Dear Colleagues,
I invite you to consider applying for a Whiting Foundation fellowship. These fellowships are available to present (and prospective) teachers (emphasis on college and university level) to enable them to study abroad or at some location other than the home institution … with the aim “to stimulate and broaden the minds of teachers so as to improve and enhance the quality of their instruction”. Most grants are for travel and related expenses with an average grant of about $5,500.
The Whiting Foundation has indicated a preference for proposals that have been reviewed by the submitting institution, so I will convene an internal review process to make recommendations for which proposals will be authorized for submission. The goals of this process are to ensure that all submissions from Middlebury are a good fit with the Foundation’s mission and are well written proposals. The review committee will also take into consideration the fact that the Foundation historically has made fewer than 25 awards each year.
The Whiting Foundation invitation is attached, along with lists of grants funded in the past few years.
If you wish to apply for a Whiting fellowship, please submit the following materials by Thursday, December 6th to Lynn Dunton via email (combined into one document):
- draft proposal (study the Whiting materials and recognize that the Middlebury review committee is assessing the overall quality of the proposal, not just your ideas)
- draft budget and justification
- CV
Although not required for the internal review process, you may want to begin thinking about the three required supporting letters. One of the letters must be from your department or program chair; in situations where that does not seem appropriate, I will invite one of your senior colleagues to write the letter.
Note: This year the actual Whiting deadline is January 25th . All applicants will be notified by December 20 and those authorized to submit proposals will then be able to contact their references and polish their proposals. A “blue sheet” (internal endorsement form) will be necessary because the funds are disbursed through the College. This can be done in January and the Sponsored Research Office will work with those selected to facilitate the process.
Feel free to contact the Sponsored Research Office staff (Franci Farnsworth and Alison Darrow) with any questions or for advice about Whiting proposals and grantwriting. Contact Franci if you want to make an appointment to read successful Whiting proposals from prior years.
Bob
Robert G. Cluss
Dean Curriculum and Faculty Development
Old Chapel 108
802-443-5025
