CFP: USIH-IU Community Scholars Program

In partnership with the Institute for American Thought at Indiana University, the Society for U.S. Intellectual History is pleased to announce the continuation of a new opportunity to support contingent faculty, independent scholars, and historians who work beyond the academy: the USIH-IU Community Scholars Program. Learn more about our inaugural cohort here. Thanks to the inspiration of their scholarship and the generosity of IU, we’re honored to open a new round of applications, due 1 February 2026. Read on, share and apply!

The USIH-IU Community Scholars Program will encourage scholarship and address the inequity of resource access that can often impede work. We will select a new cohort of scholars for THREE years’ worth of full onsite and remote access to IU Libraries’ materials and databases, via an IU email address.

During that time, they will contribute 6 posts to the USIH blog and participate in USIH annual meeting panels and events. The USIH-IU Community Scholars program is designed to unlock resources, open channels of communication between historians, and boost scholars’ visibility through diverse forms of publication and presentation.In addition to advancing their scholarship, USIH-IAT Community Scholars will join a vibrant set of colleagues in dialogue on topics of American history, thought, and culture. As a remote, research-based role, there is no teaching requirement to fulfill, and there is no monetary award available. Please reach out with any questions, and submit all application material in a single file [.PDF or .DOC] by 1 February 2026, to: [email protected]

Qualifications

-Applicants must be current USIH members.

-Applicants must hold a Ph.D.

-This program is reserved for contingent faculty, independent scholars, and historians who work beyond the traditional academy. Demonstration of need should be included in the application. Group projects are not eligible for this opportunity.

-The research must take place between May 2026 and May 2029.

Application Requirements

-C.V.

-2-3 page research proposal summarizing project, research goals, IU resources needed. Sample projects might include publications, digital projects, public history initiatives; applicants should specify their goals, i.e. complete a book, write a journal article, plan a museum exhibit.