Call for Applications: Minority-Serving Institution Virtual Book Workshop Project

Deadline: January 16, 2024 11:59 p.m. Eastern | Applications Are Now Closed. 

The goal of the Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Virtual Book Workshop Project is to help scholars of politics at MSIs publish great books. Workshops of expert reviewers give authors extensive feedback to improve a completed manuscript as well as insights into the publication process. 

This new project, a partnership between Howard University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and University of Maryland, College Park will help provide the resources needed to organize and execute a virtual book workshop for scholars at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities in the United States.

Dr. Ravi K. Perry, Chair of the Department of Political Science at Howard University said:

“The virtual book workshop fund represents an opportunity to bring political science scholars of HBCUs and other MSIs additional resources needed to continue publishing seminal scholarship that addresses the lived conditions of marginalized communities thereby increasing our body of knowledge while also creating a more expansive vision of our discipline.”

John Jay College President Karol Mason said:

“As a Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution committed to diversity, equity, and justice, we are thrilled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice to partner with Howard University to support political scientists nation-wide. We hope this innovative virtual book workshop project will serve as a model for how to retain faculty at HBCUs and MSIs and address inequities in scholarly book publishing.”

To apply, create an APSA profile and submit your online application. All materials must be submitted through the online application to be evaluated by the review board. Applications for the 2024 cycle are now closed.

Awardees will receive support to organize a virtual book workshop in summer 2024. A $2000 award will be used to provide four expert reviewers an honorarium for their participation in the workshops. The MSI Virtual Book Workshop team will work directly with reviewers to disperse their honorariums. The workshop team will also provide assistance in identifying reviewers, if needed.

Eligibility

This award is open to scholars who have completed a book manuscript primarily focused on the study of politics and who currently work at a US-based Minority Serving Institution. Junior and senior scholars in a variety of departments, not just political science, are encouraged to apply. This award is not limited to scholars in a tenure track position. 

Please note that book manuscripts that are already under contract with a publisher are not eligible for the grant. Additionally, students are not eligible for the award. You must be a faculty member at the time of application. 

Application Review

University of Maryland, College Park professor, Dr. Niambi Carter, and John Jay College professor, Dr. Heath Brown, co-direct the project and have organized a review board to select deserving manuscripts for the competitive awards across fields of study. The board includes: Sekou Franklin (Middle Tennessee State University), Jane Junn (USC), Cyril Ghosh (Clark University), Heath Fogg Davis (Temple University), Lilly Goren (Carroll University), and Michael Miller (City College, CUNY). 

Carter and Brown also have begun to assemble a list of scholars and editors interested in serving as reviewers for the third round of workshops. Please contact  Dr. Heath Brown or Dr. Niambi Carter if you are interested in serving as a reviewer or have questions about the MSI Virtual Book Workshop.

With generous support from five leading academic publishers, Cambridge University Press, Columbia University Press, New York University Press, Oxford University Press, and Princeton University Press, as well as APSA, scholars with a completed book manuscript can apply for funding. 

Robert Dreesen, Publisher, Economics and Political Science, Cambridge University Press, an early supporter of the project, explained:  

“Of course Cambridge University Press is delighted to participate in this useful initiative, one with material benefits both for the field and for individual scholars. There never was any doubt about participation, thus the Press’s enthusiasm as one of the first publishers to commit to the project.”  

Other supporters have highlighted the close connection between their missions and the goals of the project. Niko Pfund, President of Oxford University Press USA and Global Academic Books Publisher, shared:  

“We’re proud to participate in this initiative, given the way its mission of expanded access dovetails with our own.”

Columbia University Press Editorial Director, Eric Schwartz, said:

“We are proud to participate in the MSI project, co-led by a Columbia University Press author, which so directly expresses the values we share with our fellow participants from the university press community.”

Bridget Flannery-McCoy Senior Editor in Politics at Princeton University Press said:  

“As publishers we see just how valuable workshops are in improving manuscripts, and we are honored to partner with the MSI Virtual Book Workshop to make these available to scholars at minority-serving institutions. The field and the reading public at large will benefit greatly from amplifying these voices.”

Integral to the success of the project is the support of APSA staff who have helped design the online application infrastructure, marketing, and outreach components of the project.

APSA Executive Director, Steve Smith shared: