The Stone Center is seeking projects to support for its Beth and Daniel Okun Collegiums. The Beth and Daniel Okun Collegium Fund is a recurring award endowed by a generous gift by Beth and husband Daniel Okun, Kenan professor emeritus in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering. The Collegium Fund supports a term-long study/research project by a team made up of graduate and undergraduate students and faculty. Collegium projects are eligible for support of up to $1000.
The Collegium Fund is intended to encourage faculty-student engagement in joint study and learning activities outside the classroom. The broader objective is to support the academic mission of the University by enhancing the academic collaboration on campus.
A funded study group will engage in a term-long or longer project in Africana studies (i.e., African-American, African, Afro-Latin, etc.) without regard to methodical or theoretical perspective. Projects may be undertaken in study or other group format where key or critical issues may be examined in-depth over the course of the term. Examples of other projects may include preparation of collaborative articles or publications or the preparation of a panel presentation for a conference or other academic gathering. Since the Okun Collegium Fund is interested in promoting collaborative study by a wide range of constituencies, the selection committee is encouraging the submission of innovative proposals.
Any project that provides for an intellectually stimulating and critical experience for faculty and students is eligible, providing it meets the general criteria of the Okun Collegium Fund.
Recipients of the Okun Collegium Fund are not expected to produce a formal product but will be required to provide a brief report of the group’s activities once the support period has ended.
General Criteria
All proposed projects must address some aspect of African descendant communities in the diaspora, or in Africa as a central concern of their collegiums. African descendant communities in the diaspora, for the purposes of this fund, are identified as areas, or collectives of people, outside of the African continent (including island states generally considered to be a part of the region). Under this definition, any of the states of Africa are eligible topic areas, as are most of the nation-states in the Americas. In addition, African descendant communities in Europe, South Asia, etc. are also eligible topic areas. Project questions and discussion topics can vary in disciplinary or interdisciplinary context but must focus on the geographic or socio-cultural communities mentioned above.
Collegium funds may not be used to fund travel to conferences, purchase equipment or other durable goods, purchase food or beverages, or support an ongoing research project of any of the collegium’s members. Legitimate expenditures include purchases of study materials, including books or other published materials, purchases of films and other recorded material, modest honoraria for speakers, and similar expenditures. The Okun Collegium Fund is not intended to support the individual research of a faculty member or the required curriculum-related work of student participants. Proposals that demonstrate a broad reach across departments and disciplines will be given the highest consideration.
Application Requirements
Applicants should submit a brief proposal of 2-3 pages that states the subject matter of the proposed collegium project, the objectives of the project, the intended activities, and the proposed members of the collegium. Please provide a one-page vita or resume for each member listed and attach it to your proposal. Attach a simple budget that shows how collegium funds will be used. You should note in your application if your collegium intends to meet regularly and would like to reserve a space in the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.
Funds will be available at the beginning of the fall term and will be administered through the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. The deadline for receipt of applications for fall semester is September 16, 2016. Awards will be announced on September 23, 2016. Awards may be carried over till the spring term. If you have general questions, contact Joseph Jordan, Director, at 962-9001.
Applications should be sent to:
Beth and Daniel Okun Collegium Fund Committee
CB#5250, 150 South Rd.
The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5250
Or via email: stonecenter@unc.edu