JSU Center for University Scholars

The University Scholars Program nurtures research and scholarship by tenure-track faculty members and encourages submission for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Specifically, the program competitively awards grants to fund research activities; provides graduate assistants to facilitate research; requires participants to work with mentors and participate in group meetings and provides opportunities for presentation of research through travel grants and a mandatory campus symposium. Participants devote themselves full time to their research project and submit their manuscripts for their research projects to the Center.

Eligibility

All full-time faculty members are eligible to apply. Previous University Scholars recipients are eligible to apply. However, the Center privileges the applications of those who have not received the University Scholars grant previously.

Benefits

Each successful applicant receives

Summer salary of $10,000
Supplies and equipment up to $4,000
Travel expenses up to 1,250 for project-related work
Graduate assistantship (For enrolled full-time JSU graduate students only)/li>

Expectations

In short, the Center expects each scholar to make a substantial contribution to his or her field or discipline with the research project and dissemination of its findings in publications and presentations. Specifically, the university scholar must devote himself full-time to the research project during June and July of 2009; submit a working draft of the paper to the Center by October 1, present his or her work at the annual symposium in early November 2009 and submit the paper for publication in peer-reviewed journals by Spring 2010.

Previous Summer Scholars have examined the potential for particular plant extracts to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells, the uses of hybrid iterated function systems to more accurately model natural objects, the relationship between incidents of depression in parents and children and childhood obesity, explanations for wage differentials between African-American men and women, patterns of federal judicial decision-making on pregnancy-related matters, the relationships between multi-party electoral systems and electoral volatility and mothering effects in a Dorothy West novel.

Application

In order to apply one must be a full-time faculty member at Jackson State University who will not have teaching or external research duties during the summer of 2009. (The Center encourages applications from faculty members who have not received research assistance from the Center in the last two years.) Graduate students may apply only in collaboration with an eligible faculty member. The deadline for the Class of 2009 is September 19, 2008.

Complete the application form online. Applicants must still have the reference letter and support letter sent to the Center. An Adobe .pdf version of the application is available by request, please e-mail jsucus@jsums.edu.

Deadline

The deadline has been extended to September 19, 2008.

Evaluation Criteria

The Center's internal and external review panels will evaluate research proposals on the following bases: (1) the importance of the subject matter, (2) the clarity and coherence of the project description, (3) the feasibility of the project for the time allotted and (4) the potential for contributions to the discipline(s) and scholastic community. Proposals are evaluated with a double-blind process.