Organizer Information
The Michigan Society of Fellows was founded in 1970 at the University of Michigan through endowment grants from the Ford Foundation and the Horace H. and Mary Rackham Funds, under the auspices of the Rackham Graduate School. It was established by seven founding University of Michigan faculty members, including then-university president Robben Fleming, to promote academic and creative excellence in the humanities, arts, social, physical, and life sciences, and the professions, and to stimulate cross-disciplinary awareness and exchange. The Society is one of the most distinguished fellowship programs of its kind, drawing postdoctoral fellows from across scholarly and artistic fields to work alongside senior fellows drawn from distinguished University of Michigan faculty. For the 2027–2030 term, the Society is piloting a new Arts Initiative Fellowship alongside its customary six annual postdoctoral fellowships.
Title & Description
Michigan Society of Fellows — Arts Initiative Fellowship (2027–2030 Term)
The Michigan Society of Fellows is an interdisciplinary intellectual community in which postdoctoral fellows are joined by senior fellows to share work in progress. For the 2027–2030 and 2028–2031 fellowship terms, the Society is piloting a new Arts Initiative Fellowship, adding one dedicated fellowship position in the arts alongside its six customary annual postdoctoral fellowships. The Arts Initiative fellow will participate fully in the Society's interdisciplinary intellectual life, teach the equivalent of one academic year across the three-year term, and pursue independent creative work, research, or artistic projects while in residence at the University of Michigan. For the 2027–2030 term, the fellowship is available in the participating departments of Creative Writing | English Department and Film, Television, & Media.
Categories
- Creative Writing
- Screenwriting
- Video/Film
- Fellowship
- Research
- Interdisciplinary Arts
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold an MFA degree or comparable terminal degree in the arts, earned within the required eligibility period of June 1, 2024 to August 30, 2027 (firm dates; no exceptions)
- The eligible terminal degree must be clearly based in creative practice, and submitted work must be suitable for creative review
- Applicants with an MFA earned outside the eligibility period and a Ph.D. earned within it may apply only if the Ph.D. is clearly based in creative practice and the submitted work can be evaluated as creative work; an earlier MFA does not independently establish eligibility
- Applicants with a Ph.D. earned within the eligibility period but no MFA may apply if the Ph.D. is comparable to a terminal arts degree, is clearly centered on creative practice, and the submitted work is suitable for creative review
- Applicants whose eligible Ph.D. and proposed project are primarily critical, theoretical, or scholarly rather than creative are not eligible
- An MA plus substantial creative production and professional practice is not sufficient; a Ph.D. or comparable professional/artistic terminal degree is required if not applying with an MFA
- For the 2027–2030 term, the fellowship is available only in the Creative Writing | English Department and Film, Television, & Media departments; applicants whose creative practice aligns with these fields are encouraged to apply
- International applicants are welcomed; the Society will normally pursue J-1 status for international postdocs requiring sponsorship (sponsorship of other statuses, including H-1B, is rare and requires a policy exception); international applicants who recently earned degrees in the US are expected to use J-1 Academic Training or F-1 Optional Practical Training (including STEM OPT) where available
Program Benefits & Awards
- Annual stipend of $63,000 (fixed for the Arts Initiative Fellowship position)
- Eligibility to participate in the University's health, dental, and life insurance programs
- Up to $3,000 per year in research or travel funds, available on approval from the Society's Chair and with proper receipts
- Three-year appointment as a non-tenure-track Assistant Professor in an affiliated department, concurrent with appointment as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Society of Fellows
- Departments of appointment provide office and laboratory or studio space and access to other research needs or equipment, with the Society helping to ensure departmental cooperation
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application opens: 1 August (each year)
- Application Deadline: 14 September 2026
- Fellowship term: 2027–2030 (with a further cycle for 2028–2031)
- Appointment ends: 24 May of the final fellowship year
Location
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Additional Details
- Fellows are expected to participate in monthly colloquia, attend Society dinners, and engage in conversation with other members about their intellectual interests
- Fellows participate in the annual evaluation of new fellowship applicants and serve as evaluators for the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertations Awards sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School
- Each fellow teaches the equivalent of one academic year (two full terms) during the fellowship
- Off-campus research leave during academic terms is permitted only rarely, for brief periods, and only upon written application to the Society's Chair well in advance; any leave granted counts as part of the fellowship tenure
- Fellows must cite their Society of Fellows affiliation in resulting publications and provide the Society with copies of such published work
- Fellows submit a written report on their activities and accomplishments at the end of each fellowship year
- Fellows are encouraged to seek external agency support if it would enhance their scholarly or creative work
- Any subsequent appointment of a fellow to a University of Michigan position is subject to the university's standard rules governing new appointments