ISS Theme Projects
Final Proposal Guidelines
2009-2012
Below are some reminders about theme projects and guidelines for final proposal preparation. (For preproposal preparation, please see the FAQ.)
Please direct all questions and comments to Beta Mannix (eam33@cornell.edu, 254-6769). To arrange a meeting with Beta, please contact Anneliese Truame (amt58@cornell.edu, 255-3304).
Resources
- As per our agreement with all Cornell College Deans, the team leader receives one full year of course release. It is our expectation that this release will be concentrated in the second year of the project (e.g., 25% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 25% in year 3). If a project has co-leaders, it will be their responsibility to decide how to divide this fixed resource.
- Again, as agreed to by all Cornell College Deans, team members will teach no more than two courses in the second year of the project.
- All team members receive full release from “heavy” administrative duties during the second year of the project (e.g., department chair, DGS, Center or Institute Director, etc). Team leaders receive this administrative release during all three years of the project.
- The ISS provides reasonable, but limited, administrative assistance to support theme project activities, but does not provide individual administrative support.
- In addition to course release and administrative support, each theme project may submit a budget requesting up to $300,000 for project activities (see budget section below for more information). The ISS Director will determine the final theme project budget in consultation with the Vice Provost for the Social Sciences.
- Within the theme project budget, each team member is entitled to a $6,000 individual research stipend. The project member is simply asked to submit a one-page outline of their research project(s) and projected budget to the team leader and ISS Director to access these funds.
Requirements
- ISS faculty fellows (team leaders and team members) are expected to be in residence (i.e., not on leave) during the entire three years of the ISS theme project.
- Team members and leaders are expected to spend at least 50% of their time in their ISS offices during year 2 (the in-residence year).
- During the three years of the theme project, team leaders must not take on significant administrative duties (such as department chair, institute/center directorships, DGS, etc.) that would interfere with their ability to move the project forward.
- During the in-residence year (year 2), team members must not must not take on significant administrative duties (such as department chair, institute/center directorships, DGS, etc.) that would interfere with their ability to fully participate in all activities of the theme project.
- As team leaders are responsible for moving the group forward, they should be well-versed in team facilitation and leadership, be well-organized, and be able to manage administrative matters, such as budgets.
Proposal
The final proposal is composed of three parts: the project description, budget and justification, and appendices.
A. Project description
The project description portion of the proposal should include the following six topics and should not exceed twenty double-spaced pages of text.
1. Describe the intellectual core of the project and argue for its significance.
- Reviewers need to be convinced that there is cutting-edge, significant social science at the core of each theme project.
- Be sure to contextualize the project. What literatures and debates does it engage? How will the project’s research move these literatures and debates forward? What research questions do you propose to answer?
- What is your team’s methodological, empirical, and/or theoretical comparative advantage? Why have you included these team members? How does this interdisciplinary team complement and challenge one another?
2. Describe the activities of the theme project.
There are many ways for a project to pursue its intellectual goals and engage diverse audiences – and hence to spend its money. Some of the expected activities of the team include:
- Introduce the project with a major campus kick-off lecture (by the team leader) at the end of year 1
- Host a weekly research seminar for team members and affiliates during year 2
- Offer some type of course or courses, either undergraduate or graduate level (preferably co-taught), in year 2
- Bring in post-doc(s)
- Host conferences and/or symposia
- Host lectures and debates by prominent academics, public intellectuals, and policymakers
- Support individual research projects (with the research stipends)
- Support collaborative research projects among team members with additional research grants
- Close the project with a major campus capstone lecture (by the team leader or team members) at the end of year 3
Additional possible events include
- Host a film series
- Award small dissertation grants via a competition
3. Describe the final product of the theme project.
It is very important that you have at least one (preferably more) major final product, or “legacy.” Ideal final products are ones that engage all team members, that “live” well beyond the three-year theme project, and that provide stature and prestige to Cornell social science.
