GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Dissertation Fellowships
Writing Fellows
Technology Fellows
Graduate Center Fellowhips
Grants
Dissertation Fellowships
The Ph.D. Program in English strongly encourages its students to seek funding for the dissertation year from sources outside The Graduate Center. These sources include the American Association for University Women (AAUW), the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (which oversees the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Information about such fellowships is available from the Modern Language Association (MLA), especially through listings in the annual PMLA Directory (the September issue), as well as from postings on the Program's bulletin board in the lounge (room 4406).
Some dissertation-year fellowships are also available from The Graduate Center and from the Program; each has its own application process and timing. To qualify for funding, a student must have been advanced to candidacy, and his/her dissertation prospectus must have been approved at least two weeks before the application deadline. The "Advancement to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree" form requires review by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Registrar; a time lag can occur in this process, and students should plan accordingly. Some funding sources outside CUNY set earlier deadlines for the receipt of applications and hence for a student's advancement to candidacy (15 November for the AAUW and Newcombe Fellowships, for example).
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Dissertation Fellowships from The Graduate Center. Level III students who have made substantial progress in their thesis research and who are entering their final year of doctoral study are the most successful competitors for dissertation-year fellowships from The Graduate Center. (The strong likelihood that the student will complete the dissertation during the award year is a criterion for selection.) These fellowships are administered through the Office of the Provost (Room 8113; telephone: 212/817-7200; fax: 212/817-1612; provost@gc.cuny.edu ). Each award is given for one year and cannot be renewed. When they apply for a fellowship, students must be registered (or on an approved leave of absence) and must be officially advanced to candidacy by mid-January. They should also read carefully application instructions that describe what must be submitted by the February deadline. The following elements are required for the application package:
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the application form;
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a dissertation plan or prospectus (maximum of 8 pages, plus a 1-page abstract and a 1-page selected bibliography);
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a curriculum vitae;
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two letters of recommendation, one of them from the dissertation supervisor.
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Dissertation Fellowships from the Ph.D. Program in English. The English Program earmarks funding each year for Level III students who have an approved dissertation prospectus on file. The "Application for the Ph.D. Program in English Dissertation Year Fellowship" includes:
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an application form for dissertation-year funding, which is available from the English Program Office ;
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one copy of a dissertation plan or prospectus (this may be identical to the one submitted to the Office of the Provost with an application for a Dissertation Fellowship from The Graduate Center);
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one letter of recommendation, in sealed envelopes, signed across the seal or e-mailed by the recommender to english@gc.cuny.edu
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one copy of a curriculum vitae (this item is suggested but not required).
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The Writing Fellows Program
The Office of the Provost administers the Writing Fellows Program, which was established in Fall 1999 to promote writing-across-the-curriculum efforts at the CUNY colleges. Responsibilities are administrative and pedagogical; they do not include regular classroom teaching but involve such work as developing/managing e-tutoring programs, tutoring in writing intensive courses, and establishing or extending writing laboratory projects. Writing Fellows come from all doctoral programs at the GC. Writing Fellows must have completed at least 45 units of graduate credit and be enrolled as Level II or Level III students. Colleges may renew the Writing Fellow's appointment for a second year only. Applications are made to the Office of the Provost. Applicants may designate a list of colleges (usually five to seven choices) at which they would like their candidacy to be reviewed. Information is available from Ms. Anne Ellis (Room 8113.13; ext.: 7284; fax: 212/817-1612; aellis@gc.cuny.edu).
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The Honors College Technology Fellows (HCTF) Program
Inaugurated in Fall 2001, the HCTF Program places a limited number of doctoral students at the five CUNY senior college campuses that make up the CUNY Honors College for undergraduates. HCTFs are expected to have a solid working knowledge of instructional technology and how to employ it in the classroom, be comfortable working in a multidisciplinary environment whose focus will change each semester, and have an interest in learning about cutting-edge pedagogies and technologies. English Program students, especially those who have previously served as Writing Fellows, have competed successfully for these HCTF positions. Hired as Graduate Assistant As, HCTFs receive a salary of $20,687 per year for a maximum of 225 hours of work per semester during the regular academic year. The Honors College Technology Fellows Program is administered by Dr. Jane Bowers, Associate Director (Room 3313; ext.: 1855; jbowers@honorscollege.cuny.edu).
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Graduate Center Fellowships
The following highly selective fellowships are awarded by The Graduate Center to incoming students based on the English Program's recommendations from its pool of competitive applicants whose dossiers are complete and in the Office of Admissions by 1 January.
Robert E. Gilleece Fellowships: Offered to incoming students demonstrating exceptional academic credentials, a Robert E. Gilleece Fellowship consists of a stipend of $16,000 per year plus full tuition for each of a student's first four years. The criteria for selection are outstanding scholarly merit and promise. Gilleece Fellows perform research assignments during the academic year as designated by the Executive Officer.
