APPLICATION INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
Please review the eligibility criteria for participation in NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes as an NEH Summer Scholar.
NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes allow K-12 teachers an opportunity to enrich and revitalize their teaching through the study of humanities topics that bear upon K-12 education. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the program, but the programs are not intended to duplicate graduate-level courses.
Each seminar provides an intimate and focused environment in which sixteen participants (NEH Summer Scholars) study a specific humanities topic under the guidance of one or two established scholars. Seminars have few, if any, visiting faculty. They emphasize sustained interaction among the participants and director(s) through discussion of common readings, conversations about teaching, and advising on independent projects.
Each institute allows twenty-five to thirty-six participants (NEH Summer Scholars) to pursue an intensive program of study under a team of scholarly experts, who present a range of perspectives on a humanities topic. Participants and scholars mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching of the topic.
Please Note: In any given year, an individual may apply to two Seminars or Institutes, but may attend only one.
SELECTION CRITERIA
A selection committee is comprised of the project director and two or more colleagues, at least one of whom is a K-12 teacher. They evaluate all complete applications to select a group of NEH Summer Scholars and identify alternates.
Application essays should explain how the specific program will benefit the participant professionally. They should, therefore, address the following:
1. your effectiveness and commitment as a teacher/educator;
2. your intellectual interests as they relate to the topic of the seminar or institute;
3. your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the program;
4. evidence that participation will have a long-term impact on your teaching.
Please Note: While recent participants are eligible to apply, selection committees are charged to give first consideration to applicants who have not participated in an NEH-supported seminar, institute, or workshop in the last three years (2015, 2016, 2017). Additionally, preference is given to applicants who would significantly contribute to the diversity of the workshop.
STIPEND, TENURE, AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD
Each participant will receive a stipend according to the duration of the Seminar or Institute, whether one ($1,200) two ($2,100), three ($2,700), or four ($3,300) weeks. The stipend is intended to help cover travel, housing, meals, and basic academic expenses. Stipends are taxable.
Seminar and institute participants must attend all meetings and engage fully as professionals in the work of the project. During the project, participants may not undertake teaching assignments or professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project. Those who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.
At the end of the project’s residential period, NEH Summer Scholars are expected to submit online evaluations of the seminar or institute.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Prior to applying to a specific seminar or institute, please study the project website and carefully consider the project’s requirements. A complete application consists of the following three items:
1. The Application Cover Sheet
Ο Compete the cover sheet online at: https://securegrants.neh.gov/education/participants/
Ο Follow the prompts.
Ο NOTE: Before you click the “submit” button, save the cover sheet as pdf so you can upload it to the online application. Then click “submit.”
Ο You will be asked if you want to fill out a cover sheet for a second project. If you do, repeat the process.
Ο Do not use the same cover sheet for different projects.
2. A Résumé and References
Please include a résumé or curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages). Include the name, title, phone number, and e-mail address of two professional references.
3. The Application Essay
The application essay should be no more than four double spaced pages. It should address your interest in the subject to be studied; qualifications and experiences that equip you to do the work of the seminar or institute and to make a contribution to the learning community; a statement of what you want to accomplish by participating; and, if appropriate, description of an independent project and its relation to the topic of the program and your professional responsibilities.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
Applications must be submitted to the project director, not the NEH, and must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 1, 2018. Applications sent to the NEH will not be reviewed.
Please complete the online application
Successful applicants will be notified of their selection on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. They will have until Friday, April 6 to accept or decline the offer.
If you have any questions please contact institute coordinator Mary Katherine Sheena at mksheena@humnet.ucla.edu
Note: Once you have accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (NEH Summer Seminar or Institute), you may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT : Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. TDD: 202/606‑8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).