Humanities Initiative Dissertation Release funds makes it possible for the College of the Liberal Arts, in cooperation with its affiliated Centers and Institutes, to provide releases from teaching or related service to humanities students who are supported on assistantships and working on their dissertations. This program is meant to complement, not replace, existing programs such as the RGSO Dissertation Awards and Humanities Institute summer residencies.
DEADLINE: By May 21st, departments should send Keshia Kennelley, kak43@psu.edu a list of students who are likely to be eligible for a Humanities Initiative Dissertation Release and an estimate of what semester the student will take the release.
ELIGIBILITY:To be eligible for a Humanities Initiative Dissertation Release (HIDR), students must be ABD and be supported on an assistantship for the period covered by the dissertation release. Fixed-term faculty are not eligible for dissertation releases. Unless the Associate Dean approves an exception under special circumstances, it is assumed that departments will continue to pay regular assistantship stipends and tuition grant in aids for students receiving awards during the fall and spring semesters. Note: Only students whose home department is in the College of the Liberal Arts are eligible to receive a dissertation release (or $3,000) award under this program. It is understood as a condition of receiving any form of dissertation support that students will present their work at the spring Graduate Research Exhibition, unless their dissertation research has already been presented at the Exhibition. Those affiliated with a Center or Institute may receive additional stipulations in its letter of offer.
AWARD: Dissertation releases will be paid for with a $5000 grant to departments, to cover the cost of replacing the student in the classroom; or a $3000 award to students directly, in the case of a summer release. To participate, departments must replace fully the teaching responsibilities or other departmental duties of students who receives a dissertation release so that students may work full time on the dissertation. In other words, the students cannot be given a partial release from teaching or other duties; they must be given a complete semester release. Departments that violate this understanding will be dropped from the program.