University of California President's Faculty Research Fellowships in the Humanities 2012-2013

The UC Humanities Network announces the call for applications for the UC President’s Humanities Fellowship for the 2012-13 academic year. The Faculty Research Fellow program began in 1986 as part of UC President David Gardner's Humanities Initiative. A core program of the UC Humanities Network, the program provides UC faculty with fellowship support to carry out an extended research project, typically in conjunction with fellowship funds from extramural agencies, campus grants or salary supplements, and sabbatical leave. The Fellowships are underwritten by funds from the Office of the President provided to the UC Humanities Network.

Deadline: Thursday, January 12, 2012

Applications from UC Faculty are accepted exclusively online via UCHRI's FastApps system. 
The application for this CFP will be available through FastApps on November 1, 2011.

Description
Following the criteria used by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the fellowship supports research in the following areas: Language studies, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to human, social, and cultural issues.

Fellowships are awarded to UC faculty working in any of the areas described above in an annual University-wide competition. Assistant Professors are especially encouraged to apply. Awards will be made to both tenured and untenured faculty.

The selection committee consists of University of California humanities faculty appointed by the UC Humanities Network Humanities Advisory Committee following recommendations from the campus Humanities Deans. The program is administered by UCHRI.

Eligibility
Active ladder rank faculty, including Lecturers who are members of the Academic Senate, may apply for Fellowships. Emeriti faculty or faculty on recall status are not eligible. Faculty may not hold a Fellowship more than once in a five-year period. It is the responsibility of applicants to confirm their eligibility in the context of UC and local campus policies governing sabbatical and other forms of leave. To be eligible to receive an award, a Fellow will have accrued a minimum of two teaching credits toward sabbatical leave by June 30 in the year in which the Fellowships are announced. However, the actual use of the sabbatical leave credits in conjunction with the Fellowship will be a matter of negotiation between the campus and the Fellow. Candidates should consult with their Dean and Academic Personnel office in advance to determine UC and campus policies governing sabbatical and other forms of leave, including campus policies regarding the minimum number of sabbatical credits that a Fellow must contribute.

Conditions of the Award and Award Amount
The Fellowship may be used for salary only. The maximum award is $25,000 for junior faculty and $40,000 for senior faculty. (If applicants expect that their tenure status may change by July 1st of the fellowship year, they should indicate this in their application.) Funding received from all sources, including the Fellowship, may not be greater than the Fellow's salary for the academic year in which the Fellowship will be used. Funds may not be used to pay for research expenses or course replacement. Sabbatical leave credit or salary supplements may contribute toward the Fellow's salary during the period of the award. The awardee's campus administration will assist in developing a package. Since this award is a fellowship, Fellows are expected to be on leave and released from teaching and service responsibilities. UC and campus policies concerning return from leaves apply.

Award Period
The Fellowship must be used in the academic year following the year in which the Fellowship is awarded. The minimum award period is two quarters or one semester. The fellowship cannot be deferred.

Extramural Grants
 All applicants to the Fellowship Program, including junior faculty, are required to apply to appropriate extramural agencies that offer fellowship funding in their research fields. These may include, but are not limited to, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and various humanities centers offering residential fellowships. Fellowships will be awarded regardless of the applicant's success in obtaining extramural funding. Successful applicants are expected to take fellowships concurrently.

Responsibilities of Fellows
Fellows agree to:

  1. Submit a written statement describing their accomplishments (include titles of books or papers published) and the status of their research project in the Humanities.
  2. Show the following acknowledgment, preferably on the copyright page of any book published that was supported in part by the Fellowship. "This project was supported in part by funding from the President's Research Fellowships in the Humanities, University of California."
  3. At the discretion of the Fellow, copies of the published work may be sent to UCHRI; in any case, UCHRI should be informed of any publications resulting from the fellowship so this information can be included in annual reports and reviews.
  4. Faculty Fellows will be required to attend an annual meeting of the UC Society of Fellows and to deliver a public lecture or seminar at a campus humanities center either during the fellowship year or in the following academic year; and to write an essay describing the outcome of the project supported by his or her fellowship for inclusion in an e-publication disseminated to the UC community by the UC Humanities Research Institute. Tenure Faculty Fellows may be required to serve on a Fellowship selection committee once during the five years following his or her fellowship year.
  5. Provide biographical and project information for Humanities Initiative website upon request.

Announcement of Awards
Recipients of President's Research Fellowships in the Humanities will be notified in early April 2012. Alternates will be named and will receive Fellowships if funds become available.

Application Procedures
Applications for academic year 2012-2013 must be submitted online via UCHRI’s FastApps by 5:00 p.m. PST, Thursday, January 12, 2012; applications will not be accepted after this date. Emailed, mailed, or faxed applications will not be accepted.

The application for a President's Faculty Research Fellowship in the Humanities consists of the following:

  1. Abstract of the research proposal (maximum 150 words);
  2. Description of research proposal (maximum 4000 words);
  3. A bibliography of the most important works to be consulted and a bibliographical statement that places the proposed research in intellectual context and indicates the nature of the main sources to be used (maximum one page);
  4. Short Curriculum vitae (maximum two pages)
  5. List of potential external fellowships or other potential means of support during fellowship year;
  6. Three letters of reference submitted online by Thursday, January 26, 2012 by the referees.  

When submitting the application, applicants will provide email addresses of referees who will be automatically prompted to submit their letters online. Applicants should provide their nominated references with a copy of their proposed project.

At least one letter should be from a referee who is neither a departmental colleague nor a member of the applicant's dissertation committee. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the completed reference forms or letters of recommendation are submitted online by the three referees by the submission deadline.

Evaluation and Selection of Fellows
The Selection Committee will use the following criteria in evaluating each application:

  1. The significance of the contribution that the proposed project will make to thought and knowledge in the applicant's research areas and to the Humanities generally;
  2. The clarity and cogency of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed project;
  3. The coherence of the proposed project goals, strategies, and timetable; and
  4. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project within a reasonable period.  This criterion does not assume that the project should be completed within the Fellowship year.

For questions, please contact Suedine Nakano, Program Administrator, at snakano@hri.uci.edu.