honors Carol Kay, a specialist in the eighteenth century who taught from 1989 until her death in 1998. It supports a prize for the best essay written on English literature from 1500 to 1900.

Fred Koloc Fund

Established in 2000 in honor of Fred Koloc, the income provides funds for a student achievement award in the form of a gift certificate for the University of Pittsburgh Book Center. Students are chosen from freshmen who have made exceptional progress and who have completed the Workshop in Composition course or the Workshop in Composition: English as a Second Language course.

J. K. & Gertrude Miller

An annual prize to the best undergraduate essays on medieval or twentieth-century British literature, Commonwealth or Global literature in English, world literature in English translation, or literary and cultural theory.

J. F. Reinhardt Endowment for the Writing Center

J. Fred Reinhardt was a pioneer in the banking industry, founding Second Savings & Loan (now Landmark Savings Association). His interest in students, his vision, and his support for higher education through this endowment has advanced the Writing Center’s programs.

 

 

 

 

 

James Snead Memorial Fund

Established in 1991 by his family, this fund honors James Snead, a faculty member from 1987 until his death in 1989, and fosters undergraduate work in the four areas of concern to him. A $500 prize is awarded for the best undergraduate essay in African-American Literature, American Literature, German Literature, or African-American Film.

 

 

Myron Taube Scholarship In Fiction Writing

Established by Marion Taube in honor of her husband's retirement in 1995, this fund honors Myron "Mike" Taube who taught creative writing for 30 years. A $500 prize is awarded to an undergraduate junior or senior for excellence in creative writing.

Richard C. and Barbara N. Tobias Memorial Fund

Originally established by English department professor Richard Tobias in 1996 to honor the memory of his wife, Barbara Nietzsche Tobias, this fund now also honors the memory of Tob himself. This fund supports a dissertation fellowship in the English department.