ISS Faculty Fellows Program
2012-2013 Guidelines
Program Purpose
The primary purpose of the ISS Faculty Fellows program is to nurture the careers of Cornell University’s most promising junior faculty members in the social sciences. The program is designed to support assistant professors in the 2-3 years just prior to tenure review, and associate professors just prior to the review for promotion to full professor. The program is also designed to create an environment of intellectual exchange and an appreciation for interdisciplinary scholarship.
Program Description
The ISS Faculty Fellows program is a one-semester, in-residence appointment at the ISS that includes an office, PC, and limited administrative assistance. During this semester each fellow is expected to spend the majority of his or her time at the ISS working on his or her chosen research project. Thus, fellows are expected to be granted one-half year of teaching release by their Deans and chairs. Each fellow is also excused from "heavy" administrative responsibilities for the semester of residency (either Fall 2012 or Spring 2013).
The ISS provides each fellow with a research grant of $10,000 to be used at his or her discretion for expenditures directly related to his or her research and scholarly activities. A general budget will be provided to the group of fellows for seminars and other expenses. Each fellow's department receives $5,000 to partially offset course reductions.
The Nomination Process
Deans are asked to nominate their most promising assistant professors in the social sciences who are within 2-3 years of tenure review, and/or associate professors in the social sciences who are within 2-3 years of being reviewed for appointment to full professor. Letters of nomination must come from the Deans, although we do suggest that they consult with department chairs to identify viable candidates. Candidates may also speak to their own Deans and chairs to request to be nominated.
Letters of nomination will be taken seriously, and they should indicate how the candidate meets the following selection criteria: (1) quality of scholarly publications; (2) level of productivity; (3) creativity of the research agenda; (4) current impact of the work; and (5) the potential for future significant contributions to the field.
Nomination letters should also explain how this opportunity will help the nominee’s chances to achieve tenure or full professorship, in what way(s) the nominee stands out compared to his or her peers, and how the nominee contributes to the intellectual environment at Cornell.
Finally, the Dean needs to indicate the nominee’s normal teaching load and the extent to which they will be excused from teaching by the Dean and chair. The Dean also needs to confirm that the faculty member is able to be in residence at the ISS during the Fall 2012 semester and can take course and administrative release during that time.
To supplement the application, the nominated faculty member is asked to submit a short research proposal (no more than 5 double-spaced pages) indicating what s/he would work on, and how the $10,000 will be spent, if granted the ISS fellowship. A current vita should also be included.
Applications should be emailed to the ISS (socialsciences@cornell.edu) by midnight on November 18, 2011. The completed application must include the Dean’s nomination letter, nominee’s research proposal, and nominee’s vita. Please send MS Word or pdf attachments. We prefer to receive one pdf file containing all 3 pieces, but will accept three individual files.
The Selection Process
Up to 10 fellows will be selected for the Fall semester 2012. The nominations will be reviewed by the Director of the ISS who, together with the Vice Provost for the Social Sciences, will make the selection based on a combination of the following criteria: quality of scholarly publications; level of productivity; the degree to which the work demonstrates creativity; current impact of the work; and the potential for future significant contribution to the field. The selection process will also take into account the ultimate diversity of the fellows group, on multiple dimensions. See 2012-2013 Fellows.
