Information sessions for faculty members interested in the Public Scholars Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities will take place on October 27, 29, and 30. In these sessions, Tom Ewing, associate dean for research and graduate studies, will discuss the program, review application materials, offer proposal writing strategies, and invite applicants to a peer review process in anticipation of the December 16 submission deadline.

The Public Scholars Program supports the creation of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public. It does so by offering grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to publication. Writers with or without an academic affiliation may apply, and no advanced degree is required. The program is intended both to encourage non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books and to encourage academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers.  

Eligibility:
U.S. citizens, whether they reside inside or outside the United States, are eligible to apply. Foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years prior to the application deadline are also eligible. Foreign nationals who take up permanent residence outside the United States any time between the application deadline and the end of the period of performance will forfeit their eligibility to hold an award. (Leaving the U.S. on a temporary basis is permitted.) The Public Scholars Program accepts applications from individuals, whether they have an affiliation with a scholarly institution or not. Applicants must also meet one of the following conditions: they must either have written as sole author a nonfiction book published by a university or commercial press; or have written at least three articles or essays appearing in general-interest publications that reach a large national or international audience of readers. The articles or essays may be published either in print or electronically.

Deadline:
December 16, 2020

Information Sessions:
Note: The same information will be repeated at each session.

October 27, 3 to 4 p.m.
October 29, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
October 30, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The meeting registration for all sessions can be found at https://forms.gle/fjtnkoaRBaMJKZ2X6. The Zoom invitation for all three sessions is at https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89375797342.

For more information, email Tom Ewing at etewing@vt.edu.

Submitted by Tom Ewing, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies