History

Since 1954, CASBS fellowships have been awarded to scholars working in a diverse range of disciplines. These include the five core social and behavioral disciplines of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology as well as scholars from a wide range of humanistic disciplines, education, linguistics and the biological sciences.

Our more than 2,300 alumni include 22 Nobel Laureates, 14 Pulitzer Prize winners, 44 MacArthur Fellows, 13 recipients of the John Bates Clark medal in economics for scholars under 40 years of age, more than 100 recent Guggenheim fellowships, 22 winners of the Bancroft Prize, 20 recipients of the National Book Award, 21 recipients of the National Medal of Science and hundreds of members of the National Academy of Sciences. The vast majority of Center Fellowships were awarded before these other prizes were given — underscoring our stellar record of identifying top talent at a critical period in their scholarly trajectory.

We are proud to name as center alumni such renowned scholars as Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Wallace Stegner, and Ian Watt who have and are making important contributions to the nation’s political and cultural life.

Read more about the Center's early years and mission

Below is a lecture given by Former CASBS Associate Director Bob Scott on the history of CASBS: