ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University Professor of Political Science Dr. Jon Schaff has been awarded a competitive research grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The NEH grant will fund Schaff’s research project, tentatively titled, “A More Perfect Union: Jefferson, Hamilton, and Lincoln and America's Unfinished Work,” as well as its publication.
The book-length research project proposes Lincoln as a synthesis of the early-American conflict between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. This Lincolnian synthesis builds a better politics than either Jefferson or Hamilton alone envisioned.
The NEH grant is highly competitive, with only 11 percent of applicants awarded funding.
“I am very grateful to NEH for seeing value in the topic,” Schaff said. “Book writing is a long, laborious process. This money will free up time to help get this project off the ground.”
Schaff, who specializes in the study of American political thought and institutions, received his bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, his master’s from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago. At Northern, he has been a department Chair, faculty athletic representative, Chair of the NSU Promotion and Tenure committee, and 2005 NSU Outstanding Faculty Award winner.
Schaff is also author of two books: “Abraham Lincoln’s Statesmanship and the Limits of Liberal Democracy,” and “Age of Anxiety: Meaning, Identity, and Politics in 21st-Century Film and Literature,” co-written with former Northern colleague Dr. Anthony Wachs.
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a regional university that offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. Northern State recently announced its Educational Impact Campaign, with a goal of raising $55 million for a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, new athletic and recreation fields, and an on-campus regional sports complex. Once the campaign is complete, NSU will be the recipient of more than $100 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.