Center Fellowship

Open to all faculty, regardless of rank. Applications need not be interdisciplinary in nature, though applicants must be committed to intellectual exchange beyond their discipline and contribute to the intellectual community of the Taft Center, including attending center-sponsored events and interacting regularly with a cohort of fellows through the Taft Colloquia.

Applications for Center Fellowship are due no later than 5pm on October 19.

Applications are limited to tenured and tenure-track faculty: in the College of Arts & Sciences or the Department of Economics; who are members of a Taft-eligible unit; or who hold terminal advanced degrees in an area of a Taft-eligible unit. Graduate students and all other non-tenure track faculty (part-time, educator, research, and adjunct faculty) are not eligible for this program.

Proposals may include a variety of scholarly activities, including producing articles or books for publication, as well as external grant seeking activities for major projects. Applications need not be interdisciplinary in nature, though applicants must be committed to intellectual exchange beyond their discipline, and they must contribute to the intellectual community of the Taft Center, including attending center-sponsored events and interacting regularly with a cohort of fellows through the Taft Colloquia.

Awardees remain eligible for other awards.

Applications must be received through the online portal no later than 5PM on the day of the published deadline.

A complete application must include the following: 

1. A proposal narrative of 10,000 characters (~1,500 words) or less, to include the following elements:
   1. Abstract (150 word maximum)
   2. Project schedule detailing the major landmarks of project advancement and the timeline to completion and publication, e.g. chapter breakdowns mapped onto the fellowship timeline, or more detailed information about targeted grant deadlines and other key waypoints of the project
   3. Evidence of work in progress
   4. Context or understanding the project resulting in publishable work that will result in significant contributions to the applicant's field, as well as other possible outcomes, e.g. fellowships, performances, and/or external grant sought
   5. A brief account of how the project may be moved forward through the Taft Colloquium, and how the applicant will benefit from and contribute to a multi-disciplinary intellectual environment
2. A single PDF upload containing the following:
   1. A 5-year major awards history from Taft and notice of any concurrent release fellowship application
   2. An abbreviated curriculum vitae covering activity of the last five years
   3. A selected bibliography may be uploaded along with the CV
3. Three letters of support (each referee will be sent a link by the application system through email following submission by the applicant)
   1. A letter of support from the applicant's unit head assessing the merits of the proposed project and the prospects for completion within the Center Fellowship year. The letter must commit the Department to a full-year research assignment, which releases the faculty member from teaching and administrative/ service duties. Department Heads may support multiple applications.
   2. Letters from two outside experts in the applicant's field, evaluating the merits of the proposal, the project’s significance and contributions to the field, and prospects for publication/performance upon completion

Support letters must be submitted no later than 5PM on the day of the deadline. Support letters that arrive after the close of the posted deadline may not be considered by the committee.

Applicants may not bypass any component of the system or ask the committee to instead view an uploaded document for the project narrative. The only acceptable uploaded document is a single PDF, containing the applicant's abbreviated CV and list of recent Taft fellowship awards.

Successful applicants will have a record of completing significant research/creative projects and will have significantly advanced their current project(s) before the time of their application, exclusive of degree dissertations. The fellowship is not appropriate for early-stage research or projects that demand significant periods of time spent away from the Taft Center, as regular meetings are required. Through their submission, applicants agree to maintain an active presence at Taft activities and participate in Taft Colloquia.

The committee will prioritize those projects that lead to significant scholarly production over the course of an academic year. This is most often assessed by:

• accomplishments stemming from previous fellowship awards and writing samples of the current project, showing significant advancement prior to the time of application
• the quality of the applicant's work as a scholar or creative writer as evidenced by previous publications and research activity
• the potential contribution as an active Taft Center Fellow to the multi-disciplinary environment of the Center and the Center’s likely impact on the applicant
• the significance of the contribution that the proposed project will make to thought and knowledge in the field of the project, as assessed by the letter of support for the application
• the conceptualization, definition, organization, and description of the proposed project
• the current state of the research, the schedule of research, and the commitment to complete the project as a Center Fellow
• evidence of productivity from any previous Taft fellowship award.

• The Fellowship requires the awardee’s release from regular faculty duties during the year, including department, college, and university administrative service. Department heads must commit to making a good faith effort to sustain their current curriculum in the absence of the Center Fellow.
• Awardees are expected to be active Center members and interact regularly with other Taft Fellows to advance their own work and the work of others, which includes a regular presence at the center by attending center-sponsored events and weekly Taft Colloquia. Other than attending professional meetings and/or brief research trips, significant time away from the Center is not supported given the residential requirement and regular meeting schedule of Taft Colloquia. 
• Awardees agree to acknowledge support received from Taft in any publication/performance resulting from the fellowship project. Copies of such publications should be sent to the Taft Faculty Chair.
• Other support may be accepted concurrent with the Fellowship. Full disclosure of non-Taft funds received for the proposed project, both inside and outside the University, is required.
• Awardees agree to subsequently serve on the Center Fellowship Committee by request of the Taft Faculty Chair, as their schedule permits.

In compensation for release, the awardee’s department receives $25,000 in support to be used toward sustaining the current curriculum, absent the released faculty member, including teaching (adjunct, GA/TA) salaries. Secondarily, up to 50% of the total award may be used to forward the research mission of the department in whatever ways maximize the use of Taft funds for departments to best enable them to release the faculty member. These funds may not be used to fund Items that support research only obliquely, e.g. computers, items not eligible expenses under DARS, or to cover Departmental Operating Expenses. Unexpended fund will revert to Taft after the award end date.