Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships for Graduate Study

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Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships for
Graduate Study
October 15, 2008
Sponsored by Office of the Vice President and
Assoc. Provost for Diversity Office of Graduate
Studies Office of Proposal Development Lucy
Deckard L-Deckard_at_tamu.edu Office of Proposal
Development
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For more information

• For an electronic version of this presentation
  and background materials
• Go to http//opd.tamu.edu/
• Click on Seminar Materials then Seminars by
  Date
• Click on todays date

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Funding for Graduate Students

• Research Assistantships
• Funded by facultys research funding
• Typically funded through proposal process
• Teaching Assistantships
• Funded by department
• Teaching-related responsibilities, separate from
  research
• Graduate Fellowships
• Dissertation Grants

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Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships

• Predoctoral Fellowship
• Dissertation Fellowship
• Postdoctoral Fellowship

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The Continuum
Graduate School
Dissertation Fellowship
Predoctoral Fellowship
Postdoc. Fellowship
Finish classes
Senior Year Undergrad
1st Year
Post-Doc
Dissertation Work
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Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship

• 20,000 per year stipend
• 2,000 to institution in lieu of tuition and fees
• 60 fellowships awarded each year
• Expenses paid to at least one Conference of Ford
  Fellows
• Access to Ford Fellow Liaisons mentoring
• Application due Nov. 14, 2008

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Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship

• One-year stipend of 21,000
• Expenses paid to at least one Conference of Ford
  Fellows
• Access to Ford Fellow Liaisons mentoring
• 35 awarded annually
• Due Nov. 28, 2008

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Eligibility for Ford Fellowships

• All citizens or nationals of the United States
  regardless of race, national origin, religion,
  gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation
  (must have become a U.S. citizen by November 14,
  2008),
• Individuals with evidence of superior academic
  achievement (such as grade point average, class
  rank, honors or other designations),
• Individuals committed to a career in teaching and
  research at the college or university level,
• Individuals enrolled in or planning to enroll in
  an eligible research-based program leading to a
  Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree at a U.S. educational
  institution, and
• Individuals who have not earned a doctoral degree
  at any time, in any field.

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Eligibility - Predoctoral

• Predoctoral fellowships are intended for students
  who have enrolled or plan to enroll in a Ph.D. or
  Sc.D. program no later than fall 2009, including
• Undergraduates in their senior year,
• Individuals who have completed undergraduate
  study,
• Individuals who have completed some graduate
  study, and
• Individuals already enrolled in a Ph.D. or Sc.D.
  program who provide evidence that they can fully
  utilize a three-year fellowship award.

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Eligibility Dissertation Fellowship

• Provide one year of support for individuals
  working to complete a dissertation leading to a
  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science
  (Sc.D.) degree.
• Applicants should expect to complete the
  dissertation during the 2009-2010 academic year,
  but no later than fall 2010.
• A National Academies Verification of Doctoral
  Degree Candidacy Form is required to confirm that
  an applicant has advanced to doctoral candidacy.

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Eligible Fields of Studyhttp//www7.nationalacade
mies.org/fordfellowships/Ford20Predoc20Field20C
odes20List.pdf

• Biological or Biomedical Sciences
• Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Astronomy,
  Mathematics, or Computer Sciences
• Education (dissertation postdoctoral levels
  only)
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Anthropology, Archaeology, Folklore, Linguistics,
  Musicology or Ethnomusicology
• Literature, Language, Communication (humanities
  based) and Performance Studies
• History
• Philosophy and Religious Studies
• Sociology and Communication (social science based)

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For Any Fellowship Application

• You are selling yourself and your ideas
• What is the funder trying to accomplish?
• What are the review criteria?
• Write best possible application (focus on the
  essays)
• Gather and submit other required material
  (references, GRE scores, etc.)

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What is the Ford Foundation Trying to Accomplish?

• Increase the diversity of the nations college
  and university faculties by increasing their
  ethnic and racial diversity
• Maximize the educational benefits of diversity
• Increase the number of professors who can and
  will use diversity as a resource for enriching
  the education of all students.

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Review Criteria for Ford Fellowships

• Evidence of superior academic achievement
• Committed to a career teaching and conducting
  research at the college or university level
• Degree of promise of continuing achievement as
  scholars and teachers
• Capacity to respond in pedagogically productive
  ways to the learning needs of students from
  diverse backgrounds
• Sustained personal engagement with communities
  that are underrepresented in the academy and an
  ability to bring this asset to learning,
  teaching, and scholarship at the college and
  university level
• Likelihood of using the diversity of human
  experience as an educational resource in teaching
  and scholarship

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More Review Criteria

• Membership in one or more of the following groups
  whose underrepresentation in the American
  professoriate has been severe and longstanding
• Alaska Natives (Eskimo/Aleut)
• Black/African-Americans
• Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos
• Native American Indians
• Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesian/Micronesian)
• Puerto Ricans
• Other factors
• Suitability of the proposed institution for the
  applicant's plan of graduate study
• Likelihood that the applicant will fully utilize
  three years of support including a year of course
  work

