Overview

Humanities fellowships provide OSU faculty with resources to advance research and creative projects, opportunities to engage with a close community of scholars, and occasions to share ideas with diverse public audiences. Fellowships are flexible, with support and funding discussed in consultation with school directors and targeted to meet specific project needs. We will announce a call for proposals in fall, 2024. Fellowship applications for academic year 2024 to 2025 should focus on scholarship relating directly to OSU’s land grant mission and serving the diverse population of our state. Faculty with projects foregrounding Latinx, Indigenous,Black, Asian, and Pacific Islander history, literature, philosophy, and any other approaches related to humanities methodologies are welcome to apply. 

New Faculty Fellowships

New Faculty Fellowships provide administrative support for new OSU CLA faculty during the chosen term of course release included in the initial hiring contract. Fellows actively participate in the community of Center scholars, attend interdisciplinary luncheons and other activities, present a work-in-progress talk of general interest to a public audience, and submit a 1-2 page report on research progress at the end of the year. Note: applicants are still eligible to submit materials for an Early Career Fellowship.   

Early Career Fellowships

Early Career Flexible Fellowships for tenure-track OSU faculty provide targeted funding to be applied toward specific research needs discussed with school directors and detailed in the application. Examples of potential uses for funding include: media production expenses, archival research travel, a one-course or two-course release for sustained focus on a writing project with a clear publication trajectory, fieldwork equipment, etc. Combinations of funding use are acceptable, and funding requests involving project expenses should be supplemented with an estimated budget and description of costs. 

Established Scholar Fellowships

Established Scholar Flexible Fellowships for tenured OSU faculty provide targeted funding to be applied toward specific research needs discussed with school directors and detailed in the application. Examples of potential uses for funding include: media production expenses, archival research travel, a one-course or two-course release for sustained focus on a writing project with a clear publication trajectory, fieldwork equipment, etc. Combinations of funding use are acceptable, and funding requests involving project expenses should be supplemented with an estimated budget and description of costs. 

Eligibility

  • Fellowships are available to OSU tenure-track and tenured faculty only, exclusive of courtesy or visiting appointments. 
  • New Faculty Fellowships: new College of Liberal Arts hires, with fellowship available during their chosen term of course release.
  • Early Career Fellowships: tenure-track OSU faculty members who have not yet submitted materials for tenure and promotion.
  • Established Scholar Fellowships: tenured OSU faculty members with a record of sustained scholarly achievement.
  • A minimum of three academic years must elapse between fellowships except for new faculty. Previous funding for a closely related project will be considered when the application is reviewed.
  • All fellowship awards are open to scholars working within humanities disciplines as traditionally defined as well as scholars beyond those disciplines working on projects that demonstrably engage in humanistic forms of inquiry. In all instances, the applicant is responsible for establishing that proposed funds will support work in the humanities.

Terms

  • Each year, all fellowships are awarded by the advisory board in consultation with school directors. *NOTE: Autzen House office and event space will not be available in 2023-24.   

  • Fellows actively participate in our diverse community of scholars, present a talk of general interest to a public audience during the fellowship year and attend presentations by other fellows as well as additional events. We anticipate most meetings will be virtual through 2023, though in-person events and meetings might be held on campus. 

  • Fellows submit a 1-2 page report at the conclusion of the academic year and acknowledge the Center in any published work or presentations resulting from the fellowship. 

To Apply


Application forms and evaluation criteria generally follow the National Endowment for the Humanities outline so proposals can be adapted for submission to external opportunities. Prospective applicants are encouraged to consult the evaluation criteria below and to read sample narratives for projects awarded support by the NEH. Please schedule consultations with school directors before October 31, 2022. If you have questions, consult the FAQ's before contacting the Center.

Package all required materials into a single pdf file. Name the file [LAST NAME-APP]. Email this file to [email protected]. The Center will send a confirmation email once your materials have been received. Notification of status will be sent in winter term, 2023. 

Required Materials
  • Completed and signed application form available in Word or PDF.

  • </= 300 word project abstract

  • Narrative proposal, no more than 6 pages (for Early Career & Established Scholar fellowships only)

  • Updated CV, no more than 3 pages

  • Supplementary materials or budgets requested in form

Review Process and Criteria

In consultation with College of Liberal Arts school directors and the advisory board, proposals are evaluated based on need, scholarly merit, clarity of thought and purpose, and potential for making an original and significant contribution to humanistic understanding. Reviewers are asked to consider the following criteria adapted from NEH guidelines:

  • The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and value to the humanities and/or a general audience
    (Does the proposal clearly define the subject of study, the problem at issue within this subject, and does it present a novel argument? Does it demonstrate the value of this project within a wider context?)
  • Quality and/or promise of the applicant’s work as an interpreter of the humanities
    (Does this proposal's approach lie within the bounds of the humanities?) 
  • Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, and the clarity of expression
  • The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work, including the soundness of expected outcomes, publication format, and potential venues of dissemination
    (Is the expected outcome made clear? Does the proposal present a method of carrying out this study within the proposed period?)
  • The probability that the fellowship will enable the applicant to achieve the expected outcomes  
    (Does the proposal demonstrate that a fellowship is warranted to complete the plan of work?)
  • The proposal's contribution to a diverse and inclusive vision of the humanities