Faculty Release Fellowship

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

Open to all tenure-track faculty, without preference to rank, in the College of Arts & Sciences or the Department of Economics, that are members of a Taft-eligible unit or 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.

Projects may not be mere editing, expansion, or readying for publication of a dissertation - successful applicants will have demonstrated the ability to undertake and complete significant research/creative projects beyond a thesis or dissertation before the time of their application. Proposals may include the development of external grant or fellowship applications.

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. 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, a list of recent Taft fellowship awards, and a selected bibliography.

A complete application must include the following: 

1. A proposal narrative of 10,000 characters (~1,500 words) or less, to include the following:
   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 for 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
2. A single PDF upload containing the following:
   1. A selected bibliography may be uploaded along with the CV
   2. A 5-year major awards history from Taft and notice of concurrent Center Fellowship application
   3. An abbreviated curriculum vitae covering activity of the last five years
3. Two letters of support (each referee will be sent a link by the application system, through email, following submission by the applicant. Support letters that arrive after the close of the posted deadline may not be considered by the committee):
   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. A letter from an outside expert 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.

Proposals will be judged according to the following criteria:

1. Awardees must have demonstrated the ability to undertake and complete significant research/creative projects beyond a thesis or dissertation before the time of their application. Projects may not be mere editing, expansion, or readying for publication of a dissertation; project may include the development of external grant or fellowship applications.
2. Clarity and quality of the project’s conceptualization and organization
3. The potential significance of the project’s contribution to thought and knowledge in the field
4. The current state of the research and the timeliness of the award in ensuring the completion of the project
5. The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project
6. Evidence of productivity from previous Taft awards

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 Fellow.

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.

In compensation for release, the awardee’s department receives $10,000 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, are not an eligible expense under DARS, or to cover Departmental Operating Expenses. Unexpended funds will revert to Taft after the award end date.