Please note: This position has a February 20, 2023, application deadline.

The NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program places recent humanities PhDs with NPS sites and programs across the agency. In collaboration with NPS staff and partners, the incoming cohort of fifteen (15) Fellows will contribute to planning and preparation for America at 250, an initiative inspired by the semi-quincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. This event provides an opportunity for the NPS to tell a more inclusive story of the American past and present. The NPS is committed to exploring the full complexity of our history, even if that history is uncomfortable, contested, or erased. The humanities research supported by this Fellowship will expand these efforts, encouraging creative approaches to documentation, interpretation, and outreach.

This opportunity is supported by a generous grant from The Mellon Foundation through the National Park Foundation (NPF). The project is administered via a three-way agreement among NPS, National Park Foundation (NPF), and American Conservation Experience (ACE).

Advisory: The content contained herein may trigger secondary trauma or PTSD; we encourage individuals to seek counseling or healing if you experience any stress related to boarding school history. Indigenous peoples are warned that this proposal contains references to deceased persons.

Fellowship Title: Pipestone Indian School Truth and Education Fellowship

Employer: American Conservation Experience (ACE)

Department: EPIC Program, National Park Service (NPS) Division

Location: Eligible for remote/telework flexibility. Midwest location preferred for proximity to Pipestone National Monument (Pipestone, MN), National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (Minneapolis, MN), National Archives (Kansas City, MO), and affiliated Tribes.

Status: Temporary, Full-time, Exempt

Term: Position is fully funded through August 31, 2025

Start Date: September 2023

Host Description: Pipestone National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service established by Congress in 1937 to protect the rights of American Indian people to quarry pipestone. The entire landscape is sacred to many Native people, and the stone is used to carve pipes for prayer and ceremony. The park consults regularly with 23 Tribal Nations. At 300 acres, the park is dense with protected resources, including the pipestone quarries, archeological sites, tallgrass prairie, threatened and endangered plant and animal species, the Pipestone Creek, and the Sundance grounds. Visitation is approximately 80,000 people/year.

The area was established as a reservation of the Yankton Sioux Tribe in 1858. Trespasses began almost immediately, and in 1893 the Federal government built the Pipestone Indian Training School despite protests from the Yankton. The boarding school continued to operate until 1953. Land that was once the school is now owned by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Minnesota, City of Pipestone, and other entities. In consultation with Tribal partners and guidance from Indigenous employees, the park is working to fulfill our responsibility to research, acknowledge, and interpret this painful history. The park has a diverse staff that is committed to supporting and championing the Fellow throughout this important project.

ACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience. The EPIC NPS Division works alongside the National Park Service across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to support the NPS in its mission to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations" while providing career promoting individual placement opportunities.

Position Description: The Fellow will work closely with partners to research, acknowledge, and remember the experiences of the children at the Pipestone Indian School, fostering opportunities for community healing and public awareness. Pipestone National Monument, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO) recently received a grant from the National Park Foundation to digitize primary source material, conduct oral history conversations with those impacted by the trauma of the boarding school system, and create interpretive media. The Fellow will be involved in implementing the interpretive portion of this grant, lead the first in-depth analysis of 80,000 pages of records in the new digital archives, and develop interpretation that brings the children's stories to light.

Each NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow will complete work in four areas. Fellows will (1) perform project-based research; (2) share research results; (3) produce and substantially contribute to interpretive and educational products; and (4) pursue career-focused work.

1) Project-Based Research: While public awareness about the boarding school system is growing, the lack of information or even acknowledgement at Pipestone is painful to descendant families and affiliated Tribes. We know very little about the children, their individual tribal affiliations, or their experiences. The lack of information about student deaths and their burial locations is particularly troubling. First year research will focus on expanding the identities of students beyond a name on a class roster, with special attention given to identifying all the students who died at the school, providing as much information as possible about their family/community and trying to determine their burial location.

In year two, the Fellow will consult with their mentorship team, as well as other subject matter experts as needed, to propose a project for their second year.

2) Sharing Research Results: The Fellow will collaborate with their support team to share the results of their applied research with their hosts, cohort, NPS staff and partners, tribal partners, and ultimately to visitors and community partners. The primary goal will be community-focused research that meets the needs of Tribal Nations and descendant communities. An additional goal is increasing public understanding of the boarding school system and its lasting consequences through the lens of the Fellow's educational specialty. Working through appropriate governmental channels, research will be shared with the Secretary of the Interior's Boarding School Task Force to contribute to a national accounting of the federal boarding school system.

The Fellow will be expected to develop and sustain connections with program-provided mentors and host staff, associated NPS staff, members of their Fellowship cohort, and other Fellows across the tenure of the program. In addition to being provided mentorship and support themselves, the Fellow will have the opportunity to mentor others and to enrich staff knowledge by organizing events such as virtual speaker series and presentations. Twice a year, the Fellow will participate with their cohort and other Fellows in a virtual conference for NPS staff and partners to provide updates about their research. The Fellow will be responsible for tracking and reporting accomplishments and for supplying copies of interpretive, educational, and research products to their host and to the National Coordinator.