MAGNET Program-President's Four-Year-Fellowships: The Minority Access/Graduate Networking (MAGNET) Program seeks to recruit and retain African-American and Latina/o students who show extraordinary academic potential. The President's fellowships award a student $16,000, plus full tuition, for each of the first four years of study. MAGNET Fellows perform research assignments during the academic year as designated by the Executive Officer. Individuals may apply for a MAGNET award independently of the nomination by an academic program. Applications and information may be obtained from the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs (Room 8306; telephone: 212/817-8285; fax: 212/817-1516; eodp@gc.cuny.edu).
The Mario Capelloni Fellowship: The Mario Capelloni Fellowship supports an entering or advanced-level student in the humanities, social sciences, or sciences with a stipend of $16,000 and in-state tuition coverage for one year. Academic merit is the sole criterion in the selection process.
Geoffrey Marshall Fellowships: The Geoffrey Marshall Fellowship is an award of $16,000 plus the cost of tuition for the first two years of a graduate student's period of study. The award is based on an individual's demonstrated academic excellence and promise. Research assignments are carried out by Marshall Fellowship holders at the discretion of the Executive Officer.
The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Graduate School Fellowship: The Harold McGraw, Jr. Fellowship, offered to an incoming student in the humanities, carries a stipend of $12,000 plus in-state tuition coverage for one year. The criteria are demonstrated academic excellence and extraordinary promise in the chosen field.
University Fellowships: CUNY-funded University Fellowships are available to full-time doctoral students depending on the candidate's academic merit and financial need. Students holding University Fellowships perform research assignments during the academic year as designated by the Executive Officer.
University Tuition Stipends: Awards covering all or part of the cost of tuition are based on a combination of merit and need. The stipends exist in limited numbers, vary in amount, and cannot exceed the amount of full tuition.
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Grants
Graduate Center Travel Grants.
External grants in the humanities
The ESA is a student-run organization that seeks to improve living and working conditions of students in the Program by representing the interests of the students in the Graduate Center English Department. Representation includes expressing the concerns of the students to the faculty and administration as well as relaying information back to the students. The primary tasks of the ESA are to provide a forum for student concerns, sponsor a network of student mentors, oversee course evaluations, and run the student election process. In addition, the ESA runs an annual conference (with faculty participation) open to ESA members as well as students form other institutions.
- For more about how the ESA operates see ESA by-laws.
- To get involved, please attend one of our meetings.
ESA Committee Members 2010–2011
ESA Co Chair:
Jennifer Mitchell & Joost Burger
Admissions & Financial Aid
Angela Francis
Helena Ribeiro
Kiran Mascarhenas
Maggie Galvan
Alumni Committee
Jill Belli
Linda Neiberg
Course Assessment
Robert Mochado
Trevor Lee
David Letzler
Josh Schneiderman
Yair Solan
Andrew Statum
Colleen Cusick
Curriculum
Ben Miller
Kate Broad
Elections
Ben Miller
Louis Bury
Executive
Emily Sherwood
Kate Broad
Mark Sussman
Mia Chen
Faculty Membership
Angela Francis
Mia Chen
Fundraising
Emily Stanback
Jesse Schwartz
John Harkey
Louis Bury
Amanda Springs
Erin Lee Mock
Placement
Dominique Zino
Mark Sussman
Nichole Stanford
Szidonia Haragos
Recruitment
Alison Klein
Amanda Springs
James Arnett
Molly Pulda
Zach Samalin
Website
Jesse Merandy
ESA Conference
Food! The Conference!
Co-Chairs: Alec Magnet & Jennifer Little
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution One: Passed.
Be it resolved that, the Elections Committee shall retain a record of all election results, including the number of votes received by each nominee. In the event of there being fewer than mandated members (due to resignation or vicissitudes), the nominee with the next highest number of votes shall fill the empty seat(s). If there are no other nominees on the ballot, and there are fewer than mandated members, the remaining committee members can appoint a replacement at their discretion until the next annual election. In the case of ESA CoChair and Conference CoChair, the remaining cochair can appoint a replacement at their discretion. If both CoChairs resign, department-wide byelections shall be held.
Resolution Two: Passed
Section 4.2, Number of Co-Chairs, shall be amended to have the maximum number of Co-Chairs to be two.
Resolution Three: Passed
Be it resolved that, ESA Co-chairs may be nominated singly or in pairs. On the election ballot, nominees will run in pairs. Those nominated singly may choose a running mate but must run in a pair if they accept the nomination. This means that a student of the English Department will cast only one vote for the position of co-chair instead of two.
