Posted October 15, 2014

President Theobald ‘plants’ new arts and humanities seed grants for Temple faculty

Fueling a new age of creativity at Temple

Joseph V. Labolito
President Neil D. Theobald has announced a new $500,000 seed-grant program to foster faculty research, scholarship and creative activity in the arts and humanities.

At his first State of the University address to Temple University’s Faculty Senate on Tuesday, President Neil D. Theobald announced a new $500,000 seed-grant program to foster faculty research, scholarship and creative activity in the arts and humanities.

The Executive Office of the President will provide $250,000 annually for the arts and humanities seed-grant program for two years. Theobald told faculty members the university will aggressively seek additional funding from foundation partners.

The goal, Theobald said, is to build on one of Temple’s core strengths—the faculty’s energy and creativity.

“Temple has a world-class reputation in the humanities and in the studio and performing arts. That reputation was built by our innovative faculty members,” he said. “This seed-grant program is intended to capitalize on the momentum they have created and nurture even more outstanding faculty work.”

Theobald added that the seed grants in the arts and humanities are intended to function like startup funds, incubating faculty members’ new ideas, emerging scholarship and innovation in the arts and the humanities in their earliest stages. Seed-grant-fueled projects could later earn highly competitive additional funding from federal and state agencies, nonprofit foundations, private donors, and other sources.

“I am investing $250,000 a year from my office reserves for the next two years with one goal in mind: fueling a new age of creativity at Temple whose impact will be felt around the state and nation,” Theobald told faculty members gathered in Alter Hall.

“The goal is to spur books and monographs, conference presentations, art exhibitions, and performances of various kinds that highlight the excellence of our arts and humanities faculty,” Theobald said. “I also foresee journal articles, new works of art, musical compositions, novels, short stories, poems, films and videos.”

Temple faculty members will be able to use seed-grant funds individually or as a group to support creative works, media or performances; gather experts together to make a major contribution in their field; and travel to pursue scholarship or creative activities. Individual grants will be up to $15,000; group grants will be up to $30,000.

Full-time faculty in any Temple school or college are eligible, including faculty members who are not in schools and colleges traditionally associated with the arts and humanities.

A call for proposals will come from the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research (OSVPR)—the Temple unit managing the program—later this fall. Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty committee comprised of experts in the arts and humanities.

Submissions for the first round of seed grants will be due on Feb. 1, 2015; awardees will be announced on March 1, 2015.

More information will be available soon at the OSVPR’s website.