Predoctoral Fellowships

For Achieving Excellence in College and University Teaching

Tentative 2008 Program Announcement
Administered by the National Research Council

EXTENDED On-line Application Deadline: November 27, 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 16, 2006),
• 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
• Membership in one or more of the following groups whose underrepresentation in the American professoriate has been severe and longstanding:

o Alaska Natives (Eskimo or Aleut)

o Black/African Americans

o Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos

o Native American Indians

o Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian)

o Puerto Ricans

• 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.

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, home economics, 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 2007, 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: $3,000
• 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

 

See this website about the Ford Foundation Fellowship for further details: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/fordfellowships/fordpredoc.html

9/2007