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Taft Award Programs
Taft-Niehoff Graduate Student Community Scholar Assistantship
Purpose:
This award supports interdisciplinary collaboration on community/civic and urban-related issues for the benefit, in particular, of Cincinnati and other urban centers. The Taft-Niehoff Community Scholar will participate in the Niehoff Urban Studio, which serves to bring together University of Cincinnati faculty and students with community stakeholders to examine urban issues. This collaborative structure will provide Taft-eligible faculty members with the opportunity to engage in academic research on community/civic and urban-related issues, participate in urban planning and urban design interventions to address specific challenges, and contribute to public symposia, and disseminate their work through interactions with colleagues from the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning in a university-led, community group-driven setting. The objective of this award is to bring the perspective of Taft disciplines to bear on community/civic and urban-related research to produce multidisciplinary outcomes that contribute to a growing body of academic knowledge and provide potential tangible impacts. This award is part of the Taft Research Center’s ‘Public Humanities’ efforts.
Support:
This is an appointment award that designates the Taft-Niehoff Graduate Student Community Scholar as a graduate assistant of the Niehoff Urban Studio. The award provides a University Graduate Assistantship of $10,000, plus a 100% UGS provided through the student’s department with an additional $1,000 award upon completion of written output related to the appointment. An additional Taft Graduate Student Travel grant will be made available, if a paper associated with the Niehoff appointment is accepted at a professional conference.
Applications:
Applications should be submitted at the regularly scheduled deadlines. Applications should be sent to the Taft Office, ML 0369.
SIX COLLATED COPIES of the application packet should contain the following:
1. Cover Sheet
2. A proposal of 800 to 1200 words that outlines the applicant’s research interests related to community/civic and urban-related issues. The proposal should discuss how the applicant anticipates work connected with the Niehoff Studio will impact their research agenda and what substantive and methodological expertise the applicant would share collaboratively with faculty and students from DAAP. The proposal should include (but not be limited to) the following:
a. an outline of current or proposed research related to community/civic and urban-related issues;
b. an explanation of the relevance of a Taft-Niehoff appointment to the applicant's professional development with attention to substantive and methodological expertise;
c. discussion of previous or on-going scholarship and/or applied work and an explanation of its fit in professional literature or policy contexts;
d. a brief description of anticipated conference submission and proposed format for written output to be made available to the Niehoff Urban Studio.
3. A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s Graduate Director (or department designee) that addresses the potential contribution the applicant can make to community/civic and urban-related research and the anticipated impact affiliation with the Niehoff Urban Studio may have on the applicant’s professional development.
4. A two-page curriculum vita that has been updated within the past month.
Terms of the Grant:
To support the collaborative nature and goals of this program, the graduate student community scholar’s role is prescribed as follows:
1. Provide 20 hours per week assistantship on projects under the supervision of the Niehoff Studio Director. Activities may include participation in Niehoff studios as a teaching assistant.
2. Engage in a writing project (independent study paper/thesis/dissertation) related to or drawn directly from Niehoff Studio research projects.
3. Submission of a related paper for presentation at a professional conference. (If paper is accepted, travel would be funded under the Taft Graduate Travel Award program).
4. Provide edited or abbreviated version of written output (seminar paper/thesis/dissertation) for publication by Niehoff as part of summary document or as independent white paper.
5. Interact with Taft-Niehoff Faculty Community Scholar during the studio.
Selection Criteria and Process:
1. Applicant’s substantive and methodological expertise
2. Potential impacts for professional development
3. Previous relevant scholarship and applied work
4. Potential collaboration with Taft-Niehoff Faculty Community Scholar
The Taft-Niehoff Graduate Student Community Scholar will be selected by a committee of three members of the Taft Student Awards committee (designated by the Taft Faculty Chair) and two members of the Niehoff Urban Studio Steering Committee (designated by the Director of the Niehoff Urban Studio). The Taft Faculty Chair will serve as ex officio chair of the committee for this award category.
Contact information:
2625 Clifton Avenue
PO Box 210369
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0369
Mail Location: 0369
Phone: 513.556.0675
Fax: 513.558.7136
Email Taft Secretary at taftcenter@uc.edu.
© Copyright 2004, The Charles Phelps Taft Research Center