The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) have announced that they are now accepting grant applications for new professorships in Buddhist Studies.

The four-year grants of up to US$300,000 will support teaching positions and are available to accredited colleges and universities worldwide seeking to establish or expand their programs in Buddhist Studies. The deadline for applications is 20 January 2016 (9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time).

In addition, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies recently launched a Facebook page to provide information about its programs and fellows and an opportunity to interact with its network of scholars.

Grant Details

- Institutions of higher education worldwide are eligible to apply for grants of up to US$300,000 (to be expended over four years) in support of new teaching positions in Buddhist Studies.
- Award funds should be used only for the new professor’s salary, benefits, and research expenses, not for indirect or administrative costs, or office expenses.
- In addition, applicant institutions are welcome to request funds for costs related to a competitive search for the proposed position. The request must not exceed the US$300,000 maximum award.
- A letter must be attached to the application from the institution’s president, vice-chancellor, rector, provost, or dean expressing the institution’s commitment to maintaining the seeded position as a permanent, tenure-track post after the expiration of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation funding. At institutions without a tenure-track system, the applicant must commit to continuing in the position for a substantial period after the expiration of grant funding and must provide a description of how this commitment fits its contractual practices.
- The heart of the application is a statement outlining the proposed position—its responsibilities, departmental location, its rank, the fit with the institution’s mission and curricular plans, and the qualifications sought in potential appointees. The statement should describe the process of identifying the appointee.

Eligibility

- Institutions of higher education, accredited colleges and universities, worldwide are eligible to apply.
- The application must be written in English.
- This is a global competition. There are no requirements regarding the location of the institution or the language(s) of instruction.
- Applications must include a multi-year plan for matching at least one-third of foundation funding over the grant period, but the matching ratio need not be the same each year.

Selection Criteria

- The institution’s commitment to establishing a tenure-track position in Buddhist Studies.
- The coherence and cogency of the presentation.
- The feasibility of the proposed budget and plan for establishing the new position.
- The institution’s record in teaching and research.

Online application forms are available at http://ofa.acls.org.

See more

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation New Professorships in Buddhist Studies (American Council of Learned Societies)
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies (Facebook)
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation (Homepage)