Scholarship
The Theo Verlaan Fellowship
For undergraduate students in the EU who attend our field school
We are proud to offer the Theo Verlaan Fellowship, presented by Mr Theo Verlaan, philologist, linguist, anthropologist, and archaeologist.
The Fellowship carries the amount of 500 euros and is aimed to support an undergraduate student from any EU University to attend our field school.
The Fellowship is presented in the name of Theo Verlaan. Theo Verlaan (born in 1947 in Groningen, Netherlands) studied Dutch language and literature at the University of Groningen, and old Celtic languages and literature at the University of Utrecht. He worked as a teacher at a technical college on Leeuwarden (Netherlands), and later as principal of the same vocational college. He became vice president of Friesland College, a large community college, and worked as senior policy advisor for education and quality management. In 2009 he retired, and on that occasion, he received a Knighthood of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
After retirement, he studied Greek Bronze Age Archaeology in Groningen, with subsidiary studies of Cultural anthropology and Social Theory at the Universiteit of Leyden; he finished his MA studies cum laude. He is the author of several articles and books on education, Dutch medieval and seventeenth century literature, and history; he also wrote short stories, and published articles on Greek archaeology.
He is now working on a PhD dissertation on late Neolithic and Early and Middle Bronze Age “Weltanschauung”, as can be translated from images, such as figurines and paintings. As an archaeologist he excavated in the Netherlands, and in Halos and Ayios Vasileios in Greece. Theo has been a member of the editorial board of Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie (Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology), published by the Universities of Groningen, Leyden, Amsterdam, Gand and Louvain (Belgium), and the Dutch Institutes in Athens and Rome.
Outside his professional work, Mr Verlaan volunteers his time to many causes, e.g. in neighbourhood work, rugby management, rehabilitation work.
Mr Verlaan has committed his life to continuing education, especially to the Humanities, a field he has approached from a multiple of disciplines, aiming to understand the diachronicity and evolution of the human intellect. A true ‘homo universalis’, Mr Verlaan is an inspiration to younger generations, and we are happy and grateful he is supporting our participants.
Eligibility and how to apply
Eligibility
In order to be able to apply, you must:
1. Be a first- or second-year undergraduate student
2. Be actively enrolled and attending an EU University (regardless of your own nationality)
3. Be accepted to the field school and have paid the deposit fee.
How to apply:
In order to apply for the fellowship, please send a motivation letter of 1000 words maximum, explaining how the field school will help you in pursuing your academic goals. The letter should be sent via email to application@excavate.gr by May 1st, 2024. The winner will be notified via email on June 1st, and the award (€500) will be granted on June 30th during the field school. Please note that all applications will be reviewed solely by Mr Verlaan.
After completion of the field school, the fellow has the obligation to provide a reflection report of no more than 2000 words, describing their experience, the work they conducted during the field school, the learning goals that were achieved, and the transfer skills obtained from attendance. The reflection report needs to be submitted by the end of December 2024.