Funding
Did you miss the Ford Fellowship Information Sessions, but are still interested? View this recap for a summary explaining the Ford Fellowship focus as well as suggested tips/deadlines for application materials. Be sure to consider signing up for other upcoming Ford Fellowship writing workshops, as well.
Below is a recap of the "Demystifying the Ford Foundation Fellowship Application" info sessions on Monday Oct. 29th (SHEF) and Wednesday Oct. 31st (STEM). At each session, panelists provided information about the fellowship, as well as suggestions for the application from the viewpoint of student awardees or faculty reviewers. Included in this article are additional resources for support.
Panelists (SHEF)
- Adrienne Tsikewa (Predoctoral Fellow Linguistics)
- Rosie Bermudez (Dissertation Fellow in Chicana/o Studies)
- Professor Vilna Bashi Treitler (Black Studies, Past Ford Postdoctoral Fellow)
- Prof. Miroslava Chavez-Garcia (Department of History, Past Ford Postdoctoral Fellow), moderator
Panelists (STEM)
- Ashlee Kalauli (Predoctoral Fellow in Mathematics)
- Miguel Daal (Dissertation Fellow in Physics)
- Simone Stewart (Honorable Mention in Engineering)
- Prof. Miroslava Chavez-Garcia (Department of History, Past Ford Postdoctoral Fellow), moderator
OVERVIEW
The purpose of the Ford Fellowship is to diversify the academy. See mission below. Do not apply for the Ford Fellowship if you want to go into industry. This is about support, preparation, and networking in academia.
"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."
FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTIONS
- Ford Predoctoral Fellowship: A three-year program for graduating senior undergraduates as well first- and second-year students in a doctoral program. You are eligible to apply as long as you have three years remaining before your oral exams or before you become ABD (all-but-dissertation). You will be asked to submit a form verifying your status. Deadline: December 13, 2018, (5:00 p.m. EST) Download Predoctoral Program Announcement
- Ford Dissertation Fellowship: A one-year fellowship for doctoral candidates in their last year of dissertation research and writing (with the emphasis on the writing). Deadline: December 6, 2018 (5:00 p.m. EST) Download Dissertation Program Announcement
- Ford Postdoctoral Fellowship: A one-year fellowship for recent Ph.D.s. It is meant to help junior faculty (usually in their second, third, or fourth years) to publish their first book and secure tenure. Candidates sometimes propose a second book but the goal is to help applicants dedicated to diversity secure tenure. Deadline: December 6, 2018 (5:00 p.m. EST) Download Postdoctoral Announcement
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND LINKS
- This âarticle Applying to Grants and Fellowships by Ernesto Chávez, Miroslava Chávez-García, and Luis Alvarez, is a useful reference to support preparation for grant or fellowship applications.
- These session notes are informal and general summaries based on the discussions in the two sessions about the different application components.
- To view samples of successful essay submissions related to the Ford Fellowship, you may visit the Graduate Student Resource Center in the Student Resource Building Room 1215.
- The University of Maryland Baltimore's "How to Write an Abstract," gives a thorough explanation of how to write abstracts including information, videos, and handouts.
- Upcoming Ford Foundation Fellowship Workshops.
CONTACTS
- National Academy of Sciences (Ford Foundation Fellowship Contact), 202-334-2872
- Prof. Miroslava Chavez-Garcia (SHEF Info Session)
- Arica Lubin (STEM Info Session)
- Robby Nadler (Writing Specialist)
- Noreen Balos (Funding Peer)