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The Predoctoral Fellowship Application due
November 14, 2008

• Personal Information
• Statement of previous research (2 pages,
  double-spaced)
• Proposed plan of graduate study and research and
  applicants long-range career goals (3 pages,
  double-spaced)
• Personal Statement (3 pages, double-spaced)

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The Predoctoral Application Supplementary
MaterialsDue January 16, 2009

• Transcript of undergraduate work before fall 2008
• Graduate School transcript if applicable
• At least 3 letters of reference
• Verification of Predoctoral Status form
• GRE General Test scores

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The Dissertation Fellowship Application Due Nov.
28, 2008

• Personal Information
• Statement of previous research (2 pages,
  double-spaced)
• Annotated bibliography (2 3 sentences for no
  more than ten key items)
• Abstract of dissertation (1 page)
• Essay explaining the plan and timeline for
  completing the dissertation and describing the
  applicants long-range career goals (3 pages,
  double-spaced)
• Personal Statement (3 pages, double-spaced)

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Dissertation Fellowship Application
Supplementary Materials (due January 16, 2009)

• Transcript showing receipt of baccalaureate
  degree
• Transcript(s) showing completion of Masters
  degree (if applicable) and PhD/ScD transcript
  showing all graduate work completed as of fall
  2008
• At least 3 letters of reference
• Verification of Doctoral Candidacy form

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The Review Process(Ford Reviewer Dr. Mitchell
Rice, Texas AM Professor of Political Science)

• A group of professors go to Washington DC
• Organized by specialty areas
• 6 12 professors per group
• Number of awards in an area based on number of
  applications in that area
• Reviewers read reference letters very carefully
• If dissertation fellowship, one letter from
  advisor
• If predoctoral, a letter from lead professor

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The Review Process (contd)

• Reviewers read essays very carefully
• How much time and effort did they put into the
  application?
• Essays need to be precise and detailed
• Are there typos or improper sentence structure?
• Research Plan
• Do they understand how to lay out a research
  plan?
• Do they have a hypothesis?
• Do they know how to go about gathering data?
• What kinds of literature do they reference?

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The Review Process (contd)

• The personal statement
• Did they clearly identify how diversity will
  contribute to their teaching?
• Have they thought through how they will
  incorporate diversity in the classroom?
• What have they done from a diversity perspective
  thus far?

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Putting together your application

• Find faculty mentor(s)
• Faculty with whom you plan to do your graduate
  research
• Faculty in your undergraduate department
• Graduate coordinator in your department
• They will provide advice on research plan,
  critique your writing
• Ask for references early and check
• Make sure GRE scores, transcripts, etc. will be
  available on time

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References

• Select faculty who know you well and who can give
  you a positive reference (provide them with info)
• Select faculty who will give you a positive
  reference!
• Undergraduate research experience great
  opportunity to develop references
• Follow up and make sure they sent in your
  reference letter
• For helpful info, see http//opd.tamu.edu/funding-
  opportunities/funding-opportunities-by-category/re
  sources-for-faculty-on-writing-letters-of-referenc
  e.html

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Writing Strategies

• Start early and get others to edit your work!
• Write in a scholarly style
• Make it clear you understand your subject
• Make it clear that you understand the research
  process
• Clear hypothesis, goals, objectives
• Discussion of your planned approach with
  sufficient detail to show your understanding of
  the topic

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Personal Statement(from Ford Foundation
presentation)

• Express commitment to the goals of the Ford
  Foundation Diversity Fellowships program
• Describe long-term career goals
• My background
• -First generation college graduate
• -First family member to seek a doctorate
• My involvement with the community
• My academic interests how they serve the larger
  community that is diverse
• My goal as a college professor
• -Make sure all voices are heard
• -Make sure opportunities exist for all

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Previous Research Essay

• Predoctoral Describe any undergraduate research
  activities in which you participated (important
  for applicants in the sciences)
• Explain the purpose of the research and what you
  learned
• Describe how this experience prepared you for
  graduate school

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Proposed Plan of Research

• Present a complete plan for a research project
  that you may pursue while on fellowship
• Discuss how you became interested in the topic
• Demonstrate your understanding of research design
  and methodology and explain the relationship to
  your previous research, if any.

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Contact us for Assistance

• Texas AM University
• Office of Proposal Development (OPD)
• L-deckard_at_tamu.edu
• 458-4290
• 845-1811

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Our Panel

• Dr. Zulema Valdez, Asst. Prof. of Sociology (2008
  Ford Postdoctoral Fellow)
• Jeannine Paola Tamez, Dept. of Psychology
• (2007 Ford Predoctoral Fellow)
• Dr. Sylvia Manzano, Asst. Prof. of Political
  Science
• (2004 Ford Predoctoral Fellow)