Mitchem Fellows Named at Marquette University Released: Dec. 2, 2005 MILWAUKEE – Aesha Adams and Ebony A. Utley have been named Marquette University’s 2005-06 Arnold L. Mitchem Dissertation Fellows.  The fellowships are named in honor of Dr. Arnold L. Mitchem, who earned his Ph.D. from Marquette in 1981 and is an internationally recognized champion of educational opportunity. In 2002, Marquette established the fellowships to increase the presence of under-represented ethnic groups in the faculty ranks by supporting doctoral candidates as they complete their dissertations. The fellowships provide dissertators from other U.S. universities with one academic year of financial support, including a stipend, benefits, and research and travel funds. The fellows are in residence at Marquette while they complete their dissertations and teach one undergraduate course in their area of specialization.  “The Mitchem Fellowship is a gateway to the professorate for minority Ph.D. candidates,” said Dr. Keenan Grenell, associate provost for diversity at Marquette.  “The fellowships provide the resources that allow the student to focus solely on finishing the dissertation, while also gaining the valuable teaching experience that will enhance the professional dossier.  It is one of many ways we are bringing talented scholars of color to the Marquette campus.” Adams’ dissertation is entitled, “As the Spirit Gives Utterance: The Language and Literacy Practices of Black Women Preachers,” which she is pursuing through the Department of English at Marquette.  Her work will contribute to deeper understandings of the social, political, and cultural complexities of language and literacy through black women preachers. Adams graduated magna cum laude from Marquette in 2000 with degrees in English and Secondary Education. She earned her master’s degree in English from Pennsylvania State University.   Utley’s dissertation is titled, “God’s in the ’Hood: Rap’s Rhetorical Reconstitution of Religious Authority,” which she is pursuing through the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette. It explores the function of Divine figures in rapper identity construction.  Utley earned her master’s degree in communication studies from Northwestern University. During her tenure at Northwestern, she was awarded a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, a national fellowship for students in the humanities. Utley attended Indiana University, pursuing a B.A. in speech communication, as a Herman B. Wells Scholar, a full-tuition scholarship for individuals demonstrating scholarship, leadership and service. The fellowship’s namesake, Dr. Arnold L. Mitchem, founded Marquette's Educational Opportunity Program and served as its director from 1969-86; currently he is president of the Council for Educational Opportunity, Washington, D.C. Applications are currently being accepted for the 2006-2007 Mitchem Fellowships. Visit http://www.marquette.edu/as/graduate/mitchem.shtml for more information.  The application deadline is January 9, 2006.   Office of Marketing and Communication Contacts Anne Broeker Senior Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-0286 Send e-mail