The CALS David Stricklin Research Fellowship Experience: Chen Chu, 2026

I have few ties to Arkansas and had never visited Little Rock, but I have long been curious about the state’s rich political history. The David Stricklin Research Fellowship, offered by the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Roberts Library, opened a world of Arkansas politics surrounding the rice industry that I could not have imagined.

My dissertation uses historical research to better understand contemporary politics. Arkansas is the rice capital of the United States, yet it ranks among the lowest of all states in food security, with 18.9 percent of households food insecure during 2021–2023 (see report). Despite its significance, the critical role Arkansas rice plays in mediating global trade and shaping food security remains underexamined, as does its complex relationship with the local political economy. I am working to uncover this story through the Butler Center’s remarkable archival collections. Much has been said about economic measures such as tariffs and subsidies. My research highlights how planning matters as well, from environmental conservation and water projects to rural housing, infrastructure, and industrial development programs.

A number of collections have been tremendously helpful. The Ralph Desmarais papers (BC.MSS.03.02) offer valuable oral history accounts of Arkansas agricultural history. The Bob Nash subseries (CP.02.02.01), part of the Economic Development series in the Bill Clinton Gubernatorial record group, gives a high-level view of the politics of rural development in the state. The Grand Prairie Area Demonstration Project collection (BC.MSS.04.18) documents a major environmental planning project designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It shows how agrarian and non-agrarian political interests contested water planning and allocation in Arkansas. An audio interview with Richard Bell adds the perspective of a former president and chief executive officer of Riceland Foods who became the first Secretary of Agriculture in Arkansas. The Nature Conservancy Arkansas Field Office records (BC.MSS.14.37) give a spatial account of how environmental conservation stood in tension with the economic needs of transportation and agricultural development. Together, these collections testify to the breadth and variety of the Butler Center’s archival materials, from oral histories and gubernatorial papers to audio interviews and the records of a conservation organization.

This generous fellowship allowed me the time and space to work through these materials. I owe that privilege to David Stricklin (former director of the Butler Center), Bobby Roberts (former director of CALS), Glenn Whaley (manager of the Roberts Library), and Brian Robertson (manager of the Butler Center research services division). They listened patiently to my research interests, suggested new directions, and connected me with key stakeholders I could never have reached on my own.

Academic research can be a lonely journey. At CALS I found not only an audience but also a strong support network. That support began long before I arrived, with finding aids so carefully catalogued and researched, and with a team that bore patiently with my many emails and, later, my questions in person. Since my fellowship was announced, an Arkansan has already contacted me about my research, which I find so encouraging. CALS serves both Arkansas history and the Arkansas public, and I hope my research can contribute in the same way.

Chen Chu is a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The David Stricklin Research Fellowship was established in honor of former CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies director David Stricklin to assist students, teachers, and other researchers in using materials held by the Butler Center. Learn more about it.