Postdoctoral Fellowships
For Achieving Excellence in College and University Teaching
2009 Program Announcement
Postdoctoral Program Announcement (pdf)
Administered by the National Research Council
On-line Application Deadline: November 28, 2008
Announcement of Awards: April 2009
Statement of Program Goals
Through its program of Diversity Fellowships, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.
Postdoctoral Awards
This year the program will award approximately 20 postdoctoral fellowships.
The postdoctoral fellowships provide one year of support for individuals engaged in postdoctoral study after the attainment of the Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree.
Postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Research Council (NRC) on behalf of the Ford Foundation. The awards will be made to individuals who, in the judgment of the review panels, have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.
Eligibility
Eligibility to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship is limited to:
- All citizens or nationals of the United States regardless of race, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation (must have become a U.S. citizen by November 28, 2008),
- Individuals with evidence of superior academic achievement (such as grade point average, class rank, honors or other designations),
- Individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, and
- Individuals awarded a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree no earlier than November 30, 2001 and no later than November 28, 2008 in an eligible research-based field from a U.S. educational institution.
(The term “national of the United States” designates a citizen of the United States or a native resident of a possession of the United States. It does not refer to a U.S. permanent resident who is a citizen of another country.)
Criteria for Selection
The following will be considered as positive factors in choosing successful candidates:
|
|
- Evidence of superior academic achievement
|
- Degree of promise of continuing achievement as scholars and teachers
|
- Capacity to respond in pedagogically productive ways to the learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds
|
- Sustained personal engagement with communities that are underrepresented in the academy and an ability to bring this asset to learning, teaching, and scholarship at the college and university level
|
- Likelihood of using the diversity of human experience as an educational resource in teaching and scholarship
|
- Membership in one or more of the following groups whose underrepresentation in the American professoriate has been severe and longstanding:
|
|
|
Alaska Natives (Eskimo/Aleut)
|
|
|
Black/African Americans
|
|
|
Mexican American/Chicanas/Chicanos
|
|
|
Native American Indians
|
|
|
Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian)
|
|
|
Puerto Ricans
|
Review panels may also look at additional factors such as the suitability of the applicant's proposed institution and the likelihood that the applicant will fully utilize 9 to 12 months of postdoctoral support.
Eligible Fields of Study
Awards will be made for study in the following major disciplines and related interdisciplinary fields: American studies, anthropology, archaeology, art and theater history, astronomy, chemistry, communications, computer science, earth sciences, economics, education, engineering, ethnomusicology, geography, history, international relations, language, life sciences, linguistics, literature, mathematics, performance study, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, urban planning, and women’s studies. Also eligible are interdisciplinary ethnic studies programs, such as African American studies and Native American studies, and other interdisciplinary programs, such as area studies, peace studies, and social justice. The complete list of eligible fields of study supported by the fellowship program is available by clicking on the link provided.
Individuals enrolled in the following practice-oriented programs will not be supported: business, management, administration, occupational health, nursing, consumer science, library and information science, speech pathology, audiology, personnel, guidance, social work, social welfare, public health, physical education, physical therapy, kinesiology, rehabilitation science, educational administration and leadership, fine arts, filmmaking, and performing arts.
Location of Work and Proposed Research
Fellowship applicants are encouraged to choose a host institution other than the institution with which they are affiliated at the time of application. Fellowships are awarded for full-time research at appropriate nonprofit institutions of higher education or research, normally in the United States, including universities, museums, libraries, government or national laboratories, privately sponsored nonprofit institutes, government chartered nonprofit research organizations, and centers for advanced study. Each applicant should designate a faculty member or other scholar who will serve as host at the proposed fellowship institution. If affiliating with another institution would create personal hardship, applicants may make special arrangements to travel several times to a research site for data collection or to confer with a chosen adviser.
Each applicant must present a clearly articulated plan of study or research that will further his or her career in higher education and should explain fully the particular benefits that would accrue from affiliation with the proposed institution. A fellow affiliating with a foreign institution may be asked to designate a U.S. institution to act as a liaison between the National ResearchCouncil and the foreign institution, particularly for handling the disbursement of fellowship funds.
The applicant is responsible for making all arrangements for affiliation with the proposed host institution prior to submitting an application.
Stipend and Benefits
- One-year Stipend: $40,000
- The stipend may be supplemented by sabbatical leave pay or other sources of support that do not carry with them teaching or other responsibilities. Fellowship funds may be disbursed through the employing institution if necessary for the continuation of health insurance or other benefits. No dependency allowance is available.
- Employing Institution Allowance: $1,500
- This allowance will be paid to the fellow’s employing institution after fellowship tenure is completed. The employing institution will be asked to provide a matching amount and to use the allowance and the match to assist with the fellow’s continuing research expenses.
