Second Book Institute

Second Book Institute 2025: June 8-13

The University of Tulsa invites applications for the 2025 Second Book Institute (SBI) — a unique opportunity designed to support mid-career academics in completing their second book. Co-sponsored by the National Humanities Center, this initiative is designed to help mid-career academics in need of time, structured writing strategies, and a network of mutual support needed to navigate the challenges of producing their second major work.

Stalling at the associate professor stage is a widely recognized problem in higher education, as mid-career faculty contend with ever-growing demands for service and mentoring while managing a range of caretaking obligations. These obstacles are especially high for fields in which books constitute the primary measure of scholarly accomplishment and stand as the main requirement for professorial promotion.

In recognition of this widespread need, the National Humanities Center and The University of Tulsa’s Henneke Center for Academic Fulfilment launched the Second Book Institute with funding provided by UTulsa President Brad R. Carson and Provost George Justice. Founded by Laura Stevens, the institute is led by Danielle Macdonald, senior associate dean for faculty & research in The Kendall College of Arts & Sciences, Nicole Wilkins, director of the Henneke Center, and Jennifer Airey, vice provost for faculty affairs and academic initiatives.

The SBI Fellowship

A collaboration between the National Humanities Center and The University of Tulsa, the Second Book Institute gathers ten scholars from a variety of fields and institutional settings. The Institute admits nine fellows from outside The University of Tulsa, with five of these having been National Humanities Center fellowship winners. The tenth fellow is a faculty member from The University of Tulsa. Fellows meet daily during the week-long institute, with unstructured writing time in the morning and workshops with a writing coach, the National Humanities Center, and editor in the afternoon.

The external fellowships include six nights at a local hotel, opening and closing dinners, daily breakfasts and lunches, guest memberships at The University of Tulsa’s Collins Fitness Center, and stipends of $1,000 to fund travel to the workshop, assist with family care, or provide whatever the fellows determine will facilitate their ability to devote a week entirely to their own writing and community-building with the other fellows. The internal fellowship includes the meals and a $500 stipend. All fellowships include optional online group meetings after the institute to provide continued mutual support in meeting writing goals.

Participation is limited to a cohort of 10 fellows, selected through a competitive review process. Each selected participant’s home institution will be asked to provide a modest $2500 fee to offset anticipated expenses for the week-long institute (includes housing, supplies, library support, participant stipend, and most meals). A limited number of scholarships are available for faculty from institutions who do not have research funds. Please contact the SBI to apply for a scholarship. The University of Tulsa promotes inclusion in all activities and programs and will assist all individuals to enable participation.

Application Guidelines

Applications for the 2025 cohort are due Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. Applicants should send a single PDF document with the following sections, in this order, to nicole-wilkins@utulsa.edu:

1. A cover statement of no more than one page, single-spaced. This statement should tell us who you are, where you are in your career, what factors you see as the primary obstacles to completing your book, and how you see the institute helping you;
2. A service CV of no more than one page;
3. A scholarly CV of no more than two pages, with education, employment history, major publications, and previous fellowships/grants that allowed writing time;
4. A book description and table of contents of no more than one page;
5. An outline of the chapter you plan to work on during the Institute, with up to 10 pages of draft writing;
6. A letter of institutional endorsement from either your department chair, dean, provost, or president. The letter of endorsement should be sent directly to nicole-wilkins@utulsa.edu. The letter should attest to your scholarship, the impact the SBI will have on the completion of your second book, and provide written commitment of $2,500 to support your participation the Second Book Institute.

All submitted text should be in 12-point font with one-inch margins, single-spaced, with page numerals in the lower right-hand corner. Applications that do not fit the guidelines or do not meet the deadline will not be considered.

A panel of experts will review the applications and select the fellows. Application materials will be held in strict confidence, with only the SBI’s directors and evaluators having access. Applicants will not receive comments on their applications. Applicants will be notified by Monday, March 31, 2025, and will have two weeks to accept or decline the fellowship. If an applicant declines the offer, the next highest-ranked applicant will be contacted until all positions are filled.