Apply to be a Visiting Scholar
Visiting Scholar Farah Diba in New York in 2016.
Eligibility
Only staff and faculty from select Oberlin Shansi partner institutions are eligible to apply for the Visiting Scholars Program. Currently, faculty and staff from the following Shansi partner institutions are eligible to apply: American College (specific departments only) and Lady Doak College in India, and Syiah Kuala University and Gadjah Mada University (FIB and CRCS Faculties only) in Indonesia.
Applicants should obtain permission from their respective departments and institutions before they apply. They should be eligible for a leave of absence for the duration of the program, per their employer’s policies. Shansi reserves the right to check with our partner institutions to ensure that candidates have been granted proper permissions to apply.
The Visiting Scholars Program is designed for early to mid-career faculty and staff. Typical applicants will have at least 3–5 years of teaching or professional experience at partner institutions. We encourage applicants who have at least fifteen years left in their respective careers to apply. Please confirm specific eligibility requirements with your institution.
[For American College in Madurai, India, only candidates from the departments of Economics, English, RPS (Religion, Philosophy, and Sociology), Commerce, and Business Administration are eligible to apply.]
Important Dates
Announcement: Oberlin Shansi is now accepting Visiting Scholar applications for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025. Please review the “Eligibility” section above to confirm if you can apply during this cycle.
Applications, including recommendation letters, are due on Friday, August 30, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT (UTC/GMT -4).
Application Forms
Please fill out the form that corresponds to your partner affiliation.
Gadjah Mada University (FIB and CRCS Faculties only)
If you are a faculty or staff member at a Shansi partner institution that is not listed here, please email a Shansi staff member directly for instructions on how to apply.
Recommendation Letters
Applicants must secure two recommendation letters. Recommenders should be able to speak to the applicant’s professional skills, English proficiency, and academic, teaching, administrative, and leadership potential.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to share the link to the recommendation form, provided below, with their recommenders. We suggest giving recommenders a minimum of three weeks write their letter and submit it through this form.
Visiting Scholars Recommendation Form
Application Details
It will be easy to complete your application if you have everything prepared in advance. Below, we've provided a list of information and documents that you will need. You will need to upload your CV, self-introduction essay, and proposal as separate PDF documents.
A curriculum vitae (CV) summarizing your education, teaching experience (if applicable), other work experience, and special skills, awards, and other activities.
A self-introduction essay, of 750 words or fewer, that gives the selection committee a better understanding of you as an educator, professional, and person. You can use this essay to discuss your research, leadership roles you’ve taken, examples of the impact of your work/teaching, your aspirations and passions, and/or your future plans.
A proposal, of 1500 words for fewer, that addresses your 1) purpose for coming to Oberlin College, 2) your academic and professional goals for the program, 3) ways that you plan to contribute to campus life at Oberlin College and perhaps in the local community, and 4) plans for how to transfer the knowledge and skills you’ve gained back to your home institution.
The names and email contact information for two professional recommenders.
Before applying, candidates should familiarize themselves with Oberlin College, including its academic programs and extracurricular offerings. When crafting a proposal, we encourage specificity. Applicants should research potential departments and classes to audit and learn more about faculty and their research to see who could serve as potential mentors and collaborators.
Please do NOT directly contact Oberlin faculty members before applying. Should you be selected for the program, Shansi staff will put you in touch with potential mentors and collaborators when you arrive in Oberlin.
If an applicant proposes to conduct pilot research at the College or with a local community in Lorain County, they should be knowledgeable of the resources available to them and have a feasible and ethically-sound research plan.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the Visiting Scholars application process, please contact Gavin Tritt (gtritt@oberlin.edu) or Ted Samuel (tsamuel@oberlin.edu).