The New Scholar Series has concluded.

We are no longer accepting proposals for this program

Creating Connections Consortium (C3): A partnership to strengthen diversity and innovation through enhanced interactions between liberal arts colleges and research universities

C3 Partners: Bates College, Connecticut College, Middlebury College, Williams College; Columbia University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Michigan

Other LADO Schools (eligible for C3 Affiliate status): Amherst College, Berea College, Bowdoin College, Bucknell University, College of the Holy Cross, Davidson College, Denison University, Dickinson College, Furman University, Gettysburg College, Hampshire College, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Lawrence University, Lewis and Clark College, Muhlenberg College, Oberlin College, Providence College, Reed College, Sarah Lawrence College, Skidmore College, Smith College, St. Olaf College, Trinity College, Union College, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Whitman College

Summary: C3 seeks to address the challenges of diversity in higher education by building capacity, investing in talented graduate students and faculty from underrepresented groups, and creating and nurturing connections between partners interested in institutional change. One of the goals of C3 is to disrupt a negatively-reinforcing cycle whereby colleges fail to recruit and retain faculty members from underrepresented groups. This cycle limits an institution’s ability to provide students from underrepresented groups with role models and mentors, which results in fewer minority students aspiring to careers in academia and public service. Breaking the cycle can help an institution support pathways to the academy for groups historically underrepresented and underserved, as well as diversify the curricular and co-curricular offerings at the institution. In addition to providing more robust mentorship for students from underrepresented groups at predominantly white institutions, breaking the cycle results in more inclusive classrooms and campus spaces for all students.

The C3 New Scholar Series is a new mechanism to introduce junior scholars (graduate students and recent PhDs) from underrepresented groups to liberal arts colleges and to facilitate the diversification of candidate pools at affiliate LADO schools. Affiliate schools may apply for funding to support short-term campus visits of junior scholars from any graduate institution. The opportunity to host these visits will be extended to departments and interdisciplinary programs that seek new perspectives on their curricular offerings and pedagogy and that see value in engaging Ph.D. (or other terminal-degree) candidates from underrepresented groups in this pursuit. Preference will be given to departments that anticipate making tenure-track hires in the near future.

The New Scholar Series is restricted to fields supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, specifically the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Also, invited scholars must not already hold a tenure-track appointment and may not have held a terminal degree for more than five years. We particularly encourage liberal arts colleges to include new scholars from Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, and Michigan. Please be in touch with the representatives listed below to brainstorm strategies for reaching scholars in the appropriate fields.

• Dana Bozeman, dbozeman@uchicago.edu
• Dr. Celina Chatman Nelson, ccn2122@columbia.edu
• Dr. Alberto Ledesma, aledesma@berkeley.edu
• Dr. Laura Schram, lnschram@umich.edu 

Departments or interdisciplinary programs will define the duration and parameters of each visit, balancing the need to introduce new scholars to life at a liberal arts college with opportunities for faculty to engage with these junior scholars. (eg: research presentations, coffee with students, dinner with any other invited scholars, campus tours, class visits, meetings with senior faculty, opportunities to workshop CVs and cover letters, etc.). The New Scholar Series is inspired by other programs of the same name at Reed College and Bates College, where junior scholars have presented their work in day-long symposia. Institutions may prefer to host a lecture series over some weeks or months or to propose another format entirely. See here for some examples.

Be sure to consult the Application Guidelines and Criteria for Evaluation prior to submission.

• Please submit your three-page proposal and the CAO’s letter of support in a single PDF document to C3 Director Rachel Hynson at rhynson@c3transformhighered.org.
• Notifications will be made in 1-2 months. Approved funds must be spent within 12 months and will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts and follow-up report.

> New Scholar Series description
> Call for Proposals
> Application Guidelines
> Criteria for Evaluation