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Faculty Senate Dissertation-Year Fellowships 2006-2007

Most dissertation-year fellowships at Research Universities, including our own, reward excellence in research alone. In this, the fourth offering of the Dissertation-Year Fellowship program described below, the University of Virginia Faculty Senate includes not only excellence in scholarly achievement as a criterion, but also outstanding performance in teaching. With a long tradition of excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level, the University is committed to the idea that the best researchers can be, and often are, also the best teachers. Ideally, the two activities go hand in hand. It is in this spirit that the Faculty Senate invites applications for the 2006-2007 fellowships. Five (possibly six) fellowships will be awarded to graduate students from across the University. These fellowships will reward graduate students who have taught extraordinarily well at U.va. while also maintaining a record of research excellence in their discipline. Applicants must be deemed by their departments to be doing important research pointing toward a productive scholarly career. They must also have established a strong record in the classroom, indicating their high promise as teachers.

Each Faculty Senate Dissertation-Year Fellowship of approximately $25,000 will provide funding for the final year of doctoral work; this amount includes tuition, fees, health insurance, and stipend. These fellowships for 2006-2007 are funded by the Provost's Office, the Curry School of Education, the Engineering School, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Please read the requirements for the award carefully, since there have been changes since last year.

Selection criteria

Applicants should be scholars who have demonstrated excellence in both teaching and research.

The selection committee will carefully consider the following qualifications related to teaching within each applicant's dossier:

  1. overall effectiveness as an instructor in lectures, discussions, studios, problem-solving sessions, laboratories, and/or mentoring.
  2. command of the subject area.
  3. skills in organizing, developing and presenting material in class or in other pedagogical venues.
  4. capacity to motivate and inspire students.

The selection committee will carefully consider the following characteristics related to research within each applicant's dossier:

  1. intellectual rigor of dissertation project.
  2. importance of dissertation work to the academic discipline.
  3. clarity of purpose as demonstrated in the abstract.
  4. clear proof that the project is well advanced.

Eligibility

Applicants must have completed all course requirements and entered candidacy for the doctorate at the time of application.

Recipients are expected to complete their thesis dissertation within one year of receipt of this fellowship (September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007). Furthermore, it is expected that recipients hold no other paid position during the tenure of the fellowship unless research-related reasons are noted and the committee approves. In mid-September of 2007 we will be asking graduate directors of the students' departments to submit a brief report confirming the completion of the dissertation within the stated time.

To be considered, applicants must be first chosen by their departments, and in no case are departments allowed to present more than three candidates. A complete application must include the following materials (using 12 point font and adhering to stated page guidelines and correct number of copies):

  • A curriculum vitae (limited to three pages).
  • A draft of the dissertation abstract (limited to two pages).
  • A dissertation chapter or a published, submitted, or in-press paper based on dissertation research.
  • A one-page proposed schedule by which the dissertation is to be completed in 2006-2007.
  • A reflective statement on teaching (limited to two pages) making clear the applicant's goals in teaching, and how he or she teaches; brief mention should also be made of the context of the teaching (for example: discussion or lab sections for a larger lecture; independent section of a multi-section course; independently taught course).
  • A summary of the student course evaluations: if no such course evaluation information is available, please explain the situation for the committee (limited to two pages).
  • No more than three letters of recommendation from faculty members:
  1. a letter from the Departmental Chair or Director of Graduate Studies certifying the student's status.
  2. a letter from a faculty member familiar with the applicant's teaching.
  3. a letter from the applicant's dissertation director.
  4. Each letter should be submitted as an original with four copies in a sealed envelope with the faculty member's signature across the seal.

No department in A&S, and no schools, e.g., Medicine, Nursing, Darden, Engineering, may forward more than three candidates.

Deadline for receipt of fellowship applications for 2006-2007: Friday, February 3, 2006

  • Send five (5) copies collated of the application, including letters of recommendation, in paper format to Frances Peyton, Secretary, Faculty Senate, Garrett Hall BO34, PO Box 400221, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904.
  • Questions about the application process should be directed to Elizabeth A. Meyer, Department of History, eam2n@virginia.edu
  • Decisions will be made by March 1, 2006.