Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship

The Conti Fellowship recognizes tenured faculty for their record of outstanding accomplishments in research and creative activity and is awarded based on the nominee’s potential for continued excellence, particularly regarding the project that would be undertaken during the Fellowship period as proposed in their nomination materials. Provides a one-year release from teaching and service duties and $3,500. 

Nomination Deadline 

The college’s nomination deadline is December 6, 2024.  

Nomination Procedure 

Nominations may be made by the department chair, department personnel committee, or HFA colleague. During the fall semester, chairs will consult with their department personnel committees to identify prospective nominees and assemble the required materials. Self-nominations are also permitted, in which case the supporting letter may be written by a colleague or by the department head/chair.  

New guidance added, Fall 2024: Because candidates come from a wide variety of disciplines, nominations should be prepared for a broad audience, most of whom have little disciplinary context. Because finalists all have excellent records of research and creative activity, awards depend strongly on a compelling project proposal that can be accomplished during the fellowship period. Nomination materials and referee letters that address the significance of the project and the potential for success and impact, are most useful for the review. Furthermore, the timing of a proposed project has often been compelling to reviewers, such as an opportunity that is available for a limited time or addresses an urgent societal issue.  

To nominate HFA faculty, please use the College's nomination form. The following materials will be required:  

  • The candidate’s statement of up to 1,000 words describing how the Fellowship time would be spent  
  • Nominee’s complete curriculum vitae  
  • Letter of support from the nominee's department head/chair, including comments on the impact of the proposed project  
  • A list of no more than five external referees and their contact information, from whom recommendation letters will be requested if the nomination packet is forwarded by the dean to the VCRE. For each referee, include the individual's name, email address, professional title, institutional affiliation, and phone number. You may provide a few words to establish context for the inclusion of an individual if it is not otherwise clear.  
  • Candidates nominated in the previous three years may rely on reference letters from the previous nomination.    

Who to Contact

For more information, please contact:

  • Amy Fleig, afleig [at] umass [dot] edu (afleig[at]umass[dot]edu)

  • Pari Riahi, priahi [at] umass [dot] edu (priahi[at]umass[dot]edu)