The Class of 1960 Scholars Program was established in 1985 through the generosity of the Class of 1960, whose 25th reunion gift made the initiative possible.
Envisioned initially by College President Francis Oakley, the program brings undergraduates into close contact with distinguished visiting scholars and artists, providing insight into the excitement and challenges of advanced scholarly and creative work. A further goal is to inspire exceptional students to consider pursuing academic careers.
From its inception, the program centered on non-credit seminars and small-group interactions that enabled select students to engage directly with leading voices in their fields. While the program has evolved to accommodate a variety of departmental approaches, its core purpose remains the same: to provide advanced students with meaningful opportunities for intellectual exchange with distinguished visitors, complementing and enriching their formal studies.
Funding for the program is awarded through an annual internal grant competition open to academic units, and the number of supported proposals may vary from year to year. In addition to the quality of the proposal, award allocations will take into account both available resources and demand levels in a given year.
Proposal Considerations
Departments are encouraged to propose programming that aligns with the program’s mission and fosters discipline-centered engagement between majors or potential majors and distinguished visitors. Proposals should emphasize meaningful interaction rather than large-scale one-time events, and offer experiences that enrich students’ academic development within the major or concentration. This funding is not intended for campus-wide or public programming.
As you develop ideas, consider how the programming will connect to your department’s work and create genuine opportunities for student learning. Ideally, clear and intentional focus on academic growth will be a primary focus.
Academic units are invited to review the guidelines below as they prepare submissions. Proposals that thoughtfully reflect the intent of the original gift and demonstrate strong potential for student impact will receive the most favorable consideration.
Proposal Instructions and Guidelines:
This year, proposals are due by December 12, 2025.
This date aligns with the department and program budget deadline for 2025, which falls on the same day.
The Class of 1960 Scholars Program Online Application
Please use the link above to apply to the Class of 1960 Scholars Program funding. You will need to provide information in a few short-answer fields, upload a one-page proposal, and upload an estimated basic budget. The following information will be required in the online application:
- A proposal. Using this set of guidelines to compose the description of your proposed programming in 26-27. Include any available details about proposed visitors, activities, timing, and student involvement.
- A budget. Using this sample budget template as a starting point, please provide a basic, itemized budget outlining anticipated expenses and the total budget amount requested. The college’s guidelines on navigating honorarium costs can be found here.
Important budget considerations:
Please note that funding allocations from this program will depend on the number of submitted proposals and the total funding requested. Therefore, the available size of an award allocation may vary from year to year.
Additionally, please note that Class of 1960 Scholars award budgets do not carry over from one fiscal year to the next. Funding awarded in this application cycle is for the 2026–27 academic year (July 1–June 30). The budget will be available for use after July 1, 2026, and programming expenses must be reconciled and reported on by mid-June 2027.
Stewardship
The Class of 1960 Scholars Program is an actively stewarded gift, and donors receive annual reports on how funds are used.
Academic units that receive funding must submit a brief stewardship report upon completion of their programming. Reports should be written for a general audience and include a description of the activities supported, along with their impact on students and the department.
Stewardship reports are submitted to the Dean of Faculty’s Office as soon as possible in the spring and no later than June of that academic year. Please send the report as a PDF, Word document, or Google Doc to Assistant Dean of the Faculty Megan Konieczny at [email protected]
Funding Notifications for 2026–27
Funding availability for the 2026–27 cycle will be confirmed in the spring. As referenced above, new awards will be available after July 1, 2026.