UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
PRESIDENT'S FACULTY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES 2010-11

GOALS
The President's Faculty Research Fellowships in the Humanities were begun in 1986 as part of UC President David Gardner's Humanities Initiative. They are now a core program of the UC Humanities Network, which supports the research of faculty and graduate students in the humanities through individual fellowships, as well as a network of the UC Humanities Research Institute, campus humanities centers, and multi-campus research groups. Each Fellow will receive fellowship support to carry out an extended research project, often in conjunction with funds from extramural agencies, campus grants, and sabbatical leave.

Deadline: January 15, 2010

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Applications from prospective UC Faculty are accepted exclusively online via UCHRI's FASTAPPS system. 

DESCRIPTION
The Fellowship program uses the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) definition of the Humanities:

"...humanities includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, 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 the current conditions of national life."

This definition applies to the research proposal rather than to the faculty member's departmental affiliation.

The Fellowship Program provides salary support to University of California faculty conducting research in the Humanities. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of research proposals in an annual University-wide competition modeled on that of the NEH. The Fellowships are underwritten by funds from the Office of the President provided to the UC Humanities Network and supplemented by funds from the Fellow's campus.

ELIGIBILITY
Active ladder rank faculty, including Lecturers who are members of the Academic Senate, may apply for Fellowships. Faculty on emeritus or recall status are not eligible. Faculty are eligible to hold a Fellowship once every five years.

JUNIOR FACULTY
In order to improve opportunities for faculty members to receive support for Humanities research early in their academic careers, Assistant Professors applying for President's Research Fellowships will be given special consideration.

CONDITIONS OF THE FELLOWSHIP
Because it is the intent of the Office of the President to provide resources to as many University of California faculty members as possible, prospective applicants should note the following points:

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. 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. 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.

Sabbatical Leave Credit: 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. 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.

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.

EXTRAMURAL GRANTS
All applicants to the Fellowship Program, including junior faculty, are strongly encouraged to apply to appropriate extramural agencies that offer funding for their research fields. Beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year, applicants will be required to apply concurrently for other fellowships. These may include, but are not limited to, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the NEH. Fellowships will be awarded regardless of the applicant's success in obtaining extramural funding. Successful applicants are expected to take fellowships concurrently. The President's Faculty Fellowship cannot be deferred so fellowships can be taken consecutively.

SELECTION COMMITTEE
The Selection Committee consists of ten members from the University of California Humanities faculty. Members of the Committee are appointed by the President's Advisory Committee on Research in the Humanities for staggered three-year terms on the recommendations of the campus Humanities Deans. The selection process is overseen by UCHRI.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF FELLOWS
Fellows agree to:

• Submit a written statement describing their accomplishments (include titles of books or papers published) and the status of their research project in the Humanities.

• 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."

• 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.

• 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. Faculty Fellows will be required to serve on a Fellowship selection committee once during the five years following his or her fellowship year, if needed.

• 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 April 2010.  Alternates will be named and will receive Fellowships if funds become available.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applications for academic year 2010-2011 must be submitted online by 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 15, 2010; applications will not be accepted after this date. Applications consist of (1) an abstract of the research proposal; (2) a description of the proposed research; (3) a bibliography of the most important works to be consulted and a bibliographic statement; (4) a two-page curriculum vitae; and (5) three letters of reference submitted online by referees of the applicant's choice.

Application Procedures 2010-2011

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

1) Abstract of the research proposal (maximum 200 words);

2) Description of research proposal (maximum 5 pages, single spaced);

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) Curriculum vitae not exceeding 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 Friday, January 15, 2010 by the referees.   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 not 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 field and to the Humanities generally;
2. The clarity and cogency of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed project;
3. The appropriateness 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.

APPLYING FOR FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES

Applications must be submitted through the online FASTAPPS system (e-mailed, mailed, or faxed applications will not be accepted). Applicants must be registered with the online application system. 

For technical assistance, contact techsupport@hri.uci.edu.
For programmatic questions, contact dnoto@hri.uci.edu.