Eadington Fellows

Special Collections and Archives invites interested scholars to apply for a William R. Eadington Fellowship. The Eadington Fellowships are intended to facilitate on-site research into any aspect of gaming, gambling, or Las Vegas using collections at the University Libraries. 

Two types of fellowship are awarded:

• four-week resident fellowships with a $3,000 stipend
• two-week visiting fellowships with a $1,500 stipend.

The application cycle for the Eadington Fellows Program opens in mid-May and closes on July 1. We are not currently receiving applications. 

Eligibility

The Eadington Fellowships Program is open to anyone currently enrolled in a graduate program (with a preference for Ph.D. candidates with in-progress doctoral dissertations) or employed as a university faculty member. Independent scholars will also be considered. 

Eadington Fellowships are meant to support a wide array of research interests, and the selection committee welcomes applicants from any discipline. Scholars in the fields of history, history of science, economics, English, comparative literature, law, media studies, sociology, urban studies, and criminology are especially encouraged to apply. 

Suggested fields of research include the history of the gaming industry, Las Vegas history, gaming law and regulation, the history of gambling disorders and their treatment, the criminalization of gambling and associated vices, disciplinary histories of gaming studies, tribal gaming, the cultural and material histories of specific gambling games, the mathematics of gambling, gambling technology, casino architecture and design, non-gaming casino entertainment, casino marketing and the branding of Las Vegas, and comparative studies of gambling and gamblers in literature. 

Before applying, please review the scope of our collections. Priority is given to applicants who specify collections they plan to use in their research statement. 

Application process 

Applicants should email their Application Packet to Kristian Taketomo, Curator for Gaming Collections at Special Collections and Archives, at kristian.taketomo@unlv.edu. The deadline for submission is July 1. 

The application packet must be sent as a single PDF and should include the following documents: 

• Application form, which includes your contact information, the title of your research project, the type of fellowship you are applying for, and a short list of the sources you intend to view while in residence at SCA. 
• Cover letter introducing yourself and indicating clearly whether you are applying for the resident or visiting fellowship and when you would prefer to schedule your residency. 
• Statement (up to 750 words) summarizing your project and research agenda, including secondary research already conducted, and describing, in detail, which of SCA’s materials you hope to use in your project. 
• C.V. (up to 5 pages).
• Letters of recommendation are NOT required. 

Selection process 

Applications will be reviewed by the selection committee in late July, and applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by email in early August. 

Requirements

Eadington Fellows are required to complete a residency in Las Vegas at Special Collections and Archives and to deliver a public talk, which is live streamed and recorded for the University Libraries YouTube channel.

About the Eadington Fellowship

Awarded since 2007, and renamed in honor of William R. Eadington in 2013, Eadington Fellowships have supported dozens of researchers and brought attention to the rare and unique archival collections at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Eadington (1946–2013) pioneered the academic study of gambling, both in Nevada and worldwide. He was the first holder of the Philip J. Satre chair in Gaming Studies, a professor of economics, and founding director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).