Competitive Lecture Fund


Purpose

In addition to department selected lectures, the Taft Center sponsors renowned speakers to give lectures that are not only of interest to specialists, but also are accessible to non-specialists. The Competitive Lecture Fund allows Taft faculty to apply for special honoraria for departmental or interdisciplinary co-department sponsored speakers.  Requests to the Competitive Lecture Fund may be for up to $10,000, following the procedures outlined below.  Priority will be given to interdisciplinary speakers, and to very eminent departmental speakers whose requirements exceed the departmental allocation.

For each speaker, there may be $180 available to help defray receptions or meals (excluding alcohol) for the speaker, Taft faculty, and guests. Contact the Taft secretary concerning available funds.


Procedures

1. Lecture proposals are evaluated quarterly, according to the published schedule.  Proposals should be submitted at least one quarter in advance of the intended speaking date, and may be submitted up to a year in advance.  That is, a proposal submitted in the Winter of 2008-09 may request a speaker for Spring quarter of 2008-09, or any quarter during the year 2009-10.
2. It is anticipated that requests to the Competitive Lecture Fund will be made and approved before the speaker is contacted.  Tentative agreements with the speaker on the date or honorarium amounts are not required before submitting a request.  Conversely, no firm commitment of Taft funds can be made to the speaker until the Taft committee makes the award.
3. Competitive Lecture Requests may be combined with Departmental Lecture funds.  If the lecture is part of a Taft-sponsored conference, Competitive Lecture funds may be combined with Taft Conference funds.  When requesting a departmental speaker, a department which has not yet committed all of its departmental allocation will be expected to commit at least $1,500 towards the speaker.  Interdisciplinary requests, and requests from departments that have committed their departmental allocation, do not require "matching funds."
4. No more than one Taft lecture will occur on the same day, except if part of the same conference.
5. Taft lectures are held at Taft House at Stratford Heights.
6. Advertising will be done by the Taft Memorial Fund. However, departments should publicize lectures in classes, and to faculty, alumni, and the general public.
7. Checks for speakers and departmental expense claims should be handled through the Taft secretary.

Inviting and Hosting a Competitive Fund Lecturer

1. Proposals for Competitive Lecture Funds should include
   1. A completed cover sheet
   2. A short (400 word) discussion of the proposed speaker, their work and reputation. Letter should specify how this lecture meets the standard of accessibility to a non-specialists audience, provide an outline of the intended activities (i.e. conference lecture, public lecture, round-table discussion, etc) and audience (size, composition). General title and possible dates should be included.
   3. Applications should include a two page version of the proposed speaker's vita, or an outline that accounts for the quality and accomplishments of the the speaker.
   4. If other sponsors are involved, support letters from those sponsors should be included.
   5. Budget Rationale: List all budget itmes and provide a specific justification. In the case of honoraria funding, explain the level requested based on such variables as disciplinary norms, the speaker's prestige or other factors.
      
2. Proposals may be submitted quarterly, according to the published schedule.  Six copies of the proposal should be submitted to the Taft secretary, ML 0369.
3. If the lecture request is approved, contact the speaker to extend the invitation and arrange a date with the Taft secretary.  Consult the Lecture & Conference Calendar to avoid conflicts.
4. If you are inviting a speaker who lives outside the United States and is not a U.S. citizen, please check with the Taft secretary about visa requirements and payment policies.  In response to federal regulations, the University is observing new policies for foreign speakers.  These policies must be observed if such speakers are to be paid for their lectures.