CLASS Research Excellence Professorship

Overview

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is pleased to announce the CLASS Research Excellence Professorship to recognize and support significant research being conducted by tenured faculty members within CLASS at the associate level. You cannot apply for this professorship if you have started the process to be promoted to full professor.

Eligibility

• Open to tenured associate professor within CLASS
• Preference will be given to recently promoted associate professors
• Faculty members holding the rank of full professor and current members of the CLASS Dean’s Office are not eligible

Duration and Frequency

• Three-year appointment. The appointment is terminated if promoted to the rank of full professor during that time
• Budget permitting, the College will award up to three CLASS Research Excellence Professorships per year across the college

Benefits

Holders of the the CLASS Research Excellence Professorship may choose between the following two options at the time of application:

1. Teaching Load:
   
   • 2 course releases spread over the three years. These may not be taken concurrently. The timing of releases will be determined in consultation with the faculty member’s department chair
     
     OR
     
     
2. Research Support:
   • $5,000 per year (total of $15,000 over the three-year term) to be spent on research-related expenses (subvention, indexing, conference travel, research assistants, data collection, manuscript workshops, open access fees, grant or manuscript proposal reviews, developmental editing, permissions, database access, supplies etc.) Unused monies will be returned to the college if not spent in the three-year term

Application Process

Candidates should submit the following to the CLASS Research Committee.

1. Completed application form.
2. Curriculum vitae (limited to five pages)
3. Project statement (limited to 500 words) including:
   
   • Description of the research project and its central goals/claims
   • Statement of the project's significance to the field
   • Current status of the project and schedule for completion
   • Previous financial support for the project
   • Research plans for the period of the award, including any research-related travel

Selection Process

• Applications reviewed by the CLASS Research Committee
• Committee recommends recipients to the Dean of CLASS
• Selection based on:
  
  • Scholarly merit
  • Potential for research publication
  • Applicant's previous research and publication record
  • Project completion requirements
  • Status or stage of new projects
  • Prior support provided for the project
  • Potential to lead to external funding

Expectations

1. Present a paper or conduct a colloquium on their research for faculty and students during the award period
2. Submit a written, final report on the progress of their research project at the completion of the award period
3. Acknowledge with the phrase “Supported by the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Research Excellence Professorship” in all resulting related publications
4. Provide one copy of publications resulting from the award to the Dean of CLASS
5. Recipients of the CLASS Research Excellence Professorship in appropriate fields are encouraged to apply to become Fellows of the University Center for Arts and Humanities
6. Final report at the end of the three-year term, summarizing achievements and future directions
    

Deadline: March 3, 2025

If you have any questions, please contact Associate Professor Sally Connolly: sconnoll@central.uh.edu

Submit Application