LFP Update 18.3

September 2023

Welcome to the LFP Update, an e-publication from the Lilly Fellows Program to keep LFP representatives and others informed about the activities of 1) Lilly Network institutions, 2) present and former Lilly Fellows and, 3) the LFP office at Valparaiso University.

In this Issue:

• The 2023 LFP National Conference: Contemplating Integral Ecology for the Common Good
• The 2023 LFP Workshop for Senior Administrators: Fostering Hope in a Polarized Age
• Call for Applications for the Fourth Cohort of Lilly Faculty Fellows
• Call to Apply for Lilly Network Grants
• Name Change, Updated Logo and Website Coming This Fall
• Update on the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program
• Selection Information for the Next Cohort of Lilly Graduate Fellows
• Upcoming Deadlines for Grants
• Facebook and Twitter

The 2023 LFP Annual National Conference: Contemplating Integral Ecology for the Common Good

The 33rd annual LFP National Conference, Contemplating Integral Ecology for the Common Good, will take place on October 20-22, 2023, at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

What is integral ecology, and how can it be oriented to the common good? How can faith-based liberal arts institutions of higher education train their students to be attentive to both natural and human ecology so as to contemplate and develop effective solutions to questions of ecology and sustainability? Hosted by Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a liberal arts college in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, this conference will explore these questions from multiple perspectives, engaging the natural sciences, philosophy/theology, and the humanities/arts.

Speakers include Kerry Andrew Emanuel, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Marie I. George, Professor of Philosophy at St. John's University in New York, and Debra Rienstra, Professor of English at Calvin University.

Registration closes September 6. For more information and to register, click here.

The 2023 Workshop for Senior Administrators: Fostering Hope in a Polarized Age

Immediately preceding the National Conference will be the Twenty-Third Annual Workshop for Senior Administrators on the topic: Fostering Hope in a Polarized Age.

The 2023 Workshop for Senior Administrators will offer the opportunity for senior administrators at church-related colleges and universities to consider the impact of cultural, political, and social polarization on their campuses and what is needed in campus leadership in this time. The current polarization of our culture, especially as it has linked with religion, has touched higher education over such issues as academic freedom, hiring practices, free speech, DEI initiatives, curricular design, and religious freedom. This polarization has been uniquely felt by stakeholders at church-related institutions because of the way polarization connects to religion. This workshop will help administrators think together about how hope and their own missional resources can help them move forward constructively toward a shared future beyond this time of polarization.

The Workshop is offered at no cost to senior administrators at Lilly Network member institutions.  Each institution is eligible to register one senior administrator (president, vice president, academic dean, provost, or equivalent). One participant from each school will be reimbursed for travel costs up to $600. Meals and hotel accommodations will also be paid by the Lilly National Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities. Additional participants from member schools will be waitlisted until the registration deadline (September 6, 2023) and will be enrolled as slots become available.

Registration is open until September 6. For more information and to register, click here.

Call for Applications for the Fourth Cohort of Lilly Faculty Fellows

The Lilly Faculty Fellows Program is currently accepting applications for the 2024-2026 cohort (Cohort 4) 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 scholars;
• provide a space for creative exploration of how Christian thought and practice intersect the academic vocation; and
• 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 scientific, and professional fields.

Click here for Dates and Schedule, Eligibility, and Application Information. The application Deadline is November 15, 2023.

Applicants will be notified of their status by February 15, 2024.

Call to Apply for Lilly Network Grants

We are very happy to announce that the Lilly Network received a five-year grant of $2.4 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. in 2022 to support activities on Network campuses that connect Christianity and church-related mission to the academic vocation. We invite Lilly Network member schools to submit grant proposals in order to take advantage of these Lilly Endowment funds by September 15, 2023. Proposals can be submitted for the following:

• Grants for faculty development and mentoring ranging from $3,000 to $12,000.
• Grants for Mentoring Programs for $12,000
• Grants for Collaborations and Conferences for $12,500.
• Grants for Network Exchanges for sharing best practices at $25,000.

Name Change, Updated Logo and Website Coming This Fall

The Lilly Fellows Program, in consultation with the National Network Board, is transitioning to using the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities as its name. This better aligns our organization with the way most people interact with it. Look for an announcement this fall, when we will be launching an updated logo and website for the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities. The names of our fellowship programs will not change. Our new email address lilly.network@valpo.edu is already in use, but if you email us at our old email address, we will still get the message.

Update on the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program

The Twelfth Cohort of Lilly Graduate Fellows, mentored by Martha (Marti) Greene Eads of Eastern Mennonite University and Charles Strauss of Mount St. Mary’s University met for its second summer conference June 2023 at Mount St. Mary’s University. At this conference, the Fellows read a biography of Elizabeth Ann Seton, visited and attended Mass at her national shrine, and visited historic Gettysburg. While together, they had discussions on individual and institutional callings; The Brothers Karamazov; and place, community, and vocation.

Selection Information for the Next Cohort of Lilly Graduate Fellows

Lilly Graduate Fellows Program selection process continues to be paused in order to allow the LFP to assess a number of questions regarding changes in graduate education, the academic job market, and higher education more generally that impact the nature of the program and the process of recruitment. This assessment is happening in conjunction with a comprehensive evaluation of all of our programs. We will communicate more about this when the evaluation process is complete.

Deadlines for Grants

Grants:
The next series of programs that will receive funding are: Mentoring Programs, Small Grants, Network Exchanges, and Regional Collaboration and Conferences. Proposals for the programs are due September 15, 2023. 

Fellowships:
Applications for the Lilly Faculty Fellows Program are due November 15, 2023.

Facebook and Twitter

As always, the LFP can be followed on Facebook and Twitter at @LFProgram and @Exilesfromeden.