Study in a Second Discipline

The Study in a Second Discipline Fellows Program, sponsored by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, promotes interdisciplinary research and teaching among UGA academic units by providing tenured faculty an opportunity to extend the range of their knowledge through the study of disciplines outside their primary discipline.

Fellowship Overview & Eligibility

Study in a Second Discipline Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to tenured faculty members who have established a record of scholarly activity within their base discipline and have received an overall annual evaluation of meets or exceeds expectations for the prior two calendar years. Faculty applicants must demonstrate a strategic relationship between the sponsoring academic unit and the host academic unit and define expected outcomes of studying in a second discipline.

The sponsoring academic unit agrees to 1) release the faculty applicant from instructional responsibilities for the duration of the fellowship, and 2) cover the faculty recipient’s teaching obligations without a reduction in course offerings. To support high-quality instruction, the sponsoring academic unit may request matching funds from the Provost’s Office to offset the loss of the faculty recipient’s teaching obligations for one semester.

Fellows must continue to meet non-instructional responsibilities during their study in a second discipline, including continuing to pursue their scholarship or laboratory research and reasonable service commitments to their department/college and to the university during the fellowship.

Participation Tracks

Study in a Second Discipline offers two distinct tracks for participation, a Research-Intensive Track and a Teaching-Intensive Track. For a given application and review cycle, faculty applicants may apply for only one of the tracks. Priority will be given to proposals with the promise of international collaborations.

The Research-Intensive Track gives tenured faculty release time to develop new research combining the knowledge learned through Study in a Second Discipline with the faculty member’s primary discipline. The following conditions apply:

• The proposed program of study should be for one academic Fall or Spring semester as defined by the UGA academic calendar.
• Release time funding is determined by the sponsoring academic unit’s cost for covering the applicant’s instructional load for the duration of the program of study. The cost of instructional release time must be justified by the sponsoring academic unit, and funds cannot be used to pay for auditing courses, course materials, travel to professional conferences, research costs, etc.
• The Provost’s Office will provide the sponsoring unit a 50% match of the cost of instructional release time. For the Research-Intensive Track, the proposed 50% match usually should not exceed $12,000, but may if the proposal is sufficiently justified.
• Within two months of the fellowship’s conclusion, the faculty recipient is required to submit a one-page report to the sponsoring unit and the Provost’s Office summarizing the preliminary outcomes of the Study in a Second Discipline and plans for submitting a new grant application. Ideally, the new grant application will be in collaboration with the host academic unit, but this is not a requirement.
• Within six months of the fellowship’s conclusion, the faculty recipient must submit a new grant application. Ideally, the new grant application is for a multi-year project funded by a non-profit, state or federal agency. The recipient also must provide a one-page report to the sponsoring unit and the Provost’s Office summarizing the status of the grant submission. After submission of the grant application, the faculty recipient should update the sponsoring unit and the Provost’s Office on its status throughout the review process.
• Failure to submit a new grant application within one year of the fellowship’s conclusion will result in the sponsoring academic unit returning the matching funds to the Provost’s Office.

The Teaching-Intensive Track gives tenured faculty release time to develop a new, innovative and interdisciplinary course combining the knowledge learned through Study in a Second Discipline with the faculty member’s primary discipline. The following conditions apply:

• The proposed program of study should be for one academic Fall or Spring semester as defined by the UGA academic calendar.
• Release time funding is determined by the sponsoring academic unit’s cost for covering the applicant’s instructional loaf for the duration of the program of study. The cost of instructional release time must be justified by the sponsoring academic unit, and funds cannot be used to pay for auditing courses, course materials, travel to professional conferences, research costs, etc.
• The Provost’s Office will provide the sponsoring unit a 50% match of the cost of instructional release time. For the Teaching-Intensive Track, the proposed 50% match usually should not exceed $12,000, but may if the proposal is sufficiently justified.
• Within two months of the fellowship’s conclusion, the faculty recipient is required to submit a one-page report to the sponsoring unit and the Provost’s Office summarizing the preliminary outcomes of the Study in a Second Discipline and plans for creating a new interdisciplinary course.
• Within one year of the fellowship’s conclusion, the faculty recipient must have received all necessary approvals to teach the new course as the Instructor of Record and provide a one-page report to the sponsoring unit and the Provost’s Office summarizing the status of the new course offering.
• Failure to schedule the new course within one year of the fellowship’s conclusion will result in the sponsoring academic unit returning the matching funds to the Provost’s Office.

