FACULTY FELLOWSHIP
The Lilly Faculty Fellows Program is for mid-career faculty leaders across the disciplines to engage the intersections of Christian thought and practice with the academic vocation.
This initiative will:
Refresh and enliven a sense of calling for participants as people of faith, as teachers, and as scholars;
Provide a space for creative exploration of how Christian thought and practice intersect with the academic vocation;
Provide funds for Fellows to develop and pilot Faculty Fellow programs on their own campuses.
Although the Lilly Network has in the past emphasized faculty programs in humanities and the arts, this project especially seeks applicants from STEM, social sciences, and professional fields. We are looking for faculty interested in creative exploration, as well as a rich disciplinary and ecumenical mix of participants. The funded campus projects will be sites for creativity and experimentation that examine, cultivate, and enliven faculty engagement with Christian thought and practice as experienced on church-related campuses.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
Applications are Now Closed
Applications for Cohort 4 are now closed.
Cohort 5 will take place in 2026-2028.
A call for applications will be announced in Spring 2025.
PROGRAM DISTINCTIVES
Vocational Mentorship & Cohort Support
Throughout their two-year program, Faculty Fellows receive mentorship from two senior faculty from Lilly Network schools and support from their cohort group.
Lead a Campus Project
Faculty Fellows receive a grant to lead a faculty development project on their campus. Throughout the program, Faculty Fellows will work to refine and shape these projects, and in the final conference, they will share their results.
Connection to the Lilly Network
Faculty Fellows will be invited to attend Lilly Network National Conferences and participate in other Lilly Network events and programs.
BENEFITS & ELIGIBILITY
BENEFITS
We will select up to 7 teams of two Fellows each from different Network Schools. Each team will participate in a two-year program that includes four conferences in Indianapolis and Chicago. We will also provide start-up funds of $8,000 to each participating team to lead a faculty development project on its own campus. Individual Fellows also will be awarded a $4,000 honorarium for participation. Travel, meals, and lodging for all four conferences will be provided as well as all necessary books and materials. The schedule for the program is as follows:
November 15, 2023—Applications Due
February 15, 2024—Fellows Named
June 24-27, 2024—Inaugural Conference
October 18-20, 2024—Second Conference
March 28-30, 2025—Third Conference
Academic year 2025-2026—Lead faculty development project on campuses
June 22-24, 2026—Fourth Conference
ELIGIBILITY
In general, applicants must demonstrate a desire for the Fellowship, creative engagement with the intersections of Christian and academic thought and practice, and established campus leadership.
Applications are for teams of two mid-career faculty members.
Applicants must be tenured (or have received the equivalent of tenure at their institutions, typically promotion) at a member school of the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities. Applicants must be teaching faculty.
At least one member of the team must be in a STEM, social science, or professional field.
Applicant teams must have approval from their chairs or preferably deans.
Applicant teams must come from two different academic departments.
Preference will be given to schools that did not participate in Cohorts 1-3 of the Faculty Fellows Program.