March 15, 2008
It is my great pleasure once more to invite your institution to participate in the programs of
the Harvard-Yenching Institute by nominating scholars as candidates to our programs. For
the academic year 2009-10, your university may nominate up to a total of six (6) candidates
from among your most promising scholars. In conjunction with the mission of the HarvardYenching Institute, nominated scholars should be working in the humanities and social
sciences with an emphasis on culture. Here is a summary of our programs.
Visiting Scholars Program
This program offers younger faculty members in the humanities and social sciences the
opportunity to undertake 11 months of study and research at Harvard University. Successful
applicants join researchers at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and have access to the Harvard
University libraries. They are provided with living expenses while at the Institute.
Applicants must be 45 years of age or younger at the date of application. Our selection
committee reviews all the applications, and meets in late November. All the applicants and
university administrators will be notified of selection results in early December. The
selection criteria include academic training, quality of research proposal, and depth of subject
knowledge, originality of the proposal as well as feasibility of conducting the research at
Harvard. The deadline for the receipt of applications is June 15, 2008.
Visiting Fellows Program
This program provides advanced Ph.D. candidates (graduate students and junior faculty
members) in your institution an opportunity to do dissertation research at Harvard University
for three semesters. Our selection committee reviews all the applications, and meets in late
November. In our selection process, preference is given to junior faculty members working
in East Asian Studies. Successful applicants join researchers at the Harvard-Yenching
Institute, and have access to Harvard University libraries. They are provided with living
expenses while at the Institute. An official TOEFL score is required for this program. All
the applicants and university administrations will be notified of selection results in early
December. The selection criteria include academic training, quality of research proposal, and
depth of subject knowledge, originality of the proposal as well as feasibility of conducting the
research at Harvard. The deadline for receipt of application is June 15, 2008. A TOEFL
score must be submitted to the Institute by September 1, 2008.
Doctoral Scholarship Program
This program allows junior faculty members and researchers in your institution to study
abroad for a Ph.D. in the humanities and social sciences at one of the major universities in the
United States and other countries. Scholarships are given for a period of one academic year,
and are renewable for up to three and half years. Annual renewal depends on satisfactory
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progress toward a degree and the availability of funds. Applications will be judged by a
committee of Harvard faculty at the end of February, and the selection results will be notified
to applicants and their university administrators in March. Applications for the Institute
scholarships are separate from applications for admission to graduate programs. Candidates
must apply directly to the admission office of the universities of their choice; the Institute
application is only for financial assistance. Nominees must register for the TOEFL test by
September 1. The deadline for the receipt of applications at the Harvard-Yenching Institute
is June 15, 2008. Applicants may update the list of their desired universities and revise their
study plan after their application submission up to September 1, 2008.
This fall a representative of the Harvard-Yenching Institute will visit your university to
interview your nominees for these programs. We ask that you send all of your applications in
one package to the Institute at the following address:
Program Office
Harvard-Yenching Institute
25 Francis Avenue, Suite 20
Cambridge. MA 02138
USA
Tel: 617-495-0702
Fax: 617-496-7206
Scholarship applications sent directly to the Institute without official approval by your
institution will not be considered. We look forward to hearing from you after you have
nominated your candidates. In the meantime, please acknowledge the receipt of this letter by
e-mail ruohong_li@harvard.edu , or by fax at 617-496-7206. Any inquiries on Visiting
Scholars Program should be directed to Dr. Ruohong Li, and inquiries on Doctoral
Scholarship Program to Dr. Nam Nguyen at nguyen2@fas.harvard.edu. Thank you very
much for your kind cooperation.
Sincerely yours,
TU Weiming
Director
Peter L. Kelley
Executive Director
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Appendix
A) Coverage of the scholarships:
The following is the detailed information on the coverage of our fellowships:
1. Visiting Scholars Program:
Round trip transportation by air for a selected scholar;
A stipend of US $2,940 per month for the period of residence in Cambridge,
Massachusetts (up to 11 months);
Fees for health insurance and the use of the Harvard clinic;
Funding for one time participation in an academic conference within the USA.
2. Visiting Fellows Program:
Transportation to and from Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Payment of the Harvard University Visiting Fellows fee;
A stipend adequate for a single scholar (for 2006-07, the monthly stipend is
$2,000) for three semesters,
Funding for one time participation in an academic conference within the USA.
3. Doctoral Scholars Program:
Transportation to and from Cambridge, Massachusetts, if attending Harvard
University (in the case of another university, to and from that university);
Tuition;
Health insurance;
A living stipend (stipend will be adjusted according to the local cost of living
and other sources of support. The grant is adequate for the support of a single
scholar.
B) Fields of Research
Candidates’ fields of research in the humanities and social sciences to be considered:
Anthropology
Archaeology
History
International Relations
Linguistics
Literature
Philosophy
Political Science
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Religion
Sociology
If the research field of any of your candidates falls out of the range mentioned above and
you are not sure if the candidate is eligible for applying for the programs, please contact
Ruohong Li at ruohong_li@harvard.edu before you decide to submit the application.
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