Faculty Research Enhancement Initiatives

Grants to Promote Scholarship and Advance Ideas at HUC-JIR

The HUC-JIR administration will offer small grants for faculty members to organize initiatives for the 2023-24 school year that enhance the culture surrounding faculty scholarship at HUC and beyond. According to our mission statement, HUC-JIR is committed to promoting scholarship and advancing ideas by studying the great issues of Jewish life, history, and thought with an open, egalitarian, inclusive, and pluralistic spirit, and by advancing the critical study of Judaism and Jewish culture in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship. These initiatives provide opportunities to actualize our mission, while also broadening the diversity of perspectives in our classrooms and public conversations. Preference will be given to proposals involving recurrent convenings and proposals involving collaborations among two or more HUC faculty members and/or between faculty members at HUC and other institutions. We encourage engagement beyond academia, such as with alumni and adult learners through our HUC Connect series. Examples of initiatives include but are not limited to:

1. Multi-session initiatives:
   1. A book club on a particular theme where faculty and students periodically read a book and gather to discuss it;
   2. A lecture series bringing in scholars from outside of HUC, which might include a meal or other social gathering to foster academic community;
   3. An online lecture series that offers stipends to non-HUC scholars for presenting their work to HUC faculty (which might include scholars who do not have permanent academic positions).
2. One-time initiatives:
   1. A small in-person academic colloquium/conference bringing together a few scholars within a given field or around a given topic;
   2. A public event (in-person or online) featuring the research of multiple scholars;
   3. A campus visit by a scholar, including a lecture in a class and a lecture to the HUC community.

Amount: Three $10,000 grants for larger initiatives, such as in-person conferences, will be available. In general, other grants will not exceed $1,500.

Eligibility: Any active full-time HUC-JIR faculty member (tenure-track, non-tenure-track, blended-track, School of Education faculty/administrators) may apply for these grants. Adjunct and emeritus faculty are not eligible. Two or more people – one faculty member with another faculty member or with a student or staff member – are encouraged to apply for a program in collaboration. In general, each faculty member may only receive one Grant to Promote Scholarship per academic year.

Eligible expenses: Food, space rental, supplies, books, publicity, and honoraria to people who are not on HUC payroll are eligible expenses. Payments to people on HUC payroll are not eligible.

Timeline: Applications will be accepted during two periods: March 15-30, 2023, and August 15-30, 2023, for initiatives occurring between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Our ability to offer these grants in the future is subject to budgetary constraints.

Process: To apply, faculty members should complete this form, which asks for a one-paragraph description of the initiative, a detailed budget, goal(s) of the initiative, and an explanation of how you expect the initiative to enhance the culture surrounding faculty scholarship. Proposals will be reviewed by Vice Provost Sarah Bunin Benor and Provost Andrea Weiss. Applicants will generally be notified within 2 weeks of the application deadline. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Benor at sbenor@huc.edu.

Evaluation criteria: Applications will be judged based on their merit in promoting scholarship and advancing ideas at HUC. Priority will be given to recurrent programs and collaborative programs.

Guest Lectures

Sometimes faculty members want to bring a scholar or practitioner into their class to present a guest lecture – either someone local in person or someone remote via Zoom. Often it is possible to ask them to do this for free, but sometimes an honorarium is appropriate, especially for scholars or artists without full-time employment. Therefore, we are making a pool of money available for honoraria.

Amount: Faculty members can apply for up to 3 guest lectures per year, up to $300 for each guest lecture.

Eligibility: Any active HUC-JIR faculty member (full time or part time) may apply for Guest Lecture grants.

Timeline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from March 15, 2023, to March 14, 2024, for guest lectures occurring between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Our ability to offer these grants in the future is subject to budgetary constraints.

Process: To apply, faculty members should complete this form. Proposals will be reviewed by Vice Provost Sarah Bunin Benor and Provost Andrea Weiss. Applicants will generally be notified within 2 weeks of applying. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Benor at sbenor@huc.edu.

Evaluation criteria: Applications will be judged based on their merit in enhancing students’ experience of the course and a valid reason why it would not be appropriate to ask the guest lecturer to present without an honorarium. Priority will be given to requests submitted earlier in each semester.

Publication Celebrations

The HUC-JIR administration wants to celebrate your academic achievements! When a faculty member publishes a book or similar product (e.g., recording), the administration will organize an in-person celebration on any campus.

Amount: HUC will contribute up to $700 for each publication celebration.

Eligibility: Any active full-time HUC-JIR faculty member or administrator is eligible for one celebration marking the publication of each book (or similar product) they have authored or edited.

Location: Celebrations can be held on someone’s home campus or on another campus if they already have plans to be in that city.

Roles: The faculty member will work with the local Dean’s office to organize and publicize the event. The Dean’s office will coordinate logistics, such as scheduling, room reservation, catering, equipment, and maintenance. The faculty member will take an active role in publicizing the event.

Timeline: You may apply at any time from March 15, 2023, to March 14, 2024, for celebrations taking place between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Our ability to offer these grants in the future is subject to budgetary constraints.

To apply: To initiate a publication celebration, please email Vice Provost Sarah Bunin Benor at sbenor@huc.edu with the following information: title and author(s)/editor(s) of book (or other product), publisher, publication date, website with information about the book, the campus on which you’d like to hold the celebration, and time of year when you’d like to hold it.

FTR Enhancement for Junior Faculty

While HUC-JIR offers generous annual allotments for Faculty Travel and Research, we have established a special fund to provide extra support for junior faculty members whose research expenses exceed their FTR allotment.

Amount: Each junior faculty member may apply for up to $1,000 during the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Eligibility: Any active tenure-track faculty member who is not yet tenured may apply.

Eligible expenses: This grant is for additional expenses related to conferences, research travel, or publication preparation that are included in the FTR policy (available on our Faculty Resources page). This grant cannot be used for books, equipment, software, or subscriptions.

Timeline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 1, 2024 (funds must be used by June 30, 2024). As soon as you realize your travel and research related expenses will likely exceed your FTR allotment, you can apply for this supplemental grant. Our ability to offer these grants in the future is subject to budgetary constraints.

To apply: To apply for an FTR Enhancement grant, you should email Vice Provost Sarah Bunin Benor at sbenor@huc.edu with the subject “FTR Enhancement.” The email should include a brief description of the additional expense(s) and a detailed anticipated budget. Following approval, you will need to submit an FTR expense form with an itemized list of expenses, accompanied by receipts for each expense, to Lynn Flanzbaum at lflanzbaum@huc.edu.