Academic Affairs

Lectures and Concerts

Application deadlines:

September 23, 2011 and January 20, 2012 and April 20, 2012.

Purpose:

The Lectures and Concerts Committee reviews applications from the faculty for assistance in funding events that enhance the academic life of the College, including lectures, discussions, readings, workshops, concerts, dance and theatrical performances. The awards are drawn from funds allocated to the Committee from the College’s operating budget, from the Jacob Jasper Stahl Fund, the Annie Talbot Cole Lectureship, the Charles F. Adams Lectureship, the Blythe Bickel Edwards Fund, the Lectures and Concerts General Fund and several endowed lecturer funds. These funds are, in most cases, quite limited and all endowed funds are specifically defined and must be recognized in event publicity, making the retroactive use of endowed funds impossible. The Committee therefore encourages all applicants to carefully plan ahead, to consider the various funds’ stated purpose, and to seek additional funding from other sources.

Please note that the Committee does not fund academic symposia. Faculty interested in hosting a symposium should apply to the dean's office or contact the Dean for Academic Affairs.

The Committee strongly encourages and supports applications that

1. relate to academic life of the College, particularly to current course offerings;
2. involve the proposed guest(s) in a variety of activities, rather than a single public lecture, including classroom and informal interaction with students, and thoroughly describe these activities in the application;
3. show collaboration between departments/programs or between departments/programs and student organizations;
4. show support from multiple sponsors and consider creative uses of other sources of funding, in particular the wide range of endowed lecture funds described in the College Catalog and online;
5. follow the Committee guidelines for honoraria;
6. keep travel and lodging expenses to a reasonable level;
7. keep meal expenses to a reasonable level, whenever possible using meals as a forum for further discussion, involving students, and making use of Bowdoin dining services.

Application Procedure:

To apply for funding through the Lectures and Concerts Committee, please download this application, complete it (using Adobe Acrobat), and submit it electronically as an attachment to landcproposals@bowdoin.edu.

The Committee strongly encourages applicants to plan their events well in advance and discourages retroactive applications. The committee will give precedence to applications for events scheduled at least a month in the future.  The April deadline is reserved for events in the subsequent (fall) semester or beyond.  Applications for events that have already occurred may not receive funding.

The application form, should be downloaded, completed, and submitted electronically as an attachment to landcproposals@bowdoin.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be addressed to the Tony Sprague, (Events and Summer Programs, ext.3423, tsprague@bowdoin.edu).

Early submission of applications will allow the Committee to assist you with successful preparation for your event. You are asked to describe the proposed event as fully as possible (i.e., not only public lectures and performances but class visits, informal social meetings, meals and receptions, etc.). Careful explanations of budgets and possible sources of supplementary funding will also strengthen the proposal.

Guidelines for honoraria: The Committee acknowledges that honoraria vary widely among fields and according to the stature of the presenter or performer invited and the extent of their involvement on campus. Honoraria should be in keeping with disciplinary norms and not normally exceed $500 for a single speaker or artist. Honoraria requests that exceed either disciplinary norms or Committee guidelines must be thoroughly explained in the application and other sources of funding should be sought. No honorarium amount should ever be quoted to a speaker or performer prior to approval by the Committee.

Notification of Award:

The Committee expects to notify applicants of its decisions no later than the following dates:

• Applicants will be notified of approval or denial of their request by the Committee Chair. Letters of approval will include the procedures to be followed to confirm the engagement of the guest, to arrange for payments of honoraria, and to secure additional services outlined in the approved budget;
• Included in the letter of approval will be a checklist for Faculty sponsor and a sample welcome letter to the guest lecturer;
• Use the college scheduling system or contact the Campus Scheduler (scheduling@bowdoin.edu, ext. 3421);
• To reserve facilities and arrange for dining contact Doris White, (dwhite@bowdoin.edu), ext. 3181);
• Audio-visual needs should be made early in the planning process. In the case of theatrical or musical performances, audio-visual services (Mary Hipkins, mhipkins@bowdoin.edu, ext. 3612) may advise seeking outside assistance from a production company. Applicants should contact AV prior to applying so as to plan for such substantial additional costs in the proposed budget. Applicants should also be aware that consent forms must be completed by all non-Bowdoin participants prior to the recording of any event by AV Services.