SUMMARY This program (modeled on an NEH summer grant program now defunct) funds six weeks of concentrated reading of a coherently organized list of materials for affiliate faculty; the Center hopes to award three of these $3,000 grants each year. The project may incidentally reinforce the applicant's teaching but need not do so as its primary focus, nor does it require plans for publication. Rather, the primary focus is to offer the applicant an opportunity for concentrated and focused intellectual development--that is, for intellectual and/or professional renewal. In the Fine Arts the project may be composed of media appropriate to the applicant's discipline, i.e. works of art in various media rather than books. The program is intended to recognize the contributions of affiliate faculty to the College and to the lives of our students. Any portion of the $3000 grant may be deposited, at the recipient's request, in a special pre-tax account to be used for reimbursement for expenses associated with the summer study grant (for instance, for the purchase of texts, or for travel associated with the grant.) Unspent funds from this account will be returned to the recipient at the end of the study period (after appropriate taxes, if any, are deducted.) ELIGIBILITY 1. Any affiliate faculty member (including any affiliate faculty member receiving a Loyola Teaching Fellowship) who is not eligible to apply for Faculty Summer Research Grants, who has taught at least four courses at Loyola and is teaching at Loyola in the year of application is eligible to apply. In any given year, preference would be given to applicants who had not won this award in the previous year. 2. An individual may receive no more than two of these awards in any three-year period. STANDARDS FOR PROPOSALS 3. Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria: a. the significance of the topic within the humanities, including the significance of the texts, events, persons, or materials to be studied; b. the project's potential to enhance the applicant's professional and intellectual life; c. the conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed study; d. the likelihood that the applicant will successfully complete the proposed plan of study. e. the extent of the applicant's contributions to the college, to its students, and/or to the intellectual life of the college community.
PROCEDURES 4. Applications must include 20 copies of the following: a. a resume; including information about the applicant's contribution to the college, to its students, and/or to the intellectual life of the college community. b. a list of the four courses most recently taught at Loyola, and when; c. a detailed study plan, no more than 500 words or three single-spaced pages, including a one-page reading list. For proposals in Fine Arts media, an appropriate alternative to a reading list may be supplied, such as slides or performance tapes. d. a description to the best of his or her knowledge of the applicant's likely status at the College for the academic year following the summer of the stipend (i.e., whether the applicant may be returning to teach).
TERMS OF THE GRANT 5. The applicant must submit a one-page narrative report on the project by September 30, following the summer of the grant. The report should include a description of both successes and failures and, most importantly, advice for future applicants. DEADLINE 6. APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE PROGRAMS DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER BY THE LAST (WORKING) DAY OF JANUARY FOR THE FOLLOWING SUMMER. ADVICE(1) These grants provide opportunities for faculty to increase their knowledge of their own disciplines and related disciplines, to enrich their understanding of the humanities, and to pursue intellectual projects that will inform their teaching. Grants will be made for intensive study rather than for research intended primarily for publication. Study Grants emphasize rigorous independent work on significant texts and topics in the humanities. The study plan, which is the heart of the application, should demonstrate a clearly defined inquiry with specific aims and a well-designed reading list of primary and secondary works; rereading informed by important questions is also encouraged. Texts may include music, painting, and other culturally significant objects and artifacts. Study Grants do not support projects that investigate teaching methods and approaches. Although projects will often directly affect teaching, the primary aim should be the applicant's intellectual enhancement through study of significant texts and topics in the humanities. Of primary importance is the intellectual enhancement of the applicant. Applications to learn another language, to gather empirical data, or to do extensive travel are not likely to be successful. In the proposed study plan the applicant explains the substance of the project, its significance, and the general nature of the proposed work. The narrative must include enough detail about the ideas, objectives, and methods of the project to enable reviewers to assess the quality, feasibility, and potential of the project. A simple statement of intent or need is insufficient evidence that a project merits support. The study plan should be rigorous, thorough, clearly written and firmly grounded in the humanities, and clearly focused and organized. Intensive study of significant topics and texts in the humanities should be at the center of the project. The description should be narrative in form . The study plan should: a. Provide a rationale for the plan, explaining why the applicant chose this line of study, how it relates to the applicant's background and interests, and exactly how the completion of the project will increase the applicant's knowledge of the humanities and foster growth as a teacher and a scholar. Clearly differentiate what the applicant already knows about the topic from what the applicant proposes to learn. b. Explain clearly the areas and questions to be explored, their significance, and the planned approach or line of inquiry. Discuss the significance of the texts to be read and justify the selection of these particular texts. c. Propose a challenging yet realistic weekly work plan and a one-page reading list of carefully selected primary and secondary sources. d. Describe how the results of this study may affect the applicant's teaching.
Issues that will be pertinent to evaluators include any preliminary work such as reading, study, or research, that the applicant has done or will do on the project prior to the grant period; the week-by-week stages for the completion of the project; and where the project will be undertaken. If a foreign language is involved, the applicant should present evidence of proficiency in that language. Sample proposals are available from the Center. Contact Patty Ingram (x 2617). (1)The following descriptions are adapted from NEH materials. "Texts" should be understood to include music, visual art, dramatic performances, etc. for proposals in the Fine Arts. Revised: December 2007 Return to Main | 
