Through the generosity of Dr. John Douglas and Elizabeth Forrest, the Department of History will use the DR. JOHN DOUGLAS AND ELIZABETH FORREST GRADUATE STUDENT FUND FOR EXCELLENCE to support graduate students in their third or fourth year, following successful completion of comprehension examinations, with important resources needed to support travel for research opportunities. 

This fund is capped at $750 per award.

Considerations and criteria for the DR. JOHN DOUGLAS AND ELIZABETH FORREST GRADUATE STUDENT FUND FOR EXCELLENCE requested by Dr. John Douglas and Elizabeth Forrest are outlined below:

1. Be a full-time upper-level graduate student (third or fourth year) pursuing a graduate degree within the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University.
2. Have demonstrated an excellent record of academic achievement through a passing rating on their history graduate comprehension exams.
3. Preference will be given to students who actively pursue their PhD degree in War, Peace, International Affairs (WPIA).

Dr. Forrest attended Mississippi State University for his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree through the Department of History where he specialized in Modern United States History and International Security Studies.

While working towards his PhD, Forrest worked as a teaching assistant within the Department of History and within the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library as an archival and editorial assistant. In 2017, Dr. Forrest earned his PhD with honors from Mississippi State University. 

Upon graduation from MSU, he worked for the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and then went on to accept a role with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

An Omaha native, Elizabeth attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she earned a degree in Cultural Anthropology and continued her education at Michigan State University where she earned her graduate degree in Anthropology.  

Following graduate school, Elizabeth pursued a career serving the needs of refugees.  Initially working with Syrian Civil War refugees in Cairo, Egypt, Elizabeth eventually transitioned to a role as a grants manager with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.  In 2019, Elizabeth accepted a role with AmeriCorps as a Program Manager for state and local grants.