Established in 2001 by the Kennedy Foundation of Chattanooga, the Kennedy Fellowship is intended to assist with supporting talented early-career faculty in the College during the formative years of their Sewanee career.

The Kennedy Fellowship assists in supporting and encouraging talented tenure-track College faculty during the formative, pre-tenure years of their Sewanee career. The recommendation for an appointment of a faculty member in the College and the amount of the award shall be made by the Dean of the College and submitted to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for approval. Appointments shall normally be for a three-year nonrenewable term. It is the intent of the Kennedy Fellowship to provide the holder with funds for such things as books, travel expenses to conferences, research funds, and computer software and hardware, but not faculty compensation. The Dean of the College has final discretion as to the appropriate use of these funds.

An annual report on the use of the funds and a summary of the scholarly activities of the fellowship holder shall be prepared and submitted to the Dean of the College by June 30 of each year. The timing of expenditures over the three-year term is at the discretion of the holder. Proper documentation (i.e. receipts or invoices) must be submitted to the Dean’s Office for P-card purchases or reimbursements. 

Kennedy Fellowship proposals are due on Oct. 15 and are separate from any materials submitted for promotion and tenure. Faculty from pre-tenure years 1 through 4 are eligible to apply. Proposals may be up to three (3) pages in length, and shall include the following elements:

  • Narrative of your research, scholarly, and/or creative program
  • Statement of Fellowship’s anticipated impact on your scholarship
  • Statement of Fellowship’s anticipated impact on your teaching
  • General plan for utilizing Fellowship funding (specific budget not required)