Lecture Fund Guidelines

Academic lectures supported by the Office of Dean of the Faculty Guidelines Fall 2024/Spring 2025

The overarching purpose of Dean-sponsored lectures is to promote a lively campus culture of intellectual and creative exchange featuring events of outstanding interest that are appealing and accessible to a wide spectrum of the Vassar community. Highest priority for funding will go to events most in accord with this purpose.

Guidelines

• The Dean’s office supports two types of lecture events. Major Lectures are not necessarily sponsored by a department or program, but are of very broad appeal to a general campus audience, involve a prominent speaker and have the co-sponsorship of multiple departments, programs and other college groups. Regular Lectures are sponsored by a department or program and have the co-sponsorship of at least one other department or program.
• The Dean’s office will not ordinarily support more than one event in a single day, nor more than two events in a single week, nor more than twelve events per semester. We can sponsor up to three Major Lectures and nine Regular Lectures each semester.
• Considerations weighing in favor of a proposal:
  • Eminence and excellence of proposed speaker
  • Broad appeal and multiple confirmed co-sponsors (co-sponsor financial contribution is not necessary but is helpful)
  • Opportunities for speaker to interact informally with students and faculty outside the immediate context of the lecture
  • Timely submission of Fall proposals are due May 31, 2024 and Spring proposals are due November 8, 2024.
    Proposals received on time will receive priority consideration. If slots remain available after these deadlines, they will be considered for the Fall until September 27, 2024 and for the Spring until February 21, 2025. These are firm final deadlines.
  • Balance and equity
    Lectures funded, as a whole, should cover a wide range of disciplines and topics. Departments or programs with endowed lecture funds should draw on those funds before seeking additional funding from the DoF office.

• Funding and scheduling:
  • Honoraria ordinarily range from $100 to $1,500. Requests for honoraria of $1,500 or more should include substantial evidence of the prominence, broad appeal, and effectiveness of the proposed speaker. Typically, the honoraria for Major Lecture events are considerably larger than $1,500 and can be up to $15,000 for a very high-profile speaker.
    Suggested honoraria:
    • Top person in field: $1,500 (virtual only: $1000)
    • Well-established scholar: $800 (virtual only: $400)
    • Early in career and nearby: $100
    • Graduate student: Ineligible for funding.
  • Transportation expenses should include round-trip airfare, tolls, and ground transportation at current rates (65.5 cents per mile for car).
  • Lodging should be at Alumnae House at current rates ($175/night).
  • Hospitality may include modest meal expenses for the guest and selected members of the Vassar campus community. Gatherings should be small enough to allow everyone to interact informally with the guest. Suggested budget guidelines: $20 per person for lunches, $40 per person for dinners.
  • Lectures should ordinarily take place at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at times with few or no conflicting or contiguous public events on the campus calendar. Lectures scheduled for regular class meeting times are ineligible for lecture funding, although
  • Faculty may contact the Dean’s office for modest honoraria, travel, and hospitality amounts for classroom visitors. Do not request this through the Google Form.
• Proposals should address the considerations above and accompany the “Request for Lecture Funds” Google Form. Please note that this Google Form now replaces the prior email request process. Email approval of funding from a member of the Dean of the Faculty staff is required before making commitments to speakers or arrangements for publicity.
• If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Amy Jo Arndt at aarndt@vassar.edu.