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The Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

The Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

The Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

Long-time advocates and educators, Janice L. Wiggins and the late Dr. William H. “Bill” Wiggins are, quite simply, legends in the Indiana University community and beyond.

“What was most impressionistic about Dr. Wiggins was his overwhelming love for his family and the Indiana University community," recalls Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh, a former colleague of Professor Wiggins and current vice president for equity and inclusion at the University of Oregon. "For Dr. Wiggins, love was an action word that inspired him to serve, encourage, and inspire a deeper commitment to excellence and caring for one’s fellow man.”

To honor the memory of Professor Wiggins and to celebrate the remarkable contributions that he and Janice made during their 30+ year careers at Indiana University, the Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship Endowment was created at IU in May 2019. With leadership gifts from friends and colleagues already in place, the Wiggins Fellowship will provide support in perpetuity for meritorious doctoral students in either the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies or the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, two departments in which Bill was an active scholar.

Coordinating Committee:

Janice Wiggins, Retired Director, Groups Scholars Program, Indiana University

Curt Simic, President Emeritus, Indiana University Foundation

John McCluskey, Professor Emeritus of African American and African Diaspora Studies, Indiana University

Charlie Nelms, Professor Emeritus and Retired Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs, Indiana University

Ruth Stone, Professor Emerita of Enthnomusicology, Indiana University

Brittany Bauer, Manager, Marketing Services, Indiana University Foundation

You can read more about Bill and Janice below, and make contributions to the fellowship, as well. We thank you for considering a gift to honor this remarkable couple.

Per Indiana University Foundation policy, new endowment accounts which do not become fully funded at the required stated minimum through pledges/gifts at the time of the establishment of the account and through fulfilled pledges/gifts after five years will be converted, and all gifts will be made available to support the intent outlined in the supporting agreement.

Give to the Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

William H. "Bill" Wiggins

Shortly after he and his wife Janice first arrived in Bloomington in 1969, William H. "Bill" Wiggins entered the doctoral program in IU's Folklore Institute. Bill went on to be the first male African American to receive a Ph.D. in folklore, and he focused his academic work on festivals, folklore and literature, folk drama, and folk heroes.

Bill spent 34 years at IU in what is today called the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. He was an original member of the department and devoted much time and energy to making IU a place where African American students would feel welcome, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. Bill represented folklore and folk culture in the department, creating such courses as The Black Church in America and, with John Moe, the basic Survey of the Culture of Black Americans. Throughout the course of his career, he taught and mentored thousands of students, and established himself as one of the cornerstones of Indiana University's faculty.

Bill retired in 2003 after more than three decades of teaching, and he passed away in December 2016. He is survived by his wife Janice, their children Wesley Howard and Mary Ellyn, a grandson, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Give to the Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship, please contact College of Arts and Sciences Director of Development Sue Sgambelluri.

The Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

The Bill and Janice Wiggins Graduate Fellowship

Coordinating Committee:

William H. "Bill" Wiggins

Questions?

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