The Class of 1960 Scholars Program is made possible by a 25th-year reunion gift from the Class of 1960. The program was instituted in the summer of 1985 by Francis Oakley, who was then the President of the College. Originally, it was proposed that large departments consider organizing a program of non-credit seminars to bring together a select group of outstanding majors with visiting scholars or artists of distinction. The fundamental intent of the program, which continues today, is to help high-achieving undergraduates gain greater insight into the excitement and challenges of new scholarly and creative work. The college also hopes that the Class of 1960 programming might encourage more of our exceptional students to consider academic careers.
Over the years, departments have typically designated a small group of highly capable and motivated students as Class of 1960 Scholars. These students would then be given the opportunity to meet two or three times each semester with distinguished and interesting people in the field, varying from visiting scholars to department members. Over time, the model has expanded to include a broader range of proposals that meet the intention of the original gift “to invite distinguished visitors to the campus to spend several days a week working with students and faculty both in small groups and in larger public appearances.”
While encouraging academic units to be inventive in adapting the program to their specific goals, it is still required that when drafting your proposal, you keep in mind the basic intention of the program, which is for advanced students to engage deeply with their chosen field of study.
Proposal Instructions and Guidelines:
This year, proposals are due no later than Monday, December 18, 2023
The Class of 1960 Scholars Program Online Application
To apply for funding from the Class of 1960 Scholar Program, please click on the link above.
You will then be prompted to fill in summary information and attach a proposal. Your proposal should include the following information:
- An outline of the programming you hope to accomplish next year and a commitment to the intention of the program, which, again, is to help enrich exceptional students’ educational experience in your unit’s field of study.
- If specific details about your proposed programming in 2024-25 are available at this early stage, please include this information as well.
- A basic itemized budget for the programming you propose, including information about relevant expenses and a sum total of the full amount you are requesting.
As always, the size of the allocations for the 2024-25 program will depend on the number of proposals we receive and the amount of funding requested.
And a reminder that the Class of 60s Scholar funding does not roll forward from one fiscal year into the next. This means that the funding you are applying for now is for the 2024-25 academic year only (July – June), and it will be awarded to your unit with the expectation that your spending and stewardship reporting will be complete by mid-June 2025.
Stewardship:
The Class of 1960 Scholars funding is an actively stewarded gift, and the donors look forward to reading stewardship reports annually. If your academic unit has been awarded Class of 1960s Scholars funds, it is required that a brief stewardship report be submitted separately to our office once the use of the funds is complete. This report should be accessible to a lay audience and include details about the programming and its impact on the academic unit and the student’s experience.
Therefore, please remember that if your unit receives funds in the 24-25 academic year, you will need to submit this stewardship report to the Dean of Faculty’s Office as soon as possible this spring and no later than June 30, 2024.
To do so, please submit your report directly to Assistant Dean of the Faculty Megan Konieczny in document form (PDF, Word, Google Doc) via email ([email protected]).
Final Notification of Funding in 2024-25:
The confirmation of available funds for 2024-25 will occur in the spring, with new awards available after July 1, 2024.
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