Research Support

Each spring, supported by our partners in the Syracuse University Office of Research, Syracuse University Libraries, and the Syracuse University Bookstore, the Humanities Center showcases books published by Syracuse University authors in the previous year. Complete the book survey at our Forms page, to submit your information.

• The Syracuse University Humanities Center offers four Faculty Fellowships each year (3 for A&S faculty; 1 for Maxwell faculty) encouraging humanities research.
• Lender Center Fellowships support a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems, and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.
• SU Libraries Special Collections Resource Center Faculty Fellowships support innovative curriculum development and ideas for transforming the role of special collections in university instruction.
• Syracuse University Art Museum and Renée Crown University Honors Program offers a Faculty Fellows Program; check their Opportunities page each spring for updates.
• Engaged Humanities Network (EHN) initiatives support collaborative research through a summer fellowship program that pairs faculty, graduate, and undergraduate researchers with humanities partners in community museums, cultural centers, historical societies, research centers, etc.
• Maxwell's Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI) invites fellowship applications from faculty across campus interested in exploring emerging technologies from socio-historical, cultural-humanistic, political-economic, conceptual-philosophical, aesthetic-creative, or legal-ethical perspectives.

• Syracuse University Humanities Center funding opportunities:
  • Apply for funds to host renowned humanities scholars in residence via our Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Humanities, offered biennially.
  • Apply for funds to support public-facing humanities lectures, performances and workshops via Syracuse Symposium: the call for proposals typically launches in November, with an early March deadline.
  • Modest support is available for humanities programming, workshops, book talks, and more via our rolling co-sponsorship funds: apply on our Forms page
  • Central New York Humanities Corridor, an 11-institution regional research consortium housed at the Syracuse University Humanities Center, reviews funding proposals each spring for faculty-driven collaborative activities
• Faculty Creative Activities and Research (FCAR) is an intramural grant program offering up to $5,000 for one-year projects in order to support new research and creative endeavors and increase high-quality scholarly output by faculty. A twice-annual funding cycle will roughly align with projects starting in the fall and spring semesters.
• WRAP Funding is an internal grant opportunity offered jointly by the Humanities Center and Office of Research to support faculty in covering costs associated with “wrapping up” their single-author book projects.
• The College of Arts and Sciences invites proposals for annual Ray Smith Symposium funding (open to Arts and Sciences and Maxwell faculty only).

• Office of Research includes:
  • The Office of Research Development - to help develop grant, fellowship, and funding proposals, plus many workshops and trainings
  • Office of Sponsored Programs - to ensure that applications comply with an external sponsor’s requirements and award conditions
  • SOURCE - which supports faculty working with undergraduate research assistants
• Syracuse University Corporate and Foundation Relations facilitates fund-seeking from humanities foundations
• The NCFDD provides individuals from Syracuse University (as a member institution) with a free personal account to access its full range of services and resource library
• Syracuse University Libraries Research Guides include:
  • Arts and Humanities funding directories
  • Digital Humanities resources
  • The Humanities Center’s Books in the Humanities annual showcase of SU authors
  • Open Access publishing support: Open Scholarship Librarian Dylan Mohr

Browse helpful resources discussed and shared during our most recent "Open Access Book Publishing" info session (Dec. 14, 2023).

Contact Dylan Mohr, Open Scholarship Librarian at Syracuse University Libraries with your questions.

The Judith C. and Eric Mower Faculty Commons features 5,000 square feet of welcoming space accessible to faculty with RFID-enabled ID cards. Located in Bird Library Room 548, the area can accommodate a variety of seating for independent work, casual gatherings or structured meetings with colleagues. Consult the Library's scheduling page for more info.

The Office of Research Development in the Office of Research can assist faculty with funding opportunity searches or proposal development support. Many schools and colleges offer internal funding programs and other support for research development activities.

• In The College of Arts and Sciences...
  • Editorial Support: CAS provides modest subvention towards almost all upcoming books, Generally, the subvention funds indexing and rights acquisition. Standard subventions range up to $1,500. Because funds are limited, faculty are encouraged to use their research bourses. Please reach out to srworkma@syr.edu.
    Contact Sarah Workman, Assistant Director, Research Development (Humanities)
  • Manuscript Development Workshop support enables full-time, tenure-track or tenured members of the Syracuse University College of Arts & Sciences who are close to completing a book-length manuscript to benefit from a virtual discussion of the project by three senior, external scholars in their field. The invited scholars, selected by the Syracuse University faculty member, receive an honorarium of $1,000 in return for a commitment to read and comment on the manuscript.
  • Editorial Support: CAS provides modest subvention towards almost all upcoming books Generally, the subvention funds indexing and rights acquisition. Standard subventions range up to $1,500. Because funds are limited, faculty are encouraged to use their research bourses. Please reach out to srworkma@syr.edu.
  • Contact Sarah Workman, Assistant Director, Research Development (Humanities)
• In The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs...
  • Visit the Internal Funding Programs page of Maxwell's Research-Home site on Answers.
  • Contact Elizabeth Lance, Director of Research
• In The Newhouse School of Public Communications...
  • Contact Kristen Northrop, Assistant Director, Research and Creative Activity, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• In the College of Visual and Performing Arts...
  • Visit VPA's Research Resources for an updated list of offerings.
  • Contact Seyone Lee, Associate Professor School of Design and VPA Office of Academic Affairs
• Undergraduates can reach out to Melissa Welshans, Assistant Director, Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA).
• Graduate students can reach out to Dan Olson-Bang, Director, Professional and Career Development, Office of Graduate Professional and Career Development.

