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CAS establishes graduate fund to honor the late Howard Zinn

In order to honor the late historian, activist and Boston University emeritus professor Howard Zinn, BU’s Graduate College of Arts and Sciences is starting the Howard Zinn Graduate Fund for Studies of Democracy.

BU graduate students in the political science Ph.D. program who are studying “any aspect of democracy, democratic politics, democratization, or threats to democracy” will be eligible to receive benefits from the fund, according to a Feb. 8 press release on the CAS website.
CAS Dean Virginia Sapiro devised the fund in Zinn’s memory.

“I came up with the idea to open this fellowship because so many people wanted to know how to honor Professor Zinn’s work at Boston University,” she said. “He was a professor of political science, so I thought it would be best if it could help students in political science.”

Sapiro said faculty in the political science department will determine which Ph.D. students will be supported by the fund.

Zinn taught at BU as a professor of political science for 24 years, beginning in 1964. In 1980, he published “A People’s History of the United States,” which is often used as a textbook for many history courses at both the college and high school level. He died at age 87 in Santa Monica, Calif. last month.

Because Zinn was dedicated to teaching the next generation, it was logical to make a fund supporting students getting their doctorate degrees, Sapiro said.

“He was passionate about democracy, so it is aimed at supporting people doing research on democracy,” she said. “And I made it a fund to support Ph.D. students in this field because that way it will help us grow great future professors who focus on the study of democracy.”

Many students said they think the fund is an appropriate way to remember Zinn.
“I think that’s a really cool idea because I know they didn’t really like him when he was here so it’s a good way to acknowledge him,” said College of Communication freshman Lauren Weil.

COM freshman Nee-Sa Lossing said she agreed.

Zinn had a notoriously tumultuous relationship with former BU president John Silber.

“It’s a good way to memorialize someone because it will affect a lot of students,” she said.”It’s a good way of using money because instead of making a statue or something they’re helping students.”

“It’s a great idea and a good way to remember someone who was important to BU and the world,” said Metropolitan College freshman Christopher Hoffman.

On the CAS website, there is a link to donate money to the fund.

“Anyone can donate to the fund&-alumni, students, faculty, friends or family of Howard Zinn, people who read his work or were influenced by it and want to honor him in this way,” Sapiro said. “People can donate a little or a lot. It’s all a matter of what kind of gift people want to give in Howard Zinn’s name.”

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