Graduate Center Early Research Initiative Fellowships in Interdisciplinary Research in the Service of Public Knowledge
The Carnegie Foundation initiative on doctoral education uses the label “steward” to convey a role for scholars that transcends accomplishments and skills: it has an ethical and political dimension. “Self-identifying as a steward,” Chris Golde of Stanford says, “implies adopting a sense of purpose that is larger than oneself” or one’s own discipline.  Students and faculty at the Graduate Center have a rich history of conducting interdisciplinary work that seeks to enrich public knowledge and public discourse.
In the spirit of this history, the Early Research Initiative invites applications for new research fellowships for Summer 2017. These $4,000 fellowships will be offered to Graduate Center Ph.D. students from any program conducting research with a distinctive interdisciplinary turn whose main question is driven by public needs and priorities. The primary responsibilities of the award winners will be to produce a dissertation proposal or a dissertation chapter by September 2017 that will be showcased on the Provost’s website, as part of a new initiative in support of this theme. Fellowship recipients will be required to do a brief public presentation on their work and write a short essay (2-3 pages) for public posting about the value of interdisciplinarity in the service of public knowledge.  Additional opportunities for social media contributions are possible.  Recipients will also be invited to participate in a working group advising the Provost on these topics in 2017-18.
Successful proposals will incorporate one or more of the following:

• Plan for acquiring a new skill or new area of knowledge that will advance the research
• Clear explanation of the significance of the research question to public knowledge
• Clear explanation of any innovative aspect of interdisciplinary research methodology or public format (e.g., digital publishing, video, multimedia)
• Brief account of how this project relates to your progress in your program

To apply please send a detailed letter of interest describing your project that addresses the above points, a c.v., a current Graduate Center transcript (students may submit the unofficial student copy that can be printed from Banner), and a letter of support from your primary advisor. Students who have received GC Pre-Dissertation Research Awards and Archival Awards this year are not eligible. 
Instructions for submitting your application:

• Please combine the above materials (except for the letter of recommendation) into a SINGLE file (either as a pdf document or a word document).  Use the following format when naming your document: Last Name, First Name, Program
• Email your file directly to fellowshipapps@gc.cuny.edu.  Please use your graduate center email address when sending the file.

Instructions for Faculty Recommenders:

• Prepare your reference letter as a regular word or pdf document.
• Please use the following format when naming your document:  Student Last Name, First Name
• Email your file directly to fellowshipapps@gc.cuny.edu

Application Deadline: Friday, May 12, 2017, 3pm