2019 NEH Summer Institute Important Dates:
Application Deadline: March 1, 2019 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Notification Date: March 29, 2019
Accept/Decline Deadline: April 5, 2019
Eligibility
Please review the eligibility criteria for participation in NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes as an NEH Summer Scholar at
http://www.neh.gov/files/divisions/education/eligibility/college_university_eligibility_criteria.pdf
NEH Seminars and Institutes provide opportunities for college and university faculty to enrich and revitalize their understanding, scholarship, and teaching of humanities topics that bear upon undergraduate education. These specific study opportunities are not intended to duplicate graduate-level courses.
Our institute allows twenty-five participants (NEH Summer Scholars) to pursue an intensive program of study under a team of scholarly experts, who present a range of perspectives on a humanities topic. Participants and scholars mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching of the topic. In any given year, an individual may apply to two Seminars or Institutes, but may attend only one.
Five institute spaces must be reserved for non-tenured/non-tenure-track faculty members, and three institute spaces may be reserved for advanced graduate students. Qualified independent scholars and those employed by museums, libraries, historical societies, and other organizations are also eligible.
Please note: Individuals may not apply to an NEH Summer Seminar or Institute whose directors are a family member, affiliated with the same institution (UCSC or Georgetown), or someone with whom they have previously studied.
Selection Criteria
A selection committee comprised of the project co-directors and one or more colleagues evaluates all complete applications to select a group of NEH Summer Scholars and identify alternates.
Application essays should explain how the specific program will benefit the participant professionally. They should, therefore, address the following:
1. your quality and commitment as a teacher, scholar, and interpreter of the humanities;
2. your intellectual interests as they relate to the topic of the seminar or institute;
3. your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the program;
4. evidence that participation will enhance your long-term teaching and scholarship; and
5. an independent project and its potential contribution to the institute.*
*In the fourth week of the Institute, participants will present their individual projects in a series of moderated colloquia. These projects may take the form of undergraduate syllabi, community collaborations, projects in digital humanities, new areas of research, or creative forms of public engagement, to name a few. Applicants are strongly encouraged to speak to their potential projects in their letter of application. For more information on independent projects, see here.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. TDD: 202/606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).
Stipend, Tenure, and Conditions of Award
Each participant will receive a $3,300 stipend for the 4-week institute. The stipend is intended to help cover travel, housing, meals, and basic academic expenses. Stipends are taxable.
Institute participants must attend all meetings and engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. During the project, participants may not undertake teaching assignments or professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project. Those who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.
At the end of the project’s residential period, NEH Summer Scholars are expected to submit an online evaluation of the seminar or institute.
Application Instructions
Prior to applying to a specific seminar or institute, please study the project website and carefully consider the project’s expectations and requirements.
1. NEH Cover Sheet
- Compete the NEH cover sheet online at: https://securegrants.neh.gov/education/participants/ (If you have any trouble accessing this site, then please skip this step and submit the rest of your application by clicking APPLY below. We will be in touch with you when the NEH Cover Sheet site is back up.)
- Follow the prompts.
- Before you click the “submit” button, print the cover sheet or save it as a PDF and add it to your application package. Then click “submit.”
- You will be asked if you want to fill out a cover sheet for a second project. If you do, repeat the process. Do not use the same cover sheet for different projects.
2. Résumé and References
Please include a résumé or curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages). Include the name, title, phone number, and e-mail address of two professional references.
3. Application Essay
The application essay should be no more than four double-spaced pages. It should address your interest in the subject to be studied; qualifications and experiences that equip you to do the work of the seminar or institute and to make a contribution to the learning community; a statement of what you want to accomplish by participating; and a description of an independent project and its relation to your professional responsibilities.
Submission of Applications and Notification Procedure
Applications must be submitted to the project co-directors (instructions below), not the NEH, and must be submitted by March 1, 2019 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Applications sent to the NEH will not be reviewed.
You may submit your completed application electronically by using our online application form. Save each of your documents (1. NEH cover sheet, 2. resume/CV, and 3. application essay) as separate files that include your last name in the file name, for example “last name_essay.” Preferred document formats are .pdf. When your documents are ready, click “Apply” below to complete your application form. At the bottom of the application, you will attach all three documents (1. NEH cover sheet, 2. résumé/CV, and 3. application essay) then click submit. Applicants that are missing any of the required documents will not be considered.
If you have any questions or if you experience any difficulties with the document submission form, email institute staff at ecguy@ucsc.edu.
Successful applicants will be notified of their selection on Friday, March 29, 2019. You will have until Friday, April 5, 2019 to accept or decline the offer.
Note: Once you have accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (NEH Summer Seminar or Institute), you may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.
