Application deadline: October 18, 2024

Call for Proposals: Lead Fellows (2025-28)

University Honors invites senior University of Maryland faculty from all academic disciplines to indicate their interest in becoming a 2025-28 Lead Fellow. 

Note: University Honors issues two calls for proposals each year. A second call for Affiliate Fellows (open to all TTK and PTK faculty, regardless of rank) will appear in Spring 2025.

Every year, University Honors (UH) introduces into its curriculum four new themes of contemporary and enduring significance. These themes are addressed through “clusters” of courses offered over a period of two academic years. Each course in a cluster engages the theme from a different disciplinary perspective.

Lead Fellows participate in cluster faculty recruitment (Spring 2025), develop a 60-seat Big Question course from which the theme for the cluster will be derived (2025-26), teach this course (on load) each semester for two academic years (2026-27 & 2027-28), and foster intellectual exchange among colleagues for the duration of the cluster. During this time, Fellows will receive financial, administrative, and instructional support, as detailed below.

Eligibility & Terms
  • Senior UMD faculty members from all academic disciplines are eligible to serve as Lead Fellows in University Honors. This includes tenured TTK faculty (i.e., Associate and Full Professors) and promoted PTK faculty (e.g., Senior Lecturers, Associate Clinical Professors).
  • Courses developed by Lead Fellows are offered exclusively through University Honors until the conclusion of the cluster’s two-year run, after which time they may be offered through the Fellow’s home department.
  • Two faculty members may propose to share the Lead Fellow role, with each participant teaching two sections of the Big Question course during the cluster’s two-year run. In this case, both individuals will be expected to teach the same course and to participate in all non-instructional activities.
Incentive Compensation
  • $10,000 stipend for (a) participation in Collegiate Fellow recruitment, (b) course development/update, (c) cluster promotion, (d) instruction (teaching 2 Big Question lecture sections in each of 2026-27 and 2027-28).
  • Stipends are distributed via payroll unless a direct KFS transfer is requested.
  • Additionally, Lead Fellows whose Big Question course was newly developed for UH (i.e., not adapted from a previously existing I-Series/Big Question course) are eligible to receive an additional $5,000 stipend from the Office of Undergraduate Studies when they subsequently offer that course through their home department.
Campus Recognition
  • Campus-wide visibility through UMD, Honors College, and UH media
  • University Honors Fellow plaque
  • Eligible for University Honors faculty awards and recognition
Student Engagement
  • Opportunity to mentor and recruit potential majors/minors
  • Co-curricular involvement with student-facing programming
Our Community

University Honors is a living-learning program guided by the beliefs that depth of insight requires breadth of vision, that conscientious specialization requires multidisciplinary dexterity, and that meaningful impact requires collaborative engagement. And so, our community of students, faculty, and staff pursue these aims while cultivating an environment that is safe and inclusive as well as inspiring and creative.

Timeline & Responsibilities

Spring 2025

  • Develop Big Question course and submit for GenEd approval

Fall 2025

  • Coordinated course development and collaborative theme refinement
  • Attend Provost’s Welcome reception (August)
  • Host Cluster Launch Lunch (September)

Fall 2026

  • Teach Big Question course (1 section of 60 students, with TA support)

Spring 2027

  • Teach Big Question course (1 section of 60 students, with TA support)
  • Participate in end-of-year celebration (“UH Awards & Sendoff”) (April)

Fall 2027

  • Teach Big Question course (1 section of 60 students, with TA support)

Spring 2028

  • Teach Big Question course (1 section of 60 students, with TA support)
  • Participate in end-of-year celebration (“UH Awards & Sendoff”) (April)
Support and Assistance
  • Curricular-enrichment budget for field trips, visiting speakers, etc.
  • Funding to help offset the cost of TA support for Big Question course: up to $20,000 per year in 2026-27 and 2027-28 (direct transfer to home department)
  • UH staff support (e.g., course and GenEd proposals, scheduling, enrichment logistics)
Questions

Please direct questions to Dr. Christine Jones (Associate Director for Academic & Faculty Affairs, cjones46@umd.edu).

How to Apply

To indicate your interest in becoming a Lead Fellow, please complete the Statement of Interest form and return it to Dr. Christine Jones (Associate Director for Academic & Faculty Affairs, cjones46@umd.edu) no later than October 18, 2024.