Application Information

To apply to the Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars program, the successful nominee should possess the following qualities:

• An active research/scholarship agenda that contributes to the discipline and incorporates community partnerships (community can be defined broadly, including grassroots, nonprofit and business organizations; educational and governmental agencies; neighborhoods; or individuals with a common interest or identity);
• A desire to learn more about engaged scholarship;
• An interest in working with faculty across disciplines and with community stakeholders;
• The capacity to effectively communicate and disseminate the results of their research and engaged scholarship to public, academic and other external audiences; and
• A commitment to actively participating in the two years of the program, including making progress on a new or existing project and/or product related to their engaged scholarship.

Priority for participation will be given to tenure-track faculty with any length of service at UNC-Chapel Hill, and fixed-term faculty who have been at UNC-Chapel Hill for at least three years. It is a competitive application process and each application will require the written support of a dean or department chair stating support for the applicant.

Selected applicants will be expected to actively participate in Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar sessions. In the first year of the program, sessions include an initial orientation and two day-long sessions per semester. Attendance of at least 80 percent is required to receive the full funding amount and remain in the program.

Key to the success of the program is administrative support of the schools and departments involved. To ensure that there is a common understanding of the requirements for participation, we require all applicants to have their deans or chairs confirm support for their applications as well as their participation if selected.