Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the establishment of a new endowed and annual fund at SUNY New Paltz dedicated to supporting the development of our contingent faculty (full- and part-time adjuncts and lecturers).
The Katie Geneva Cannon Fund for Contingent Faculty was made possible by an anonymous and generous donor who has given $150,000 to the SUNY New Paltz Foundation to establish an annual fund and to create an endowment.
The fund is named in honor of the late Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, a pioneering scholar and educator whose life's work embodied the principles of justice, liberation, and empowerment. The Rev. Dr. Cannon was the first African American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. at Union Theological Seminary and the first African American woman to be ordained in the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She inspired the anonymous donor in their commitment to anti-racism and the lives of people often ignored or marginalized.
This fund recognizes that the intellectual vitality of our institution depends on nurturing the potential of all our faculty members, particularly those who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to our academic community. Contingent faculty play a critical role in our University’s mission, and we are committed to investing in you and continuing to seek ways of supporting you going forward.
This new resource will distribute $20,000 annually for the next five years to support adjunct professors and lecturers pursuing projects that further their careers, a significant investment in the scholarly and professional development of our contingent faculty and in the educational experience of the students they serve.
“All too often contingent faculty have not had the time or financial resources to finish the degree that will give them the credentials they need in academia,” said the donor. “Teachers from various marginalized communities may also have the additional burden and joy of providing emotional support to students ‘like them’ facing personal and institutional challenges. I am grateful to be able to offer some help.”
An additional $50,000 endowment is being created so that this funding resource can continue to support our academic community in perpetuity.
Please see below for current eligibility and application information. More details about the Katie Geneva Cannon Annual Fund, including further application details, will be available in early 2025.
We extend special thanks to the numerous people who advised and assisted our anonymous donor in taking this intention for a gift and making it a reality, including adjuncts and lecturers who have advised our team along the way and especially Katherine Doss and Jonathan Vaughn, who both worked closely with our anonymous donor over many months. Of course, we are most grateful to our donor for this extraordinary and truly creative gift that meets such need in our campus community.
With gratitude for all of you in this holiday season,
William McClure
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Erica Marks
Vice President of Development & Alumni Relations
Executive Director, SUNY New Paltz Foundation
The Katie Geneva Cannon Fund for Contingent Faculty
Who is eligible, and how to apply:
- Applications are open to all contingent faculty members of SUNY New Paltz, which includes temporary and term lecturers as well as adjuncts, who are scheduled to teach at least one semester over the course of the school year or have taught one semester prior to the award. In cases when a class is canceled due to under-enrollment, contingent faculty members will remain eligible for this award.
- Applicants must submit a short statement expressing how these funds will help to advance their careers. The statement should include a project budget. Following the completion of the project, awardees will be expected to submit a brief impact statement articulating how this award contributed to their project.
- Preference will be given to those with financial needs as expressed in application statements.
- Awardee(s) will be selected by a committee of at least three faculty formed by the Office of the Provost and will include at least one member who is contingent faculty and at least one member who represents diverse and/or underrepresented populations within the faculty.
- Fund awards will be available twice annually and will vary in amounts, to be determined by the committee.
- Funding may include: 1) stipends issued through payroll, 2) direct payment to vendors, or 3) reimbursements for project expenses, including travel, lodging, and conference fees.
- While applicants are eligible to apply multiple times over the duration of their employment at SUNY New Paltz (not within a given semester), priority may be given to those who have not yet received an award from this fund.
More information about the Katie Geneva Cannon Annual Fund, including further application details, will be available in early 2025.