Students in all programs at the GC have formed the DSC, which brings their concerns to the administration; lobbies for their interests before the University Student Senate, the CUNY Board of Trustees, the Mayor's Office, and the State Legislature; supports intra- and interprogram student organizations; and provides legal services and funding for cultural activities. The DSC subsidizes the Advocate, a newspaper published six times annually (ext.: 7888). The English Program has three representatives on the council.
The DSC is located in Room 5495, in the Robert E. Gilleece Student Center
Phone: ext.: 7888
Fax: 212/817-1592
Email: dsc@cunydsc.org
Adjunct Teaching and Graduate Assistant A Positions
Most students in the English Program get training as adjunct instructors in CUNY college classrooms. Graduate students in English usually teach composition, though they are often invited to teach literature as well. At many CUNY colleges composition courses bear more credits than do literature classes, so adjuncts, who are paid by the credit hour, can earn more by teaching them. Please note that these adjunct teaching positions are not Financial Aid awards; they are positions created and paid for by the colleges where the student will teach.
Obtaining an Adjunct Teaching Job Through the Internship Program
Departments of English on individual CUNY campuses make all decisions in matters of faculty hiring. Students are chosen by - not "placed" in - a department; they may apply directly and independently for teaching positions anywhere in the system. For well over a decade, however, the Ph.D. Program in English has tried to assist its students by locating such jobs largely through the Internship Program, directed by Professor Ammiel Alcalay (DEO). Students who have not taught at CUNY before are not required to join the Internship Program in their first year of study; they may do so anytime before they advance to candidacy. The Internship Program seeks to provide four specific services:
1. To give inexperienced students an opportunity to teach one or two courses per semester as an Adjunct Lecturer at a CUNY college, with the understanding that this position will remain available for at least three years, so long as the student/department relationship is mutually agreeable and the CUNY budget allows;
2. To train new CUNY teachers through a practicum (ENGL 79000 ["Teaching College English"]);
3. To advise students with teaching-related questions;
4. To assist experienced adjunct teachers in finding information about positions as Graduate Assistants (A and C) and Writing and Technology Fellows.
CUNY Colleges Participating in the Internship Program
All the CUNY colleges have participated in the Internship Program in one way or another during the past decade. In Spring 2002, some 165 English Ph.D. students (and over ten students in other programs) were teaching via this internship network at a CUNY college.
The Practicum (ENGL 79000 ["Teaching College English"])
Most CUNY colleges have a practicum (ENGL 79000) that is tailored to that campus's student body and composition philosophy. It is taught by a composition specialist at that college. Participants discuss theories of teaching composition and their actual experiences. Readings and course requirements vary, but all students are trained in writing pedagogy. The practicum carries four credits which count toward the Ph.D. degree (letter grades are assigned). It is a requirement for all students in the English Program who are first-time instructors at a CUNY college. Students who accept a teaching position at a second CUNY college are not expected to enroll in a second practicum.
For budgetary reasons, practicum courses are offered only during the Fall Semester. Students should take this into consideration because, without formal pedagogical training, they will find it difficult to get a job. Thus, teaching for the first time within CUNY during a spring semester or a summer session is generally not an option.
Adjunct Pay Rates, Limitations on Teaching, and Benefits
CUNY adjuncts are paid according to a scale based on an hourly rate. The hourly pay rate is multiplied by the number of credit hours a course carries (which varies from three to six), then multiplied again by the number of weeks in the college's semester (14 or 15 weeks at all but Kingsborough and LaGuardia Community colleges).
In any given semester, adjuncts may teach as many as three courses totaling no more than nine credit hours at one CUNY college; they may also teach one course, for no more than six credit hours, at a second CUNY college. Most students in the English program find that teaching two courses per semester, in addition to their responsibilities taking classes, preparing for exams, or writing a dissertation, keeps them very busy.
Adjuncts who teach at least six credit hours within CUNY for each of two consecutive semesters are eligible, after the second semester, for health insurance benefits. This provision does not apply to students employed as a Graduate Assistant A.
The Procedure for Obtaining a non-Internship Adjunct Teaching Job in CUNY
Once a student has gained teaching experience (even before your matriculation into the Ph.D program), students may apply for jobs directly; the APO can provide you with a list of CUNY English department chairs. Students may also ask Prof. Alcalay for assistance. Please note that summer jobs are much more difficult to secure.
Graduate Assistant A Positions (Grad A)
Grad A positions are available in limited number only at Hunter and Queens colleges, ordinarily for a nonrenewable period of three years. Students apply for them by sending a letter, with a curriculum vitae, to the appropriate chair of the Department of English, stating specifically that they wish to be considered for this position. Applications should be submitted in the Fall Semester, usually for review during the spring and possible appointment the next academic year. The pay scale begins at $16,616 for teaching two courses per semester, which may not total more than 240 hours per academic year. Graduate Assistant A positions are almost always filled by continuing students.