• Arts & Sciences
• The Charles Center
• For Faculty
• May Seminars Program
• Principles and Guidelines

May Seminars Program

Principles and Guidelines

The intrinsic merit of the proposal is the primary consideration. Effort to seek outside funding strengthens a proposal, even if the effort is unsuccessful. Information regarding grants from outside sources may be obtained from the Office of Grants and Research Administration.

Proposals are considered by the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies (CHIS), which applies the following principles:

1. Members of the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies are ineligible to submit proposals for a May Seminar 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 & 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 grant is sought are eligible to apply.
3. Eligible applicants may submit one proposal per year.
4. An applicant who has received a May Seminar is expected to have shown a tangible result when applying for subsequent seminars.
5. An applicant for a May Seminar who has not received a seminar in any of the previous three years will, other things being equal, be given priority.
6. A May Seminar grant recipient who has secured outside support for a project, but in an amount less than he or she would normally receive from the May Seminar, will be granted the difference.
7. 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 May Seminar Grants

1. All grants 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 grant period will be required to relinquish the grant or the unexpended portion thereof.
2. May Seminar grants are awarded in the expectation that the recipient will devote full energies to the project for which the grant is made. Because employment or diversionary activity during the period of the grant is inconsistent with its terms, any activity other than that for which the grant has been awarded will be subject to normal College procedures for outside and overload employment.
3. Every recipient of a grant is expected to submit a written report of what has been accomplished during the grant 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 May Seminar funds will be offered at least once in the academic year following the grant period. Each proposal must include a brief statement indicating the steps the department will take to accommodate the new course into its curriculum.