The Bruce and Nora James Visiting Scholar Award for the Study of Nevada Politics and Public Service

The Bruce and Nora James Visiting Scholar Award supports travel, lodging, and meal expenses for a scholar wishing to explore the vast Nevada centric political and public service archival collections at the University of Nevada, Reno – currently comprising over 200 collections.

About Bruce and Nora James

In establishing this award, Bruce and Nora James combined their long-standing passion for public service with their desire to help more scholars learn from the wealth of resources in the University’s Special Collections and University Archives.

Bruce James

Bruce James, nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate, served as the 24th Public Printer of the United States and CEO of the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) from 2002 to 2007. In 2006, he was named Federal Civilian Executive of the Year in recognition of the transformation of the Government Printing Office from a traditional heavy-metal printing operation into a multidimensional digital information organization serving the three branches of government.

Bruce graduated from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1964. He has served as a member of RIT’s board of trustees since 1994 and is now chairman-emeritus. He received the University’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1996, was the commencement speaker in 1998 and was elected chairman of the board of trustees in 2002. In 2005, RIT created the Bruce R. James Distinguished Public Service Award which annually recognizes a student for exemplary public service.

During a business career spanning more than 30 years in San Francisco, he founded and led 13 technology-driven printing and publishing organizations operating throughout the world. In addition to numerous business boards, Bruce has served on and chaired more than 30 governmental, charitable, and educational boards, commissions and task forces. For his contributions to his home state, the Nevada System of Higher Education awarded him an honorary degree and in 2013 gave Bruce its highest honor, naming him a Distinguished Nevadan.

Nora James

Nora James has been a long-time supporter of the public humanities in the state of Nevada.  She has served in the past as a commissioner of the Nevada State Commission for Cultural Affairs; as a board member and chair of Nevada Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; as a board member of KNPB, the public television station in Reno; as a trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada; as a member of the advisory board of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno; and on the boards of other civic and cultural organizations in northern Nevada.

At present she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the DRI Foundation in Nevada, a member of the Board of Directors of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club of California.

Ms. James earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Berkeley.

• Open to emerging and distinguished scholars who are not affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno
• The awardee will spend a minimum of one week on-site conducting research at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Special Collections and University Archives Department
• The topic of study must be supportable by the University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives materials
• The topic of study must be in the broad area of politics and public service.
• The scholar must provide a casual public presentation on their research topic at the end of the study period
• The research visit(s) must take place between June and August
• You may reapply each year, but may only receive the award once

Applications are due January 15^th and will be reviewed by the University Libraries Board. The awardee will be announced and notified on March 15^th. 

To apply, complete the application form. You are expected to indicate your topic of research, the expected outcome of your visit, and identify specific collection(s) you wish to use during your visit. You must also supply a tentative idea for a presentation and explain how you intend to use the funds.

Notice to international applicants: You are responsible for arranging your own travel. We are unable to provide Visa support for your visit but will provide the winner with an award notification as proof of the award.