- Examples include a book, a series of journal articles, an edited volume, a major grant proposal, or the creation of a center or institute.
4. Identify Five Cornell team members.
Each theme project team will eventually include up to ten Cornell faculty members, no more than five of whom (including the team leader) will be selected by the proposing team leader (i.e., team leader and four others). The team is expected to span disciplines and colleges.
- As indicated above, no more than five team members (including the team leader) are identified in the proposal. The remaining three to five team members are selected through an open competition. Once the final proposal is selected, it is posted on the ISS website and all tenure-track faculty may apply to become project team members. The remaining team members are selected by the ISS Director and ad hoc committee.
- The names of the five initial team members must be submitted to socialsciences@cornell.edu by February 1, so that their availability can be confirmed with deans.
- The final proposal should describe (in one paragraph per team member) how each of the proposed team members will uniquely contribute to the project. No more than two members should come from a single department. Care should be taken to identify team members from several disciplines and units.
- As appendices, include a three-page biosketch for each proposed team member that details his/her education, relevant publications, presentations, grants, honors, and courses.
5. List potential Cornell team members.
The purpose of this list is to demonstrate that there are sufficient Cornell faculty who might join the team through the open competition. These faculty should not be contacted by the team leader.
- Faculty not selected as team members can register to become project affiliates. Affiliates will not receive course release or office space, but will be acknowledged on the project web page and invited to project events.
6. Identify external team members.
Each theme project team should identify visiting faculty from outside Cornell who would be invited for seminars or conferences – or perhaps as visiting scholars.
B. Budget and justification
In addition to a project description, the final proposal should include annual budgets and a justification of proposed expenses. It is extremely important to include a specific and justified budget. Below are guidelines for some of the items that might appear in theme project budgets:
- Honoraria for external visitors
- $750 for 1 day visit
- $5,000 for 1 week visit
- $15,000 for 1 month visit
- Postdoctoral associate
- $50,000 per year stipend plus 42% fringe for two years
- $1,500 for advertising in 5 disciplinary journals
- Graduate research assistant: $12 per hour
- Undergraduate research assistant: $8 per hour
- Individual research stipend: $6,000 per team member (mandatory)
- 2.5 day conference at ILR Conference Center, seating 50-70 (e.g. public kick-off lecture, dinner with keynote speaker, room rental, travel & lodging, meals & refreshments, honoraria): $30,000
- 1-day workshop in ISS Conference Room, seating 30 (e.g. travel & lodging, meals & refreshments, honoraria): $5,000
- Catered lunches for 16 biweekly team meetings: $3,000
- Catered lunches for 30 weekly seminars: $8,500
- Kick-off & Capstone lectures (e.g. advertising, refreshments, room rental, photography): $750 each
- 1st year off-site one-day team retreat (e.g. lunch, refreshments, room rental): $750
- Team photograph by CU Photo: $120
C. Appendices
The final proposal should include a three-page biosketch for each internal team member as appendices.
Samples
The Evolving Family, Networks, Contentious Knowledge, and Persistent Poverty theme proposals are examples of ISS final proposals that are available on our web site. Be aware, however, that the Evolving Family proposal is single spaced – proposals must be double-spaced. In addition, under the new guidelines, you may have twenty pages of double-spaced text. The public versions of these proposals do not include budget or potential visitor information.
Timeline
| January 30, 2009 |
Submit list of
the names of the 5 initial team members, including the team leader,
to socialsciences@cornell.edu |
| February 13, 2009 |
Submit final proposal to socialsciences@cornell.edu |
| March 13, 2009 |
Theme project announced |
| April 6, 2009 |
Proposals for additional team member positions due |
| May 1, 2009 |
Additional Cornell team members announced |
July 1, 2009-
June 30, 2012 |
Theme project activities |
|
Contact
socialsciences@cornell.edu
607-255-3304
148 Myron Taylor Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
|
