Submissions

Submissions in any of the following categories are accepted on a rolling basis through Submittable, a cloud-based submission management system used by The University Seminars office to manage proposals and requests. Submittable is a third-party system and not associated with Columbia University. First-time users will be asked to create an account by entering their email address and choosing a password. Submittable is not connected to the Columbia UNI/password system.

New Seminar Proposal

Before submitting a new seminar proposal, please take a moment to look at the listing of current seminars. If there is another seminar already on the subject you are proposing, please address this in your letter. It is possible to have multiple seminars in a particular field if the approach or subject matter differs enough from the existing seminar to qualify as a new seminar.

All seminars must include participants from more than one department, and from outside Columbia. Members (from Columbia), and associate members (from elsewhere), must have PhDs or equivalent expertise. Some seminars admit selected graduate students as guests; some do not.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis through Submittable and are reviewed by a committee.

 

New Seminar Proposal Application

 

Publication Fund Requests

The University Seminars offers two publication subventions. To qualify for either award, the author must have presented at least some of the work at a University Seminar meeting. The manuscript or article must be accepted for publication, but not already in production.

The Leonard Hastings Schoff and Suzanne Levick Schoff Memorial Fund may be used for indexing, translating, technical editing, illustrating, or other publication costs of manuscripts or monographs produced under the auspices of The University Seminars in the fields of economics, sociology, psychology, penology, or the behavioral sciences.

The Aaron Warner Fund supports the publication of materials that emerge from a University Seminar. These publications do not need to fall under a specific field. Our Executive Committee named this book subsidy fund the Aaron Warner fund, in honor of the social scientist who was Director of The University Seminars for decades, and whose devotion to music on the one hand, and to the world of physics at Columbia, on the other, carried him far beyond the social sciences.

 

Publication Fund Request Application

Conference Proposals

Occasionally, a seminar’s central concerns involve scholars too distant for regular participation, or a seminar wants to engage a broader audience. On such occasions, the seminar may wish to organize a conference or public or private symposium. Conferences and symposia are an exciting part of The University Seminars programming. For the Conference Committee to consider a proposal, conference guidelines must be acknowledged, and a proposal must be submitted through Submittable. Additionally, the following requirements must be met:

  • The conference comes from the work of a seminar.
  • Members of the seminar are committed to planning all aspects of the conference; graduate students and post-docs may not be the primary organizers.
  • Organizers have secured or actively pursuing other sources of funding.

 

Conference Proposal Application

The Belo Award

The Belo Award aims to encourage participation in The University Seminars by emerging and independent scholars, as well as non-tenured professors. Awardees can use the funds for expenses related to attendance, including dependent or elder care and other incidentals. Chairs submit Belo Award applications on the participant’s behalf. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through Submittable and will be reviewed by a committee. For questions about this award, contact Susan Boynton: slb184@columbia.edu.

 

The Belo Award Application

Meeting Documentation

Meeting Documentation Submission