University of Arkansas Invited to Be a Nominating Entity for Prestigious Humanities Fellowship

The University of Arkansas and its J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences have been invited to be a nominating entity for the Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship. The fellowship, now entering its second year, celebrates and supports faculty who embrace public engagement as part of the scholarly vocation.

Only candidates nominated by one of the Whiting Foundation's partner schools or individual nominations will be considered for this fellowship, which supports humanities faculty who plan to undertake or advance public-facing projects by providing a semester of leave and up to $10,000 for project costs.

"This is a prestigious and wonderful opportunity for our faculty members to be recognized and funded for their work in the humanities," said Kathryn A. Sloan, associate dean of the Fulbright College. "I highly encourage our faculty and colleagues to apply."

Sloan said other participating nominating entities include University of North Carolina, City University of New York, University of California San Diego and Amherst College among others.

Proposed projects must reach beyond the academic community in an intellectually rigorous way. Nominating institutions may select two faculty members who must be recently tenured (between fall 2011 and fall 2016) or assistant professors with at least two years of service. Potential applicants must reside in traditional humanities departments as defined by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

According to a statement on the Whiting Foundation's website, the fellowship, "aims to identify professors with a demonstrated commitment to using their scholarly expertise to reach wider audiences and fund ambitious projects designed to have direct and significant impact on a specific public outside the academy."

The foundation further writes that, "over time, we hope the program will amplify the voices of scholars who take up the challenge of engaging the public, build a community of faculty dedicated to this form of service, and ultimately help to restore broader faith in the value of advanced work in the humanities."

A committee of humanities experts will evaluate proposals and select up to two nominees. Projects will be evaluated on three criteria:

• Intellectual value
• Potential to engage the intended public
• Ability to complete the project successfully

Proposals from the U of A are due to Sloan at ksloan@uark.edu by the close of business on Monday, Aug. 1.

Proposals

Interested humanities specialists should prepare a short proposal that includes:

Project precis (up to 250 words): Provide a summary of your proposed project, indicating the subject matter, the form it will take and your desired outcomes. In addition, indicate the project's current status and, if applicable, describe any work already completed.

Intended public and plan for outreach (up to 200 words): Identify the segment of the public you intend to engage through your fellowship project and describe your plan to ensure that you reach them. Be sure to make clear, in language compelling to a non-specialist, why the project will be engaging to the public you have chosen. Bear in mind the difficulty of capturing attention in our media-saturated world; we are looking for evidence not just that your project will be available to a public but that they will be move to participate in and be affected by it.

Technical skills (up to 200 words): Any public-facing project draws not only on the intellectual acumen and subject-matter expertise that will be clear from your curriculum vitae but also on the skills less obviously associated with traditional academic work. Please communicate the technical skills you possess to make your project successful.

Use of funds (up to 200 words): Provide a draft budget of how you would spend project cost stipend of up to $10,000. Also list other sources of funding already secured, if applicable.

Biographical highlights (up to 200 words): If you have experience relevant to your fellowship project that is not included or fully described on your curriculum vitae, please elaborate.

Attach a curriculum vitae and/or relevant bibliography of two pages or less to your proposal.

For more information, please click here or contact Sloan at ksloan@uark.edu.