In celebration of its 25th year, BPI invites applications from distinguished scholars for four endowed faculty positions.
The endowed chairs are part of BPI’s unprecedented work to build a full-time core faculty for college-in-prison and the Bard Microcolleges. Undergraduate teaching is at the heart of these positions, but faculty may also contribute one or more graduate seminars to BPI’s upcoming Master of Arts in Public Humanities degree program at Eastern NY Correctional Facility.
BPI introduced its first endowed faculty chair in 2022. The first two faculty to hold these positions are Philip Gourevitch, The Glenn & Amanda Fuhrman Chair for the Study of Language and Literature, and Austin Sarat, The Mellon Chair in the Humanities.
The next cycle of one- or two-year positions starts July 1, 2025, with teaching responsibilities beginning in the fall semester. Review of applications is slated to begin January 10, 2025.
The Borough of Brooklyn Chair for the Study of History and Culture
This endowed faculty position will advance student and public engagement in the rich history and diverse cultural heritage of Brooklyn. It is based at the Bard Microcollege at Brooklyn Public Library, which brings full-time, tuition-free college opportunity to the heart of Brooklyn, where enrolled students earn an associate in arts degree by studying the liberal arts in a community-based, seminar setting in Central Library at Grand Army Plaza.
The Mellon Chair for the Study of the Humanities
The first-ever endowed chair for teaching college-in-prison, the Mellon Chair in the Humanities brings courses by a distinguished scholar to BPI campuses in the Hudson Valley. Scholars from across humanities disciplines are encouraged to apply, especially those with experience in public humanities.
The Endowed Chair for the Study of the American Past
This endowed faculty position for teaching college-in-prison reflects and reinforces the place of U. S. History within the BPI undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Scholars whose work is transnational in focus are encouraged to apply as are historians of any period or specialization in American history.
The Justus Rosenberg Chair for the Study of the Thought and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This endowed faculty position for teaching college-in-prison will make inquiry into King’s thought, influence, and intellectual milieu a central curricular feature of BPI. Its establishment honors the importance of studying King, not only as an extraordinary doer, galvanizing orator, and transformative political agitator, but as a preeminent theologian and philosopher of the American tradition. Applicants with relevant specialization in any field in the humanities or social sciences will be given consideration.