3) Interpretive and Educational products: The Fellow will be instrumental in implementing the interpretive portion of the Inclusive Storytelling grant, working alongside the NPS, NABS, THPOs, and consultants to develop a traveling exhibit or video. The Fellow will also take the lead in developing much-needed interpretive content about the Pipestone Indian School for nps.gov, which will likely also be shared on other partner platforms.

4) Career-focused research and products: In consultation with their mentors, the Fellow will carry out a career-centered project. About 20 percent of the Fellowship will be dedicated to this scholarly work that advances the Fellow's career path. The Fellow will be supported by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in interpretation, cultural resources, and archival research. In addition to NPS staff, the Fellow will also have an external mentor whose work addresses boarding school trauma.

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Conduct original research about the Pipestone Indian School utilizing recently digitized primary source material.
• Develop an account of deaths at the school, trying to uncover the child's family/tribal identity, personal history, and burial location. Work with partner organizations and communities to share this information with descendants.
• Participate in dialogue with tribal partners, advisory groups, and other descendant communities; share research findings and utilize their feedback to meaningfully guide work.
• Co-create interpretive media to deepen public understanding, including the implementation of a grant for a traveling exhibit or short video and web content for nps.gov.
• Host in-person or virtual training for park staff and partner organizations to better understand the boarding school history in Pipestone and encourage critical thinking about its lasting legacy.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Must be a PhD in any field of the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD between May 1, 2018, and August 15, 2023, are eligible to apply. For more information on eligibility, visit https://www.nationalparks.org/nps-mellon-humanities-postdoctoral-fellowship
• Subject matter expertise in Indigenous studies; public history; cultural anthropology; genocide; generational trauma; social work; public policy; or social psychology.
• Strong emotional intelligence. The Fellow will be at the center of difficult work for all involved-Tribal Nations, survivors and descendant communities, and park staff-requiring strong trust-building skills, empathy, and self-care.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills.
• Cultural fluency and ability to communicate respectfully with diverse audiences, especially Native American elders.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Lived understanding of subject matter preferred, valued, and respected.
• Selective factors include the merit of scholarship, relevant knowledge and expertise, cultural fluency, commitment to public humanities, and capacity to complete research successfully.

Other Requirements:

• Must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Must pass a federal criminal background check; Fellowship is also contingent upon a successful security background check with the NPS.
• Must be willing to abide by ACE Policy and Federal Drug Free workplace policies and laws. ACE reserves the right to drug test at any time
• Must verify that they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by the time they start their fellowship or request a medical or religious exemption.
• Must be willing to abide by a requirement to acknowledge The Mellon Foundation, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and American Conservation Experience, in any publications generated by this project.
• Must be willing to abide by federal policy that research results, publications, films, videos, artistic or similar endeavors resulting from the fellowship, other than the specifically career-focused work, will become the property of the United States, and as such, will be in the public domain and not subject to copyright laws.
• Consent to being photographed and to the release of such photographic images.

Physical Demands, Work Environment, and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talks and hears with or without assistive personnel and/or devices. Manual dexterity required for use of computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment with or without reasonable accommodations. May be occasionally required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch (all physical demands are required with or without reasonable accommodations). The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus. The National Park Service host will provide reasonable accommodations, if needed, to meet task assignments.
• Environmental: Mainly indoor, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good, and temperature is controlled. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
• Noise Environment: Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic. This is describing both provided office spaces and home office spaces.
• Travel: This position requires domestic travel as needed for program duties.

Salary & Benefits:

Compensation: Starting annualized salary $65,000 with annualized COLA to $67,600 for Year 2 (40 hours/week for 52-weeks). Paid bi-weekly, a two-week pay period. Travel funding is provided, and Fellows will not be responsible for allowable/approved program travel. Each Fellow will receive an annual research fund of $3,000.

Medical/Health Benefits: ACE offers competitive medical and ancillary plans (health, mental health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, and other supplemental benefits). Fellows are also eligible to participate in ACE's 403b retirement plan, which includes a 1% employer contribution for participating, contributing staff.

Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time: As a Fellow, you will be eligible to accrue up to 80 hours of paid vacation time annually during your first two years of continuous employment. Additionally, ACE observes 13 paid annual holidays and provides 10 days (or 80 hours) of paid sick time annually.

Additional Benefits: Outdoor Perks - As an ACE Fellow, you will be eligible to receive pro deals which include deep discounts on outdoor gear providing 30 - 50% off retail prices on 100s of established outdoor gear brands.

To Apply: Please submit: 1) a cover letter stating interest and vision for the Fellowship (letters may include a summary of the dissertation, a statement of personal research interests and plans, discussion of past engagement with public humanities, discussion of willingness to participate fully in NPS research and education programs); 2) a comprehensive curriculum vitae; 3) a writing sample accessible to the general public; 4) confirmation of Ph.D. award by August 15, 2023; and 5) names and contact information for 3 professional references.

Deadline to apply: The deadline to apply for this position is February 20, 2023, or until 75 applications have been received.

Questions about the application process should be sent to mellonhumanities@usaconservation.org

American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. ACE encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. ACE is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities under the ADA and provides the opportunity for employees to request reasonable accommodations during the hiring process.