Junior Faculty Writing and Creative Works Summer Academy

Junior faculty who are assistant or associate professors on tenure track should apply. Full-time junior faculty who are lecturers, instructors or master instructors are eligible for this program as well.  Junior faculty are limited to participating in the Summer Academy up to three times. Any junior faculty who participated in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023, is eligible to apply again unless they have already met the three-time only participation threshold.  Full-time junior faculty members who apply must be interested in enhancing their scholarly agenda through the process of writing or creating, reflecting, and receiving critical feedback in a summer-long faculty development learning community.

            The key components of the Summer Academy include coaching through the writing or creating process of a publication or creative work; interacting with peers in small accountability groups; attending required retreats; participating in brown bags to help with research, writing and overall development as a member of a learned community; and whenever possible having fun with colleagues in the Summer Academy.

            In the Summer Academy, junior faculty will commit to writing and submitting a piece for publication or producing a creative work for submission to a juried show or other exhibition opportunity, exhibition design, or a musical/theatrical recording/performance.  A small stipend will be provided to each Faculty Scholar who successfully completes the program with a submitted piece for publication or exhibition consideration.

            Although junior faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, we strongly encourage faculty from Fine Arts, Humanities (English, Classics, and Foreign Languages), History, Philosophy, Sociology, African Studies, and Afro-American Studies to participate in this Summer Academy.  The Summer Academy promotes cross disciplinary collaboration and coordination throughout the program and it is important to have these disciplines represented in the scholarly community.

            Finally, faculty members who participate in this opportunity must commit to attending all mandatory activities in their entirety. The full schedule for the 2024 Summer Academy is provided in Section 4.

Who Should Apply for the Scholar Coach Position?

Senior and mid-career faculty members at Howard University who have excelled in the following two areas should apply: scholarship and mentorship. 

The Summer Academy is seeking colleagues who have an established track record of pursuing their scholarly agenda. In addition to scholarly productivity, Scholar Coaches should also have a background or experience in patiently and successfully mentoring junior colleagues.  In other words, senior and mid-career colleagues who thoroughly enjoy and have excelled at providing mentorship to non-tenured full-time faculty are encouraged to apply. 

Senior and mid-career faculty from any discipline can apply, but those from the Fine Arts, Humanities, (English, Classics, and Foreign Languages), History, Philosophy, Sociology, African Studies, and Afro-American Studies) are especially encouraged.

            Scholar Coaches will also be required to attend all mandatory activities (with exception of peer accountability groups) and monthly Scholar Coach meetings during the summer months.  A stipend will be provided to Scholar Coaches who mentor Faculty Scholars. To be considered for the Summer Academy, the faculty member must submit an online application and an updated CV by Friday, March 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m. using the InfoReady platform.   

Apply on InfoReady at: https://howard.infoready4.com. Use your Howard University email address and password to log in (SSO).

A Successful Faculty Scholar (Junior Faculty) Application

To be considered for the Summer Academy, the faculty member must submit an online application and an abbreviated CV (only 5 pages) by Friday, March 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m. using the InfoReady platform. 

A successful Faculty Scholar applicant for the Junior Faculty Writing and Creative Works Summer Academy will possess the following:

• A current project that can be developed into a solid piece of writing ready for publication or a creative work ready for submission and review at the end of the program. For written projects, an abstract must be included with the application. For creative works projects, a project description, including materials, methodologies, outcomes, etc., must be included with the application.  If you are still collecting data during the summer program then your project is not ready to be completed during this program.

• A commitment to the writing and/or creative process;
• A commitment to submit assignments and meet all deadlines of the Summer Academy;
• A commitment to submit a final product (summer project) to their Scholar Coach and the Office of Faculty Development on or before Friday, August 23, 2024, by 5:00 p.m.; and
• Proof that the final product was submitted to a publisher or appropriate external party for the creative work to the Office of Faculty Development by Friday, September 27, 2024, by 5:00 p.m.

Each junior faculty member accepted in the Junior Faculty Writing and Creative Works Summer Academy benefits from the following:

• An encouraging environment to work on writing a journal article, monograph, or book chapter, or developing a creative work (at the Opening Retreat and at the Research Retreat where everyone has come for only one reason: to work on scholarship);
• A Scholar Coach from Howard University who will offer feedback and advice throughout the writing and/or development process for your creative work;
• Information from experienced colleagues about successful strategies to achieve scholarship objectives;
• Interdisciplinary opportunities catalyzed by faculty interactions across disciplines; and
• A network of colleagues across the University to support you beyond the Summer Academy.

FACULTY SCHOLAR APPLICATION and AN ABBREVIATED CV are due by Friday, March 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m.  

Apply on InfoReady at: https://howard.infoready4.com. Use your Howard University email address and password to log in (SSO).

Okianer Christian Dark, Esq., Associate Provost for Faculty Development

Contact at: Okianer.c.dark@Howard.edu

Co-Directors:

Elka M. Stevens, Ph.D., Department of Art, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts

Contact at: EStevens@Howard.edu

Jacoby A. Carter, Ph.D., Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences

Contact at: Jacoby.carter@Howard.edu

If you have any questions about the program or the application, then please contact either of the Co-Directors of the Summer Academy or Ms. Jacqueline C. Young, Program Manager, Office of Faculty Development, Office of the Provost, at jyoung1@howard.edu or by phone at (202) 806-2776.