Since 2014, the Graduate Dean has allocated to HAA $21,000 to give out in small grants for use over the academic year. The money is specifically meant for research travel during the academic year (other funds become available for summer research travel) that will benefit graduate students—attendance at conferences, visiting exhibitions, going to archives, carrying out interviews, et cetera. The amount that any one student can draw from this fund is limited to $3000 over the course of the student’s time in the program.
Because certain graduate courses in the department may involve group travel, e.g., the class may travel to another city to see a special exhibition, group travel undertaken within the context of a class will not count against a student’s individual $3,000 limit. To be eligible for this exemption, the student must be enrolled in the course. (Enrollment or participation in independent study classes, Constellations workshop groups, etc., that undertake such travel, does not qualify for this exemption.)
In addition, the department encourages graduate students to attend conferences. For this reason, students can apply for funds for group travel to a professional conference (including registration and associated fees) and their first such trip will not count against the $3,000 limit. Do, however, include this award in your accounting of how many grants you have received from this $21,000 fund in the past (#3 below).
Application materials:
1) 1 page description of the planned use of funds, signed by the student’s advisor.
2) Detailed budget.
3) Listing of how many grants the applicant has received from this fund in the past: when the grant was received, for what purpose, and how much in each instance (for the two exemptions noted above, i.e. your first group class trip and your first group travel to a conference, you do not need to supply a monetary total, but you do need to list these grants as part of your overall list of awards received from this fund).
On return, students are required to file with the Graduate Administrator a final report on the use of grants and the benefit they provided. The Chair must report annually to the Graduate Dean on the use of these monies, so your final reports are crucial for the continuation of this research fund.
Application deadlines:
For fall term: Mid-September
For spring term: Mid-January
Applications may be submitted in advance of these deadlines if the purpose is to take advantage of reduced registration rates, hotel bookings, and travel associated with a conference. For instance, this frequently happens with regard to CAA, where registration and booking in December is optimal.
Application materials should be sent to the DGS and Graduate Administrator.