March 1 is the deadline for interested college students and graduates to apply for the 2007 James Madison Fellowships, says Dr. Patrick Huber, associate professor of history at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

The fellowships are awarded by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, a federally endowed program designed to strengthen instruction about the U.S. Constitution in the nation’s schools, for graduate-level study of the framing and history of the U.S. Constitution.

College seniors and college graduates who plan to earn master’s degrees and become secondary school teachers of American history, American government or social studies are eligible for the awards. Fellowships carry a maximum stipend of $24,000 (for up to two years of full-time study for graduate students), which is used to cover the costs of tuition, required fees, room and board, and books. Fellows must enroll in graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in American history, political science or education at an accredited university.

This year, James Madison Fellowships will be awarded competitively to at least one legal resident of each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories. After completing graduate school, James Madison Fellows are required to teach American history, American government or social studies in grades 7-12 for at least one year per academic year of graduate assistance they received.

Participation in an accredited four-week summer institute on the principles, framing, ratification and implementation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is required of all fellows.

The summer institute, which is normally attended during the summer after a fellow earns his or her master’s degree, is held at Georgetown University. Attendance at the summer institute is paid for by the Madison Foundation.

The deadline to apply for a James Madison Fellowship is March 1.

More details about the program are available from Huber at (573) 341-4806 or by email at huberp@mst.edu . Information is also available online at www.jamesmadison.com .

Interested students may also write the James Madison Fellowship Program, P.O. Box 4030, Iowa City, Iowa, 52243-4030. The foundation can be reached by calling 800-525-6928.