Predoctoral Fellowships
For Achieving Excellence in College and University Teaching
2008 Program Announcement
Administered by the National Research Council
On-line Application Deadline: November 15, 2007
Announcement of Awards: April 2008
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.
Predoctoral Awards
This year the program will award approximately 60 predoctoral fellowships. The predoctoral fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree.
Predoctoral 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 predoctoral 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 15, 2007),
- 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,
- Individuals enrolled in or planning to enroll in an eligible research-based program leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree at a U.S. educational institution, and
- Individuals who have not earned a doctoral degree at any time, in any field.
(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)
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Black/African-Americans
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Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos
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Native American Indians
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Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian)
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Puerto Ricans
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Review panels may also look at additional factors such as the suitability of the proposed institution for the applicant's plan of graduate study and the likelihood that the applicant will fully utilize three years of support including a year of course work.
Eligible Fields of Study
Awards will be made for study in research-based Ph.D. or Sc.D. programs that include the following major disciplines and related interdisciplinary fields: American studies, anthropology, archaeology, art and theater history, astronomy, chemistry, communications, computer science, earth sciences, economics, 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.
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, rehabilitation science, education, leadership, fine arts, filmmaking, and performing arts. In addition, awards will not be made for work leading to terminal master’s degrees, the Ed.D. degree, the degrees of Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), or professional degrees in such areas as medicine, law, and public health, or for study in joint degree programs such as the M.D./Ph.D., J.D./Ph.D., and M.F.A./Ph.D.
Fellowship Institution
Fellowships are tenable at any fully accredited, nonprofit U.S. institution of higher education offering a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree in the eligible fields of study. All arrangements for acceptance into a doctoral program at the chosen institution are the responsibility of the applicant. An applicant need not be accepted by the chosen institution at the time of application.
Previous Graduate Study
Predoctoral fellowships are intended for students who have enrolled or plan to enroll in a Ph.D. or Sc.D. program no later than fall 2008, including:
- Undergraduates in their senior year,
- Individuals who have completed undergraduate study,
- Individuals who have completed some graduate study, and
- Individuals already enrolled in a Ph.D. or Sc.D. program who provide evidence that they can fully utilize a three-year fellowship award.
Stipend and Benefits
- Annual stipend: $20,000
- Award to the institution in lieu of tuition and fees: $2,000
- Expenses paid to attend at least 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
Fellowship recipients must begin the first year’s tenure on September 1, 2008, and must remain on tenure full-time for the academic year. After the first year of fellowship tenure, fellows may choose to defer funding for up to two years. All three years of support must be used within a five-year period.
Evaluation and Selection of Fellows
Applications will be evaluated by panels of distinguished scholars selected by the National Academies. The panels will use academic records, essays, letters of recommendation, 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.
Conditions of Fellowships
Predoctoral fellows are required to enroll full-time in a program leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree in an eligible field of study. Students enrolled in a terminal master’s program will not be supported. Those who accept a predoctoral 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, 2007. Instructions for submitting the paper application and supporting materials will be provided with the paper application. The postmark deadline for paper applications is November 15, 2007. No paper application bearing a postmark later than November 15, 2007 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 15, 2007. Supplementary Materials must be received in the Fellowships Office by January 18, 2008. Items listed below in boldface are required.
On-line Application – Deadline November 15, 2007
- Personal information, contact information, educational background (names of all post-secondary institutions attended, years attended, degrees received), list of any honors, awards, fellowships, employment, and publications,
- Statement of previous research (two-page limit, double-spaced),
- Essay describing proposed plan of graduate study and research and the applicant’s long-range career goals (three-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 who will upload a letter of reference on your behalf.
Supplementary Materials – Deadline January 18, 2008
- Transcript showing baccalaureate degree or undergraduate work completed prior to fall 2007.
- Graduate School Transcript (if applicable) Applicants who entered graduate school in fall 2007 may substitute the transcript with a letter from the graduate institution attesting to progress made, if transcript is unavailable,
- Letters of reference (All letters must be submitted electronically. Applications with a minimum of two letters will be reviewed),
- Verification of Predoctoral Status Form to verify that an applicant already enrolled in a Ph.D or Sc.D program can fully utilize a three-year predoctoral fellowship. (In a one-page (maximum) statement, these applicants must specify how they would utilize all three years of support. Advisers must submit a standard National Academies Verification of Predoctoral Status Form confirming that the applicant requires at least three years of work toward the Ph.D./Sc.D. degree as of the fall 2008 semester, and that at least one of these years will be dedicated to completing course work), and
- GRE General Test Scores. (While the National Academies Fellowships Office encourages submission of GRE General Test scores for applicants who are not yet admitted into the Ph.D/Sc.D programs for which Ford Foundation support is sought, submitting GRE scores is optional for these applicants. GRE scores should not be submitted, and will not be accepted, from applicants already enrolled in Ph.D/Sc.D programs. See on-line application instructions for details.)
Advance Preparation
- Prepare essays 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 18, 2008. The on-line system will require you to provide an e-mail address for each referee.
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
- Strategies to complete the dissertation
- 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 dissertation fellowships for students who have completed all the requirements for the Ph.D. or Sc.D. except for writing a dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships for Ph.D. or Sc.D. recipients. 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
website: http://national-academies.org/fellowships
e-mail: infofell@nas.edu
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