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Roy R. Charles Center

May Seminars

2008 Call for Proposals

Principles and Guidelines

The College's commitment to faculty development in the area of research has been embodied primarily in its program of Summer Research Grants and Semester Research Assignments. The May Seminar Program awards faculty grants that support teaching and curriculum development projects. As with research applications, the intrinsic merit of the application is the primary consideration, and effort to seek outside funding strengthens an application, even if the effort is unsuccessful. Information regarding grants from outside sources may be obtained from the Office of Grants and Research Administration.

In making recommendations for awards the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies (CHIS) applies the following principles:

1. Members of the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies are ineligible to submit proposals for May Seminar Fellowship, or to participate in the Committee's deliberations on any seminar proposal under which they anticipate being funded.

2. All members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as defined by the by-laws of the Faculty who are not emeriti, who are actively teaching, and who hold a contract for full or part-time employment from the College with a commitment for renewal beyond the summer for which a Fellowship is sought are eligible to apply.

3. Eligible applicants may submit one proposal per year for a Course/Curriculum Development fellowship and one for a May Seminar fellowship.

4. An applicant who is a candidate for the Ph.D. or equivalent degree may apply and receive a fellowship provided that the thesis has been successfully defended by the beginning of the fellowship period.

5. An applicant who has received a fellowship is expected to have shown a tangible result when applying for subsequent fellowships.

6. An applicant for a Seminar fellowship who has not received a Seminar fellowship in any of the previous three years will normally be given priority. Similarly, an applicant for a Course/Curriculum Development fellowship who has not received such a fellowship in any of the previous three years will normally be given priority.

7. A fellowship grant recipient who has secured outside support for a project, but in an amount less than he or she would normally receive from the fellowship, will be granted the difference.

8. The Committee welcomes joint applications. Joint applicants must indicate whether they are applying for a single shared stipend or for individual stipends. Either choice must be justified and in all cases joint applicants must each submit complete, independent applications.

Conditions of Fellowship

1. All fellowships are made in the expectation that the recipient will remain in the service of the College. A recipient who resigns from, or is not retained by, the College before the completion of the fellowship period will be required to relinquish the fellowship or the unexpended portion thereof.

2. Fellowships are awarded in the expectation that the recipient will devote full energies to the project for which the fellowship is made. Because employment or diversionary activity during the period of the fellowship is inconsistent with its terms, any activity other than that for which the fellowship has been awarded will be subject to normal College procedures for outside and overload employment.

3. Every recipient of a fellowship is expected to submit a written report of what has been accomplished during the fellowship period as specified in the award.

4. Late applications can be considered only for compelling reasons.

5. It is the Committee's expectation that each new, or newly revised, course developed with University Fellowship funds will be offered at least once in the academic year following the Fellowship period. Each Course Development application will include a brief statement, signed by the applicant and his or her chair, indicating the steps the department will take to accommodate the new course into its curriculum.

Application Procedures

Complete the form, print, have it signed by the department chair or program director, and submit the required number of copies to the Charles Center.

Application Form

Please refer to the Principles and Guidelines for more information. Please contact Joel Schwarz (jxschw@wm.edu) with any questions.