Application Deadlines 

  • June 7, 2023 (5:00 p.m.)
  • September 21, 2023 (5:00 p.m.)
  • February 21, 2024 (5:00 p.m.)

Interested in applying? Attend our virtual info session from 9:00-9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 31: 
Register

Eligibility

  • Faculty members whose appointments include the expectation that 40% or more of the work they will be evaluated on will be research (including creative research) are eligible.
  • Associate professors with mature drafts of monographs leading to promotion to full professor are eligible.
  • Assistant professors with mature drafts of monographs on track for publication in advance of the applicant’s tenure and promotion deadlines are eligible.

Application Materials & Procedures

Please submit the following as a single PDF file to obermann-center@uiowa.edu. The complete submission (not including the cover sheet) should be no more than five single-spaced pages. (Please use a 12-point font size.)

From the applicant:

  • Complete this cover sheet, providing your name, department, contact information, title of the book project, and a one-sentence description of your thesis. Please email us at obermann-center@uiowa.edu if you have trouble downloading the fillable PDF cover sheet.
  • Provide a one-paragraph abstract that describes your project and its significance.
  • Provide a brief chapter outline.
  • Clarify how much of the manuscript is written and what remains to be done.
  • Provide a timeline for completion of a full draft of the manuscript.
  • Identify 4-6 senior scholars who would be excellent readers and mentors for this project, briefly noting what each would contribute to your project. Please include a link to each scholar’s homepage. The scholars should not have served on the applicant’s dissertation committee and should not have a close relationship with the UI scholar.
  • Identify 2-4 University of Iowa faculty members who would be excellent readers and mentors for this project, briefly noting what each could contribute.
  • Include drafts of two completed chapters of the monograph.

From the applicant’s department chair:

On the cover sheet (linked above), the chair must indicate his/her/their

  • support for the application;
  • confirmation that he/she/they has personally seen the complete or nearly complete manuscript;
  • affirmation that the faculty member is meeting professional expectations, as indicated by successful annual reviews, etc., in the department;
  • own suggestions for possible internal senior faculty members to participate in book workshop; and 
  • signature and date.

Successful applicants will meet with the Director of the Obermann Center to plan invitations to external readers and determine possible dates for the workshop. Please note: applicants should be prepared to share their manuscripts with internal and external readers by early October.

Please contact Teresa Mangum, Director of the Obermann Center, if you have questions regarding this program.