• The Syracuse University Humanities Center offers two Dissertation Fellowships annually for students completing PhDs in ENG, REL, PHIL, and CCR
• The College of Arts & Sciences houses the Engaged Humanities Network (EHN) whose initiatives include opportunities for undergraduate researchers.
• The Syracuse University Art Museum offers graduate student internships
• Syracuse University Humanities Graduate Mentoring Program facilitates connections between current humanities graduate students, SU graduate alumni, and humanities Ph.D.-holders working in the Syracuse area to highlight varied career paths that can be pursued with a humanities Ph.D.
• Office of Graduate Professional and Career Development supports students at every stage of their graduate and postdoctoral programs at Syracuse University
• Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising collects information about nationally competitive fellowship and scholarship opportunities; helps students identify scholarship opportunities appropriate to their interests and backgrounds; and assists them through all stages of the application process
• Writing Center/Graduate Editing Center consults graduate students in any stage of the writing process, with free editing and proofreading available

• The NCFDD provides individuals from Syracuse University (as a member institution) with a free personal account to access its full range of services and resource library
• Imagine PhD is a free career exploration and planning tool for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences
• Beyond the Professoriate helps grad students and Ph.D.s translate their education into meaningful careers in academia or beyond, offering 1:1 coaching, support for grant and fellowship applications, and consultations for writing resumes and academic job market documents
• Next Generation Dissertations, housed within Knowledge Commons, offers examples and guidance on creative, revolutionary approaches to doctoral projects in the humanities.

• National Endowment for the Humanities offers a range of grant and fellowship programs on their Division of Research Programs page.
• American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) offers fellowships and resources
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awards grants in areas of Higher Learning; Arts and Culture; Public Knowledge; and Humanities in Place. As with many private foundations, faculty interested in pursuing Mellon opportunities should work with Syracuse University Corporate and Foundation Relations.
• Folger Institute fosters advanced research in the early modern humanities through its Shakespeare Library (Syracuse University is a member institution)
• Hall Center for the Humanities maintains a nationwide list of funding and fellowship opportunities for faculty and grad students
• Humanities New York traditionally supports community engagement projects

• Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) supports digital research and teaching across all arts and humanities disciplines
• Digital Humanities Now showcases an experimental collection of informally published digital humanities scholarship
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s Office of Digital Humanities offers funding for DH institutes
• NYU’s Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies offers many resources, including a syllabus
• Syracuse University’s Digital Humanities resources page updates tools and info from the field

• CNY Humanities Corridor, one of the nation’s first multi-institutional humanities research consortia, inspired similar multi-institutional programs such as Humanities Without Walls and the New England Humanities Consortium
• New Directions in the Humanities Research Network develops innovative practices within humanities traditions via conferences, journal and book submissions, and other practical engagement opportunities
• National Endowment for the Humanities’ Collaborative Research Grants initiative offers significant funding for projects with tangible, sustainable outcomes
• Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) provides advocacy and networking via funding programs and annual international conference

• National Humanities Alliance advocates for the humanities on campuses, in communities, and on Capitol Hill
• 4Humanities focuses on the international digital humanities community
• Center for Humanities Communication is a growing repository of exchanged tips, tools, and other shareable resources
• Federation of State Humanities Councils provides leadership, advocacy, and a national conference for its member organizations across the states
• Humanities New York supports use of the humanities in programs and activities that address social and cultural concerns across the state
• Humanities for All showcases thousands of examples of publicly engaged humanities work at colleges and universities across the United States
• Humanities Indicators provides tools and information for researchers and policymakers addressing concerns in various fields
• MLA Commons provides open access scholarship and teaching materials

As noted at the top of this page...

The Engaged Humanities Network (EHN) is committed to the pursuit of more inclusive, interconnected, and just communities and institutions. Toward these ends, the network seeds, supports, and fosters exchanges across publicly engaged research, teaching, and creative projects.

• Arts at Syracuse University, the administrative home for several campus galleries included below, celebrates and explores the visual and electronic arts through exhibitions, publications, public presentations, education, and scholarship
• Community Folk Art Center develops and promotes creative artists of the African Diaspora
• La Casita Cultural Center advances civic engagement through education, research, cultural heritage preservation, media, and the arts
• Light Work/Community Darkrooms supports emerging and under-represented artists through residencies, publications, exhibitions, a community-access digital lab facility, and other projects
• Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service provides institutional leadership for experiential learning through community engagement
• Photography and Literacy (PAL) Project connects SU students with Syracuse City Schools students to develop photography, video, audio recording and writing projects
• Point of Contact Gallery celebrates diversity and the exchange of ideas through the verbal and visual arts
• Skä·noñh-Great Law of Peace Center shares histories of the native peoples of central New York, told through the lens of the Onondaga Nation, the spiritual and political center of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
• Special Collections Research Center collects and preserves rare books, manuscripts, and other primary source materials for learning and research
• Syracuse University Art Museum is a teaching space that acquires and preserves important works to serve as a museum-laboratory for exploration, experimentation, and discussion
• Syracuse University Office of Community Engagement provides students, faculty and staff with authentic engagement opportunities that allow them to interact with the world around them
• Urban Video Project curates outdoor public presentations of film, video, and moving image arts, in partnership with the Everson Museum of Art and Onondaga County

More than one-third of humanities PhDs pursue a career beyond the college classroom over their lifetime. Public Pathways: Lessons about PhD Careers from 10 Years of Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows provides insights into some of those career paths through the lens of the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program (2011–2022)—a postdoctoral fellowship that placed nearly 200 humanities and interpretive social sciences PhDs in two-year positions in a variety of government and nonprofit organizations across the United States.