Goals and outcomes

The initiatives are designed to foster multidisciplinary humanities research efforts that will raise the profile of the humanities at Texas A&M and, with them, the status of the Glasscock Center and the university as a whole.

While initiatives should include scholars from a variety of disciplines and disciplinary approaches, the Glasscock Center recognizes that collaborative research in the humanities may take a variety of forms and that different disciplines acknowledge participation in scholarly endeavors in different ways.

In consequence, a list of deliverables might include co-authored papers (with collaborators both internal and external to the initiative), a single-authored monograph, a guest-edited journal or a co-edited book stemming from a symposium hosted by the initiative, invited lectures at other institutions, an exhibition, a related thesis or dissertation by a student connected to the initiative, and collaborative and individual grants.  Critically, deliverables need to be consequences of the collaborative initiative (i.e. although only one member of the initiative may be the single author of a monograph, it is a consequence of the various collaborations that took place within the initiative).

Sustainability will be a key element for measuring the success of initiatives, and affiliated faculty should carefully consider and plan how to continue their initiative’s research momentum beyond the Glasscock Center’s funding period.

Funding and support

In recognition that different initiatives will have different needs, below is a list of examples of the sorts of activities the Glasscock Center will support for an initiative.  The list is not intended to be exhaustive, and questions about other possible activities should be sent to the Glasscock Center’s director.  Center funds can be used in combination with other internal and/or external funds.  They may also be combined with each other.  For example, an external scholar visiting Texas A&M to give a keynote at a conference can be offered a short-term visiting fellowship by the initiative.  Collaborators and invited participants may come from foreign institutions, subject to any university export control requirements.  The initiative’s funds may not be used for faculty salaries or for publication subventions.  For publication support, initiative faculty and graduate participants may apply directly for a publication support grant from the Glasscock Center.

For budgeting purposes, annual expenditures may be as high as $60,000, but the annual average should not exceed $50,000.  For example:

Year 1 $40,000

Year 2 $50,000

Year 3 $60,000

With prior approval from the Center’s director, up to 20 percent of funds may be rolled over from one fiscal year to the next.

Examples of funded activities

Funded activities might include, but are not limited to, the following list.  Initiatives are not generally illegible to apply for additional funding from other Glasscock programs.  Participants may apply separately for funding from the Center for activities that are not directly related to the initiative.

Course releases for Texas A&M Faculty.  Up to one course release per semester will be provided by the Glasscock Center (paid by the Center to the faculty member’s department at the current internal rate of the College of Arts & Sciences—anticipated to be $7,500).  No one faculty member may take more than two-thirds of the course releases associated with the initiative. To ensure teaching needs are met, any course releases will need to be approved by faculty members’ department heads. The actual cost does not need to be included in the budget, but the application should note if course releases are being requested, for which semesters, and for whom.

Short-term visiting fellowships.  To help estimate the cost and level of support the Center provides, see the current linked program.

Notable lectures.  To help estimate the cost and level of support the Center provides, see the current linked program.

Symposia or small conferences.  To help estimate the cost and level of support the Center provides, see the current linked program.

Seminar and/or speaker series.  For example, a monthly seminar on the theme of the initiative that features the research of a mixture of internal and external works in progress.

Exhibitions.

Graduate and undergraduate assistants.  The Glasscock Center has an excellent support staff that can provide assistance with reserving and setting up rooms, advertising events, budgeting, and travel arrangements for major visiting scholars.  Initiatives may hire their own students for initiative-related research, additional operational support, and major events. Estimate $16,000 per semester for each graduate student fully supported by the initiative.  This estimate includes the tuition, fees, and healthcare typically associated with a full-time Glasscock GAR, along with a stipend of $2,250 per month.  If being paid hourly, estimate $25 per hour for graduate students and $17 for undergraduates.  Please check with the Glasscock Center if you plan to hire a graduate student over the summer, as departmental expectations for tuition vary, for budgeting purposes.

Archival visits, fieldwork, and conference participation (not to exceed 10 percent of the annual budget).  The initiatives are primarily about fostering humanities research at Texas A&M for the benefit of the university community.  Therefore, the majority of funds should support activities that take place at the university.  However, some funds may be used to support travel to present at conferences as well as archival and fieldwork.

Space.  Estimate your space needs.  The Center has a number of meeting rooms that will be available to initiatives, and it can help procure larger campus event spaces when needed.  It also can make offices available to the initiative’s faculty leader, student assistants, and visitors.

Equipment and materials (not to exceed 10 percent of the annual budget).  Office operational materials, such as photocopying, electronic mailings, and event posters will be provided by the Glasscock Center.  The Center’s meeting rooms also have AV equipment, and the Center has a number of office computers available.  Any equipment purchased as part of the initiative must be procured through the proper channels and will remain with the Center once the initiative concludes.

Review process

Applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of internal and external scholars.  Selected initiatives will be announced by April 15^th.