Whiting Award

Applications due Friday, November 1, 2009

2010-2011 Request for Proposals

In 2001, the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation awarded Kenyon College a grant to support outstanding teaching in the humanities. The foundation's definition of "humanities" includes but goes beyond Kenyon's Humanities Division (Classics, English, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Religious Studies) to include, for example, Art History, Music History, IPHS, Women's and Gender Studies, some kinds of History, Political Science, Anthropology, and Sociology. While the foundation explicitly excludes fine artists, natural scientists, and social scientists, there is some flexibility in how "humanities" is defined. Still, to be eligible, one's primary career path must be in the humanities -- as opposed to, say, being a fine artist, a natural scientist, or a social scientist who may teach one course in the humanities.

The purpose of these grants is to support research and scholarly writing of junior, tenure-track faculty. Whiting wants these awards to go to "the very best teachers among your humanities faculty," and to that end the only criterion in the selection process is teaching excellence. The awards themselves, however, are designed to support scholarship: "To offset the time and reward the energies these young professors have expended on teaching, the College would offer assistance that would help ensure their scholarly success."

To be eligible for any of these grants, you must be tenure-track, untenured, with at least three years of full-time teaching experience, at least one of which must already have been completed as a tenure-track professor at Kenyon.

There are three main components to this program: a full year junior leave, research and travel grants, and summer stipends to be used during the academic year or in the summer.

"Whiting Teaching Fellowship" (Junior Leave)
This is the most competitive award. Normally only one will be given each year, though there may be a year in which none or up to two are awarded. This is a full year junior leave to pursue a scholarly project, including a $10,000 travel and research fund, and full replacement in the department.
"Whiting Summer Scholarship Stipends" (Summer Stipends)
These are similar to our current FAC summer stipends. The award is a flat stipend of $6,000 to support research and/or writing 3. "Whiting Research Grants" These are research and travel grants, similar to the Faculty Development Grants. The award will reimburse travel and/or research expenses up to $6000 for projects approved by the Provost.
"Whiting Research Grants"
These are research and travel grants, similar to the Faculty Development Grants. The award will reimburse travel and/or research expenses up to $6000 for projects approved by the Provost. The Whiting Foundation stipulates that these awards must be competitive, which is to say that not all applicants will be successful. Unlike the Teaching Fellowship and the Summer Stipends which are awarded outright, the travel and research grants require a brief proposal and budget, which will be requested after -- not before -- the winners are chosen.

If you are a tenure-track, untenured professor in the humanities (broadly defined), with at least three years of full-time teaching experience, at least one of which must already have been completed as a tenure-track professor at Kenyon, please send an email or letter to Pamela Faust Edelstein House, by Friday, November 1, 2009, indicating the following:

that you would like to be considered for some or all of these awards; and
if you have completed your pre-tenure review:
that you grant permission to the selection committee -- which includes the Provost and three senior faculty members in the humanities who are NOT from departments in which there are applicants -- to use as the main basis for selection your past College Form course evaluations and the section on teaching from your most recent official review letter at Kenyon
if you are in the process of completing your pre-tenure review:
that you grant permission to the selection committee -- which includes the Provost and three senior faculty members in the humanities who are NOT from departments in which there are applicants -- to use as the main basis for selection your past College Form course evaluations, the section on teaching from your most recent official review letter, and student letters being submitted for your pre-tenure review.
if you have not yet begun your pre-tenure review:
that you grant permission to the selection committee -- which includes the Provost and three senior faculty members in the humanities who are NOT from departments in which there are applicants -- to use as the main basis for selection your past College Form course evaluations, the section on teaching from your most recent official review letter, and student letters of support solicited by Pamela Faust (you will be asked to provide the names of ten past students, just as you would for your pre-tenure review)

Some of these procedures and criteria may seem unusual, but the foundation requires that decisions about who gets these awards be based ENTIRELY on teaching excellence rather than on scholarship, citizenship, or grant proposals.

Last Updated: 6-4-09 Prov/pf