Overview
The Vanderbilt’s Global Voices Fellowship is designed to expand Vanderbilt’s global reach by amplifying the impact of faculty research through media training and enhanced strategic communications.
The program is a key recommendation from a report drafted by the Committee for Enhancing Voices in the Public Sphere, which was charged with identifying ways to disseminate the discovery and knowledge of Vanderbilt faculty to broader national and global audiences. The program also aligns with recommendations made by the International Strategy Working group report which called for enhancing Vanderbilt’s international recognition.
Fellowship Program
Through the semester-long program, the Division of Communications will work with each fellow to develop a customized communications and publicity strategy that aims to amplify the fellow’s work and profile with target audiences. The program will be highly tailored and will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following types of activities:
- Communications trainings (i.e. media interview skills, social media, public speaking, op-ed writing)
- Content development, including written and visual content (i.e. op-eds, blog posts, photography, video, infographics, data visualization)
- Media relations
- Social media engagement
- Increased web presence
- Speaking engagements
Fellowship Funding
FUNDS ARE PROVIDED FOR:
- $2500 for travel per faculty member: Travel funds shall be spent on activities and events determined in conjunction with the fellow’s strategic publicity plan. Travel funds must be spent during the fellowship period and cannot carry forward.
- 1 course buy-out for 9-month faculty
- Fix sum toward grant support for 12-month faculty
Course buy-out costs and faculty grant support funds are capped at $10,000 per faculty member. These funds cannot be used to supplement existing contracted salary.
Allowable use of funds must follow the awarded faculty member’s specific school or college guidelines.
Eligibility and Nomination Guidelines
- All full-time, VU-employed (Provost-reporting) faculty are eligible.
- Fellows must have a project or body of work that is at (or nearing) a stage for promotion to the broader public
- Fellows can be nominated by a dean, department chair or program/center/institute director; deans’ offices should submit the nominations.
- As part of acceptance into the program the fellows commit to the following:
- Participate in all programmatic activities outlined at the outset of the semester
- Stay on at Vanderbilt as a faculty member for a minimum of one year after the fellowship has concluded
Proposal Guidelines
All proposals must be submitted online using InfoReady Review, Vanderbilt’s online submissions portal.
- Project title.
- Describe why this faculty member is an ideal candidate for the Public Voices Fellowship program (300 word maximum).
- Outline the project/body of work that would be the main area of promotion/focus during the fellowship period (500 word maximum).
- Detail why communicating this work to the general public is important (300 word maximum).
- How or why would this faculty member or their work be important for advancing Vanderbilt’s global profile (300 word maximum)?
- Upload nominee’s CV.
Timeline
FALL 2019 FELLOWSHIP TIMELINE
- Fellowship overview and call for nominations announced in early September 2018
- Nominations due November 19, 2018
- Awards announced by end of January 2019
- Fellowships from July 1, 2019 – Dec 31, 2019
SPRING 2020 FELLOWSHIP TIMELINE
- Nominations due May 20, 2019
- Awards announced end of July 2019
- Fellowships from Jan 1, 2020 – June 30, 2020
Contact
For more information about the program or the proposal process contact Schyler Turrin in the Office of Cross-College Initiatives at OCCI@vanderbilt.edu or via phone (615-875-1027).