- Expenses paid to attend one Conference of Ford Fellows (see below)
- Access to Ford Fellow Liaisons, a network of former Ford Fellows who have volunteered to provide mentoring and support to current fellows
Tenure
The tenure of a postdoctoral fellowship will be no less than 9 months and no more than 12 months, with tenure beginning no earlier than June 1, 2009 and no later than September 1, 2009. Postdoctoral fellowships may not be deferred or delayed.
Evaluation and Selection of Fellows
Applications will be evaluated by panels of distinguished scholars selected by the National Academies. The panels will use the proposed plan of study, academic records, essays, letters of recommendation, indications of competence, including competence as a teacher, the application itself, and other appropriate materials as the basis for determining the extent to which candidates meet the eligibility requirements and the selection criteria.
The quality of the plan of study or research, the bibliography, the appropriateness of the proposed fellowship activities, the choice of host institution, and the potential for career enhancement will also be carefully reviewed.
Conditions of Fellowships
Those who accept a postdoctoral fellowship must agree to the stipulations in the Terms of Appointment for Ford Foundation Fellows that accompanies the award letter. In addition, Ford Fellows must agree to participate in regular updates of the Directory of Ford Fellows, as well as periodic surveys designed to demonstrate the impact of this program.
How to Apply
The on-line fellowship application is available on this site. Applicants must register and establish a personal user ID and password. All application materials become the property of the National Academies and are not returned to applicants. Please note that all application materials must be written in English. (In special circumstances, when an applicant is unable to complete the electronic application, a paper application may be submitted. A paper application may be obtained by submitting a written request to the address listed under Contact Information, see below. Such a request must include a valid, current address and phone number, and must be received by the National Academies no later than November 1, 2008. Instructions for submitting the paper application and supporting materials will be provided with the paper application. The postmark deadline for paper applications is November 28, 2008. No paper application bearing a postmark later than November 28, 2008 will be accepted for review.)
In order to be reviewed, the on-line application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 28, 2008. Supplementary Materials must be received in the Fellowships Office by January 16, 2009. Items listed below in boldface are required.
On-line Application – Deadline November 28, 2008
- Personal information, contact information, educational background (names of all institutions attended, years attended, degrees received), list of any honors, awards, fellowships, employment, publications and grants,
- Statement of previous research (two-page limit, double-spaced),
- Annotated bibliography (two to three sentences each for no more than ten key items),
- Abstract of dissertation (one-page limit),
- Abstract of Proposed Plan of Study or Research (one-page limit),
- Proposed Plan of Study or Research and long-range career goals (four-page limit, double-spaced, avoid technical jargon),
- Personal statement (not to exceed three pages, double-spaced) that describes the applicant’s background and experience and commitment to the goals of the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships program by addressing all of the following that apply:
- the applicant’s capacity to respond in pedagogically productive ways to the learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds
- the applicant’s sustained personal engagement with communities that are underrepresented in the academy and ability to bring this asset to learning, teaching and scholarship at the college or university level
- the applicant’s likelihood of using the diversity of human experience as an educational resource in teaching and scholarship, and
- Membership in one or more of the following groups whose underrepresentation in the American professoriate has been severe and longstanding:
- Alaska Natives (Eskimo/Aleut)
- Black/African Americans
- Mexican American/Chicanas/Chicanos
- Native American Indians
- Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian)
- Puerto Ricans
- Names and contact information of four professors or colleagues who will upload a letter of reference on your behalf, and
- Name and contact information for host mentor/colleague.
Supplementary Materials – Deadline January 16, 2009
- Ph.D. or Sc.D. transcript showing all grades received and degree(s) awarded,
- Host letter (stating willingness of proposed mentor and the research site to serve as the applicant’s host), and
- Letters of reference (All letters must be submitted electronically. Applications with less than the minimum of three letters submitted in support of the fellowship application will not be included in the review).
Advance Preparation
- Prepare essays and annotated bibliography in advance and save each in a separate file so that you are prepared to upload these texts. Get feedback from advisers, mentors, and colleagues.
- Contact potential referees. Be certain that they agree to upload a letter of reference for you and that they can do so by the deadline of January 16, 2009. The on-line system will require you to provide an e-mail address for each referee.
- Make contact with your proposed host institution and host mentor.
Conference of Ford Fellows
- A unique national conference of a select group of high-achieving scholars committed to diversifying the professoriate and using diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students
- Networking with peers and “elders”
- Face to face conversations with university and academic presses
- Publication workshops
- Planning an academic career
- Career advancement workshops
- Proposal, grant-writing, and research funding advice
- Paper and poster presentations with supportive comments and critiques from colleagues
- Opportunities to identify mentors and peers from across the country
- Opportunities to interact with established and emerging scholars in diverse fields
The Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships program also provides predoctoral fellowships for students seeking a Ph.D. or Sc.D., and dissertation fellowships for students who have completed all the requirements for the Ph.D. or Sc.D. except for writing a dissertation. Visit our web site for more information.
Contact information:
Fellowships Office, Keck 576
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-334-2872
web site: http://national-academies.org/fellowships
e-mail: infofell@nas.edu
|
