Suggestions for Developing a Jepson Fellowship Proposal
Jepson Fellowship applications must (1) propose a substantial research project/creative project to be completed during the Fellowship that (2) would have a direct and significant connection to the applicant’s teaching and work with students at the University. It is also expected that the project would also (3) contribute to the individual’s academic discipline in an important way. The most successful Fellowship applications are the ones that address each of these separate points in a clear and interesting way.
In addition to reminding applicants to follow the specific format guidelines as stated in the “Jepson_Fellows_15-16_guide” document, the Committee on Sabbaticals, Fellowships, and Faculty Awards also offers these suggestions to applicants:
- Remember that most members of the committee will have little or no experience in your field. Explain your project as if you were writing for a non-specialist.
- Your proposal should include typical features of scholarly work, including references.
- Discuss your anticipated results relative to a detailed timeline.
Several proposals submitted in recent years have been judged as especially well-prepared, and the Committee offers these as potential models to new applicants. The proposals listed below all received Jepson Fellowship awards. The examples are used by permission of the authors:
Chris Garcia, College of Business
Segmentation and Factor Models for Enhancing Social Media Impact
Fellowship awarded for 2014-15
Courtney Clayton, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Fellowship awarded for 2014-15
Zach Whalen, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Fellowship awarded for 2013-14
Theresa Grana, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Fellowship awarded for 2013-14