ACSA Faculty Fellowship to Advance Equity in Architecture

The ACSA invites applications for our one-year cohort of up to five Faculty Fellows to Advance Equity and Justice in Architecture. We seek faculty members to help extend the impact of ACSA’s ongoing work forefronting racial equity and climate justice through public programming, outreach, and partnerships. Please note that the fellowship is intended to enhance ACSA’s mission and programs and to support scholarship related to ACSA’s work Evolving Towards Justice: ACSA’s Social and Ecological Shift.

BACKGROUND

The fellowship emerged during ACSA’s recent strategic planning discussions. In assessing the organization’s progress from 2019 to 2022, we learned that although our many existing programs curate content related to equity, social justice, and climate action within architectural education, too often this work sat quietly in its own location (e.g., as a conference session that turns into a chapter in a conference proceeding). We realize that the research our members do as faculty would benefit from additional efforts to externalize the work, moving beyond the confines of conferences and journals.

The position begins September 1, 2024. It is a non-residential fellowship; the recipient does not need to move to Washington, DC, where ACSA is located. The applicant does not need to be located in the United States to apply for or receive a fellowship.

Up to five fellows will receive $13,000 of discretionary funding to be used in pursuit of their research. ACSA will also provide a complimentary registration to the 113th Annual Meeting, March 20–22, 2025, in New Orleans, and up to $1,500 for a reimbursable travel stipend to the conference, where fellows will have the opportunity to share the work supported by this fellowship. The nature of the participation will be decided in the fall of 2024. 

Total funding amount, expectations for time commitment, and how the funding will be used will be discussed during the interview process and finalized in a written agreement. For U.S. tax purposes, the fellowship will be considered a 1099 contractor position. 

EXPECTATIONS

Faculty fellow proposals are expected to relate to one or more of the following areas: 

• Translate and extend content from ACSA’s existing journals, workshops, webinars, and conferences for audiences such as practitioners, policymakers, students (K-12, community college, university), and other relevant audiences beyond our member school faculty.
• Connect and partner with groups that overlap or liaise with ACSA to advance disciplinary knowledge, action, and policies related to climate justice and racial equity (e.g., Dark Matter University, US Architects Declare, The Architecture Lobby, Society of Architectural Historians, among others).
• Consider cohort collaborations and creating broader communities of practice around climate justice and racial equity to build relationships between actors through a collective application of work toward a project, symposia, grant submission, training sessions, or other work focused on long term goals and a ripple effect outside of the academy.

NOTE: Documentation of this work will be disseminated via the ACSA’s Justice in Architecture Website, acsajustice.org. The format of this dissemination will be project specific. 

EVALUATION RUBRIC

Fellows must have a faculty appointment (full- or part-time) at an ACSA full, candidate, or affiliate member school at the time of selection and throughout the one year term. The selection committee will use the following criteria when reviewing applications.

• Documented potential or demonstrated activity to build on new and existing content from ACSA activities.
• Demonstrated activity advocating for equity, justice, and/or climate action in the context of architectural education—including, but not limited to, teaching, publications, conference presentations, exhibitions, and grant-funded projects. 
• Potential to advance racial equity and climate justice discourse in architecture.
• Clarity of the project proposal and feasibility

APPLICATIONS

We encourage nominations from Black, Indigenous/Native, and people of color, as well as from individuals teaching at minority-serving institutions. ACSA seeks to include members from a range of backgrounds, including race/ethnicity, gender, school type, and teaching.

To apply, candidates must download the cover sheet and submit the following items in a single PDF in the following order by the June 12, 2024, deadline: 

• ACSA cover sheet
• A cover letter (two pages maximum). 
• Curriculum vitae, 3-pages max. (curated CV limit page count)
• Proposed budget describing how the applicant will use the funding, such as stipend, materials, travel, and other related expenses  
• Up to three samples (e.g., publications, images, or web links) of previous work related to outreach, partnership, or advocating for equity, justice, or climate action.  

The cover letter should briefly address the candidate’s experience advocating for equity, justice, and/or climate action and outline their prospects for working with(in) ACSA to achieve the expectations of the fellowship listed above. 

Later in the process, finalists for the position will be asked for a letter from an authorized administrator in the candidate’s department, program, college, etc., confirming the candidate’s teaching appointment and terms (e.g., full- or part-time), and support for the candidate’s acceptance of the fellowship, if offered. It is not part of the initial application. 

Submit your application PDF by email to Abel Chanyalew, ACSA membership coordinator, achanyalew@acsa-arch.org. Direct questions about the fellowship to Kendall A. Nicholson, Senior Director of Research, Equity, and Education, knicholson@acsa-arch.org.