Funding Opportunity
Solomon Katz Distinguished Lectureship and Professorship in the Humanities Nominations
Description
Friends of Solomon Katz established this Distinguished Lectureship and Professorship in the Humanities more than forty years ago to honor his contributions to the academic field of Byzantine history and his leadership at the University of Washington as chair of the History Department, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Provost. This lectureship represents our university's highest honor in the humanities.
The Simpson Center annually invites nominations from UW faculty for the Solomon Katz Distinguished Lectureship and Professorship in the Humanities. Those being nominated should have excellent scholarly credentials and the ability to deliver a public lecture that engages audiences extending beyond colleagues in their academic subfield.
The Solomon Katz Endowment in the Humanities supports three lectures each academic year: one by a member of the UW faculty and two by scholars from elsewhere.
The UW faculty member, nominated by colleagues for their outstanding contributions to the humanities, will serve as the Katz Professor. This one-year professorship, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, will provide funds for summer salary and/or research expenses. In addition to delivering a public lecture, the Katz Professor will undertake one or more additional activities during the year such as teaching a micro-seminar for graduate students, hosting discussions with select undergraduate students, participating in panels with other scholars, or engaging with community members through off-campus presentations.
The two scholars from elsewhere will serve as Katz Distinguished Lecturers, entailing residencies at the University of Washington for one to three weeks. The lecturers will receive an honorarium and expenses for travel, accommodation, and meals will be covered. Their responsibilities will entail delivering a public lecture, sharing their work in a seminar session with faculty and others, engaging with graduate and undergraduate students through class visits, and participating in meals and other gatherings with UW and local community members. The Simpson Center aims to host one Katz Distinguished Lecturer each year for one week and the other, for two to three weeks. The extended residency option may be especially suitable for scholars traveling from outside of the United States.
Criteria and Eligibility
Nominees should have excellent scholarly credentials and speaking abilities. Katz Lectures should appeal to a broad audience—faculty, students, staff, and the general public. Amplitude of thought, crossdisciplinary interests, and ability to contribute to ongoing programs and emerging areas of study on campus are highly desirable.
Self-nominations will not be considered for the Katz Professorship. At the time of appointment, Katz Professors may not hold another named professorship, chair, or fellowship at UW.
Responsibilities of Nominating Faculty Members and the Simpson Center
Faculty nominating Katz Distinguished Lecturers from elsewhere are expected to assist in hosting them by working with the Simpson Center to:
- plan their visit and schedule
- welcome them to campus
- promote their events by circulating Simpson Center-generated materials
- introduce their public lecture
- attend some meals with them
- facilitate a seminar where their work is discussed
- help organize class visits
- and possibly teach a microseminar to prepare graduate students for their visit.
In the case of Katz Professors, nominating faculty may participate by introducing the public lecture and participating in meals, seminars, and other gatherings.
Simpson Center leadership and staff support faculty nominators throughout the process of hosting Katz Distinguished Lecturers by:
- issuing the official letters of invitation
- arranging travel, accommodation, honoraria payments, and, if needed, office space
- developing and coordinating the schedule of events on and possibly off campus
- making venue and catering arrangements
- and producing and distributing print and digital publicity.
In the case of Katz Professors, the Simpson Center will make all logistical arrangements and work closely with the UW faculty member who has been successfully nominated to develop an appropriate set of events and engagements for the year.
Learn more about the Katz Distinguished Lecture Series.
Complete the Application Form (link coming soon). Upload to the form as a single, bundled .pdf the below materials:
- Letter of Nomination (500-750 words). Letters may be co-written or co-signed, and nominations endorsed by faculty from more than one department are encouraged. Letters of support from additional colleagues/departments may be appended to the primary letter of nomination but are not required. Please bundle the nomination materials into a single PDF (preferred) or Word file. Name your file [Your last name]-[Nominee’s Name]. The letter of nomination should include a brief biographical sketch and address the following:
- whether the person is being nominated for a i) Katz Professor or ii) Katz Distinguished Lecturer -- if the latter, please indicate whether you are proposing a one-week residency or a two- to three-week residency;
- the significance of the nominee's intellectual contributions to the humanities;
- the ability of the nominee to deliver a public lecture that engages audiences that extend beyond their academic subfield and, if known, their track record of doing so -- if available, please include links to video or audio of prior speaking engagements; and
- a concise overview of the groups and networks at UW and in the community who would likely be most interested in attending the lecture and related events and, in the case of of the Distinguished Lecturers, engaging with the nominee and helping to host them over their one- to three-week stay in Seattle.
- Nomination Form. Complete the nomination form (the form will be available during the fall funding round). You will be prompted to upload your proposal at the end of the form.
We encourage nominators to meet with us before submitting an application. To schedule a meeting, contact Associate Director Rachel Arteaga.