Opportunities & Deadlines
| Name | Type | Due |
|---|---|---|
| The Arnold L. and Lois S. Graves Awards in the Humanities | Nominations | October 18, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT |
The Arnold L. and Lois S. Graves Awards in the Humanities
Recognizing Early-Career Faculty in California, Oregon, and Washington
ACLS and Pomona College welcome nominations for the 2024-25 competition for The Arnold L. and Lois S. Graves Awards in the Humanities.
The Graves Awards are offered biannually and recognize “outstanding accomplishment in actual teaching in the humanities” among early-career faculty at a select group of institutions in California, Oregon, and Washington. See the full list of eligible institutions.
Each eligible institution may nominate one faculty member per competition. Institutional eligibility is determined by the language of the trust agreement. (For questions, please contact gravesawards@acls.org.)
Timeline and Process
- September 3, 2024: Eligible institutions nomination window begins
- October 18, 2024, 9:00 PM EDT: Deadline for nominations from eligible institutions
- Late October 2024: Nominees invited to apply via ACLS fellowship and grant administration system
- December 6, 2024, 9:00 PM EST: Application deadline for nominees
- Late February 2025: Decisions communicated to applicants
Program History
When Arnold and Lois Graves established the awards in the 1950s, they embraced a broad conception of the humanities that considers less in terms of specific disciplines and more in terms of the point of view and spirit of the individual faculty member. For them, the humanities represent areas of subject matter which produce men and women of understanding as contrasted with those trained to be technically proficient.
This might mean support to enable a faculty member to visit libraries or to help get a good book ready for publication. It might include a chance for a teacher of Greek language to see the Parthenon for the first time or enabling a teacher of philosophy who needs to learn how anthropology relates to their special interests; or to support a teacher of history who needs to know more about technology, literature, or religion in order to strengthen their teaching. Whatever the exact nature of the project and the transformative experience it proposes, the Graves awards are made to applicants for whom there is evidence of unusual skill and enthusiasm as teachers and who can show that their projects will enhance their ability in the classroom.