New Chancellor's Fund to Invest in Humanities and Performing Arts

Whit Pruitt

Chi Omega Greek Theatre

A new Chancellor's Fund at the University of Arkansas will invest $1 million toward faculty-led initiatives driving creative activity and innovation in the areas of humanities and performing arts.

Full-time faculty can apply for seed funding from the Chancellor's Fund for Humanities and Performing Arts for projects that will lead to new academic directions, increase the competitiveness of the university and faculty for external funding, and raise the recognition and distinction of the University of Arkansas' discovery, innovation, creativity and scholarly programs centered around these two areas.

"We began conversations about creating a stream of funding dedicated to the arts and humanities earlier this spring," said U of A Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. "I was delighted to receive a proposal from the Fulbright College that led to the launch of another Chancellor's Fund to support the innovative initiatives and collaborations of our faculty. This fund will provide resources for humanities and performing arts that will advance our guiding priorities in building a collaborative and innovative campus, enhancing our research and discovery mission, as well as promoting innovations in teaching and learning."

"The humanities and the performing arts are a critical part of the intellectual vibrancy of our campus," said Jim Coleman, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.  "I am thrilled that Chancellor Steinmetz was able to provide this critical support to faculty in these areas."

Example projects include proposals for research, creative activity, teaching and outreach promoting faculty and student innovation and collaboration; interdisciplinary discovery or emerging performing arts; and projects that will lead to additional funding from external sources, foundations or prestigious fellowships.

$500,000 will be allocated in fiscal year 2020, split evenly between proposals for humanities and performing arts, with the remaining half to be distributed in fiscal year 2021. Projects can be funded once for a period of one to three years, and the maximum project budget should not exceed $75,000 in direct costs.

Proposals should include a one-paragraph abstract describing the idea, its purpose and potential outcomes; a project description including clear statements of goals, project activities, expected outcomes and how the project relates to university priorities; a budget and one-page budget justification; and a list of the project team.

Proposals will be evaluated on the potential transformative nature of the project; quality of the proposal and its dependence on seed funding; probability that the project will leverage future sources of support, fellowships or awards; and the potential of the project to raise the recognition and distinction of the university.

The Chancellor's Funds aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, foster creativity and mature intellectual property at the University of Arkansas.

Proposals for fiscal year 2020 should be submitted to Calvin White or Jeannie Hulen, the associate dean for the humanities or the associate dean of fine arts, respectively, by Oct. 4. Award notifications will be made before Nov. 30.