Dennis Richey '74 University Fellows Fund

Established in 2004 in memory of Dennis Richey ’74, by friend and classmate Gerry Lauro ’74, this fund supports the University Fellows program.

Summer 2024 - Research Fellowships

A Fragile State of Affairs

By
Alex Ferguson

The United States is widely considered to be one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Fragile States Index (FSI), published by the Fund for Peace (FFP), measures countries on 12 different metrics to determine the likelihood that the state will collapse. One would expect the US to be one of the least fragile states in the world, yet it does not even make the top 20. The US ranks 41st on the FSI in between Poland and Barbados. Things look even worse when looking at individual metrics.

A graph showing the FSI score for the United States increasing between 2006 and 2024

Summer 2023 - Research Fellowships

Philosophical Approach to Mental Health

By
Yuchang (Alice) Zhang
My paper titled, Philosophical Approach to Mental Health, addresses the increasing concerns with the current interventions for mental health problems. After a comparative analysis of the traditional medical model of psychotherapy with the relatively new and niche topic of philosophical counseling, I draw a new version of philosophical counseling based on the scientific and clinical advantages of psychotherapy and the philosophically embodied methods and contents from philosophical counseling. Bringing philosophy down to earth for daily applications and practice along with the aid of professional psychological insight, this new approach to mental health benefits the general public and potential clients by promoting people to live an authentic life under self-examination and reflection, which eventually leads to improving one's well-being.

Summer 2022 - Research Fellowships

The Romanian-American Experience Through Four Short Stories

By
Nikki Petrescu-Boboc

For my Fellowship this summer I produced and published a collection of four short fiction stories that explored the experience of a Romanian family as they immigrate to the U.S, assimilate, and grow apart as time passes. These stories were inspired by a piece I created for my advanced fiction class in the fall 2021 semester, as well as my own personal experience with my Romanian-American family.

collection of short stories on Narrative