Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs Predoctoral, Dissertation and Postdoctoral Awards Administered by the Fellowships Office Nat’l Research Council of the National Academies Keck 576 500 Fifth ST NW Washington, DC 20001 202.334.2872
Program Goals Through its fellowship programs, 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.
Eligibility
• • • •
U.S. citizen or national Stated commitment to diversity Studying a research-based discipline Intend to pursue a career in research and teaching
Field of Study • Research-based fields • Sciences, social sciences, or humanities • Additionally, education for dissertation and postdoctoral • Ineligible: Medicine, Law, Social Work, Public Health, Information Science, or other practice-based disciplines
Predoctoral Specifics • Must be near the beginning of graduate study • “Verification of Predoctoral Status” form signed by adviser if already in grad school • GRE: Not required Applicants not yet accepted to graduate school may submit them if desired
Dissertation Specifics • Must be ABD (all requirements completed except for dissertation) • A form signed by the advisor required • Should plan to complete dissertation by December 2012
Postdoctoral Specifics • PhD or ScD must be completed by deadline or within last 7 years • Host Institution
Predoctoral Benefits 40 fellowships $20,000 per year $2,000 cost-of-education allowance Three years of support Expenses paid to attend at least one Conference of Ford Fellows • Ford Liaisons • • • • •
Dissertation Benefits • 20 fellowships • $21,000 for one year • Expenses paid to attend at least one Conference of Ford Fellows • Ford Liaisons
Postdoctoral Benefits • 18 fellowships • $40,000 per year • $1,500 employing institution allowance, to be matched by employing institution • Expenses paid to attend at least one Conference of Ford Fellows • Ford Liaisons
Conference of Ford Fellows A select group of high-achieving scholars from diverse backgrounds •Networking with peers and elders •Meetings with university & academic presses •Career advancement workshops •Interaction with established & emerging scholars in diverse fields
Simple Things • Start early • Follow instructions • Content and technical help available through the Web site • Be consistent in narrative parts of application • Proofread • Cultivate your letters of reference
Letters of Reference • An e-mail address must be provided for each referee • Applicants click a button in the application to send a sign-on and password to referees • Letters must be submitted on-line • Completeness of file may be checked on-line
Proposed Plan of Study • Describe long-range goals • Start early so you can revise • Show it to your adviser, faculty member, etc. • Be concise and specific • Avoid excessive jargon • Use a 12-point Times New Roman font
Statement of Previous Research • Particularly important in sciences and social sciences • Mention all undergraduate research experiences • Explain how your experience prepares you for graduate study
Personal Statement Address all of the following that apply: • 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 ability to bring this asset to learning, teaching and scholarship at the college or university level
Personal Statement (cont.) • Likelihood of using the diversity of human experiences as an educational resources in teaching and scholarship • Membership in one or more of the underrepresented groups whose representation in the American professoriate has been severe and longstanding
Annotated Bibliography • Requested for all Dissertation and Postdoctoral applicants • One to three sentence description of ten key references for your proposed plan • For fields not accustomed to using bibliographic references – one-page essay of importance of research to field may be submitted
On-Line Application http://national-academies.org/fellowships
1. Complete required forms and upload essays 2. Each essay should be saved as a separate file 3. Essays in excess of the stated limits cannot be uploaded 4. BE SURE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION!
Good Luck! To Contact the Fellowship Office: 202-334-2872 infofell@nas.edu http://nationalacademies.org/fellowships