Funding Proposal Guidelines

The University Lectures Committee invites faculty and students to submit proposals for funding for special projects and lectures each year. Please note: The deadline for the first round of proposals is 12 noon on Friday, November 30, 2007. The deadline for the second round is 12 noon on Friday, February 29, 2008.

For Faculty and Students

The University Lectures Committee invites faculty and students to submit proposals for funding for special projects and lectures each year. Funding is provided by the Edward W. Snowdon Fund, the Raymond E. Baldwin Lecture Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Fund for Lectures in Ethics, Politics, and Social Issues. Please refer to the guidelines below for submitting a proposal.

Purpose and Policies

University Lectures-funded events should challenge participants to think in new ways and foster the evolution of knowledge and understanding in the Wesleyan community. In order to provide for sustained engagement between visitors and program participants, events should expand the usual model of a single lecture to include longer or repeated visits and other opportunities for interaction, such as class visits, meetings with students and faculty, meals, and informal gatherings.

The University Lectures Committee welcomes proposals for funding from all faculty members. Student-initiated proposals are welcome as well. The Lectures Committee will be glad to review proposals initiated by students provided they enlist the active support of at least one faculty member, and that the student(s) and faculty member(s) submit a joint application parallel in every way to a proposal submitted by faculty alone.

Proposal Criteria

The University Lectures Committee will evaluate proposals according to the following criteria:

1. The intellectual stature of the proposed visitor or visitors.
2. The capacity of the proposed activities to spark and sustain intellectual discourse and to have an impact on the academic life of the Wesleyan community.
3. The connections that the proposed activities will have with existing programs within the University.
4. The imaginative construction of academic coursework or forums which coordinate with the visitor's area of expertise.
5. The capacity of the proposed visitor and the topic to appeal to a broad constituency within the Wesleyan community, and to the community at large.
6. A carefully constructed budget.
7. An effective publicity plan.

Evaluation

University Lectures funds are generous but limited. In order to make best use of the funds and spread their benefits over the entire academic community, the University Lectures Committee will consider:

1. The costs and benefits of each proposal: Applicants requesting large honoraria and/or transportation expenses must justify them. Is this the only person who could do the job the proposal envisions? Is there a lower-profile person with similar capabilities? What is the justification for bringing someone from a long distance? Could the visit be arranged for a time when the person is nearby?  Is airfare reasonable? Is a Saturday night stay-over possible? Entertainment budgets should be relatively modest. This does not mean that entertainment should be meager, but that applicants should not plan lavish meals and receptions.
2. Current and historic distribution of University Lectures funding: Other things being equal, the University Lectures Committee will look favorably at proposals from areas that have not received funding previously.
3. Financial support from other sources: While the Committee does not require a set percentage of expenses to be funded by other sources, it will look favorably on support from departments, programs, agencies, and foundations.
4. Interdisciplinary aspects of the proposal: Inter-disciplinary support for a proposal is not required, but the Committee will look favorably on proposals likely to interest faculty and students in different areas.
5. Promotional plan: The University Lectures office will assist with production and on-campus distribution of posters promoting funded events. Applicants should include plans to inform potentially interested student, faculty, and community groups about their events through advertisements in the Argus, area newspapers, the university's online calendar, Academic Affairs Online, campus e-mail, or other means as appropriate. Applicants should consider organizing sales of speakers' books at Broad Street Books or at events.

Sources of Funding

Raymond E. Baldwin Lecture Fund

Funding is made available from the Baldwin Lecture endowment, named in honor of Raymond E. Baldwin '16, the only person to have held Connecticut's three highest public offices – governor, U.S. Senator, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Baldwin Lecture fund is designed to bring to the Wesleyan campus nationally and internationally known figures in public affairs for formal and informal exchanges with members of the Wesleyan community.

Andrew W. Mellon Lectures in Ethics, Politics, and Social Issues

Funding is made available by an endowment grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  The grant is designed to support programs that engage the Wesleyan community in serious discussion of timely ethical, political, and social issues. 

Edward W. Snowdon Fund

Funding is made available by an endowment from Edward W. Snowdon '33 and the Snowdon family. The primary purpose of Snowdon-funded lectures is to expand, enrich, and enliven intellectual exchange among members of the Wesleyan community by bringing renowned public leaders to campus. The most important criteria for Snowdon-funded events are intellectual substance and the opportunity for community interaction with visitors.

Schedule and Deadlines

The University Lectures Committee offers two opportunities for proposals for funding for the 2007–2008 academic year. The deadline for the first round of proposals is 12 noon, Friday, November 30, 2007. The deadline for the second round of proposals is 12 noon, Friday, February 29, 2008. It is to the applicants’ advantage to submit proposals before the deadlines so potential questions may be answered and omissions corrected before the Lectures Committee considers proposals.

Proposals must be submitted by e-mail to lsecord@wesleyan.edu. A budget proposal form (.XLS file) must accompany the written proposal.

Questions and Advice

Contact Linda Secord, Director of Alumni Programs and University Lectures, at (860) 685-3003 or lsecord@wesleyan.edu.