Emerging Scholars Program

Emerging Scholars Program

Each year, academic departments at Boston University can apply through their school/college academic leadership and BU D&I to host an Emerging Scholars Program. Emerging Scholars Programs are structured meetings wherein BU academic departments invite emerging scholars – typically late-stage terminal degree candidates – from other institutions to engage in, for example, networking and professional development opportunities, research presentations, panel discussions, and mentorship. The emerging scholars themselves must come from racial or ethnic groups that have been historically excluded from the academy. The goals of the program are multifold: 

  • To strengthen our national and international networks, thereby deepening our search pools and positively impacting our search outcomes; 
  • To normalize the presence and inclusion of scholars from historically excluded racial and ethnic groups in BU’s academic departments; 
  • To enliven our curricula and intellectual/creative endeavors through consistent and substantive engagement with such emerging faculty; 
  • To prepare scholars from historically excluded groups for the academic job market, and; 
  • To encourage and excite emerging scholars for careers in academia. 

    Emerging Scholars Programs take many different forms. We encourage academic departments to be creative in developing opportunities for networking, academic presentations, professional development activities, and other types of events for their Emerging Scholars Programs. Past Emerging Scholars Programs have taken the forms of single- or multi-day symposia, multiple-day visits stretched over a semester or year, or hybrid programs that incorporate both online and in-person elements. 

    Emerging Scholars Programs are cost-shared at 50% between BU D&I and schools/colleges. Therefore, the review process must go through both channels before being awarded. 

    If you are interested in applying for an Emerging Scholars Program, please take the time to review the resources and instructions below, where you will also find the timeline and instructions for applying to host a program in the 2024-25 academic year.