Application Guidelines

When making an application, it is important to focus on the program’s goal of increasing interdisciplinary scholarly work or teaching through understanding and cooperation among faculty in separate, yet complementary, fields of study.

A typical proposal is usually 3-5 pages, not including the letters of support and vita. Applicants should address all requirements very carefully and concisely. The application should consist of the four components described below:

I. Proposal

• Title of the proposal (which reflects the nature of the study)
• Specify if the proposal is for the Research-Intensive Track or the Teaching-Intensive Track.
• Name, academic rank, affiliation, and email address of the applicant.
• The semester and year for the fellowship.
• For the Research-Intensive Track, applications should include specific information about a new, multi-year grant proposal that will be submitted as a result of the fellowship. Ideally, specific sources of grant funding will be identified.
• For the Teaching-Intensive Track, applications should include a new course description that will be developed as a result of the fellowship. It is strongly preferred, but not required, that the new course integrate an experiential and/or active learning component.
• Applicants should describe how the fellowship will advance the strategic goals of their academic unit.
• Applicants must propose a well-defined program of study that will contribute to their acquiring competency in the new discipline by auditing courses, undertaking independent study, conducting research or other scholarly activity with one or more advisers from the host department. Specific details must be included.
• There must be a demonstrable relationship between the individual’s primary field of specialization and the second discipline. Application for study in a field in which the applicant already is employed is not acceptable. Interdisciplinary proposals that involve two different colleges/schools or programs are strongly encouraged.
• Study in a Second Discipline provides funding for instructional release time to the sponsoring academic unit only and does not directly or indirectly provide funds to the faculty recipient for auditing courses, course materials, travel to professional conferences, research costs, etc.

II. Letter of Support from the Sponsoring Unit

• The department head and dean (or associate dean) of the sponsoring academic unit must submit a signed letter of support for the faculty applicant that contains:
  • A statement that the applicant qualifies for the program (Tenured with overall annual evaluations of meets or exceeds expectations for the prior two calendar years).
  • An assessment of how the applicant’s proposed course of study will enhance the recipient’s research impact or teaching effectiveness in the context of the strategic goals of the academic unit.
  • A brief description of how the applicant’s teaching load will be covered during the period of study. This should include a justification of the cost of compensating the instructor(s) who will assume the applicant’s teaching responsibilities during the Study in a Second Discipline.
  • A statement on the total monetary cost of the proposal and the exact. amount of funding being requested from the Provost’s Office. A clear calculation should be included. Specifically provide the following information: 1) the number of courses that need to be covered (include the course prefix, number, and name); 2) instructional cost to be paid per course for another instructor to teach the class; and 3) total amount needed to cover instructional costs. The amount requested should not be more than 50% of the total.
  • An acknowledgement that the sponsoring academic unit will cover 50% of the awarded cost of instructional release time and will return the matching funds to the Provost’s Office if the faculty recipient fails to either develop a new course or submit a new grant application within one year of the fellowship’s conclusion.

III. Letter of Support from the Host Unit

• The head of the host academic unit must provide a signed letter of support on behalf of the faculty applicant, providing sufficient detail on how the host academic unit will support the faculty member consistent with the proposal.

IV. Vita

• The applicant’s current vita.

The deadline to submit applications for the 2025-2026 academic year is January 24, 2025. Applications should be submitted in a single PDF file to Jeanette Taylor, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, at [email protected]. Questions should also be directed to Professor Taylor.

Selection Process and Criteria

Applications for Study in a Second Discipline will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the Provost. The following broad criteria will guide the selection process:

1. The need for formal study in another discipline to undertake the proposed new inquiries and the case for the second discipline being sufficiently different that the applicant could not accomplish the objective independently.
2. The potential interdisciplinary impact of the proposed outcomes to research or teaching.
3. The rationale for the selection of the host academic unit and how the applicant will interact with the host unit during the program of study.
4. The alignment of the goals of the proposal with the strategic goals of the sponsoring and host units.
5. The contribution to knowledge in the disciplines and to the university community in general.
6. Evidence of scholarly or creative accomplishment in the applicant’s discipline.
7. The potential for international collaboration.