Syracuse University’s study away locations in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. represent distinctive platforms for faculty scholarly innovation, offering unparalleled access to cultural and artistic institutions, policy centers, industry networks and diverse communities that can catalyze research breakthroughs, pedagogical innovation and impactful public scholarship.
The competitive Study Away Summer Awards initiative provides up to six full-time faculty members with $10,000 awards to develop high-impact projects at study away locations during Summer 2026. Selected faculty will become institutional trailblazers, demonstrating how study away sites can advance disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, cross-sector partnerships and innovative pedagogy. Recipients will share their work across campus through presentations and participate in a Universitywide showcase during the 2026-27 academic year, helping establish best practices and inspire broader faculty engagement with study away.
Multiple schools and colleges utilize study away locations for both semester-length and short-term graduate and undergraduate courses and co-curricular programs. The University’s Offices of Advancement and External Affairs, Government Relations and Alumni and Constituent Engagement also maintain satellite offices in these locations. Additionally, the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship is based in Washington.
Strategic Vision
The University’s academic strategic plan, “Leading with Distinction,” calls for Syracuse University to deepen faculty engagement with study away locations—not merely as teaching venues, but also as research laboratories, creative incubators and platforms for public impact. This initiative advances that vision by investing in faculty who will create new models for leveraging study away centers, all in urban and global cities, as sites of scholarly discovery and innovation.
Why Study Away Sites for Faculty Scholarship?
The University’s study away sites offer faculty:
- Proximity to archives, collections and cultural institutions unavailable elsewhere.
- Access to policy makers, industry leaders and creative communities relevant to diverse disciplines.
- Opportunities to develop community-engaged scholarship in dynamic urban contexts.
- Spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration and program co-development.
- Infrastructure for building sustainable partnerships that extend beyond single courses.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should be submitted as a single PDF document to Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives Elisa Dekaney at emdekane@syr.edu. Proposals must include the following:
- Brief letter of support from the dean, indicating how the proposed project could advance research or pedagogical priorities in the school/college and inspire broader faculty engagement with study away sites
- Faculty member’s current CV
- Two-page statement from the faculty member identifying the following:
- The study away site they would like to utilize (Los Angeles, New York or Washington, D.C.)
- A rationale for how spending a week in Summer 2026 at that site would advance their research/creative work, teaching/mentoring or public impact/community engagement
- A description of how this summer project will catalyze sustained engagement or generate ongoing scholarly/pedagogical outcomes at the study away site
Timeline and Review Process
The deadline for submitting proposals is Sunday, March 1. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of three faculty members, the program coordinator for the desired site and one assistant provost convened by Dekaney. Announcements about funded proposals will be sent by mid-April. Awarded activities should take place during Fiscal Year 2027, and expenses need to be reconciled before May 15, 2027. There will be no carry forward.
Information sessions on this program and available summer awards will be held via Zoom (details to come).
For more information, contact Dekaney at 315.443.0768 or emdekane@syr.edu.