The Sunset Project 2009-2010
As part of an effort to
make Butler a more stimulating, collaborative and supportive
workplace (Priority Six of our new strategic plan, Dare to Make a
Difference), Provost Jamie Comstock initiated the "Sunset Project"
in August of 2009. The project is envisioned as a year-long
experiment in communal inquiry, focused on the theme of sunsets.
The shared intellectual, creative, and pedagogical investigation
will include a series of lunchtime symposia, service projects,
lectures (co-sponsored with departments and groups on campus),
exhibitions, and poster sessions oriented around the theme. Faculty
and staff in the academic division are encouraged to conceive of
this theme in the broadest possible terms. Please see our
event calendar for more details on events.
Grants: The Sunset Project Committee will offer
modest grants to help launch or defray the necessary costs involved
in faculty or staff carrying out a research, pedagogical, or
creative project related to the theme, or involved in integrating
the theme into a classroom project. Applications should be made in
writing to one of the Committee members, and will be considered on
a revolving basis, until funds are depleted.
Stipends: Faculty or staff who initiate and
organize a larger event related to the Project (e.g., a lunchtime
symposium or service project) will receive a modest stipend of $300
in recognition of their contribution to the Butler community.
Please contact a member of the Project Committee for more
information.
Lectures: Throughout the year, the Committee
will co-sponsor several lectures related to the theme (again,
interpreted very broadly) with departments or groups on campus.
Applications for co-sponsorship should be made in writing to one of
the Committee members, and will be considered on a revolving basis,
until funds are depleted.
Prizes: To encourage collaboration across
colleges, and to recognize creative contributions to the project,
the Committee will offer prizes of $500 for the following (prizes
will be announced at a year-end party organized by the Provost's
office):
- Best cross-college collaborative project
- Best creative submission (art, poetry, dance, etc.)
- Best integration of the theme into a classroom project
(preferably with results that can be exhibited)
- Best poster submitted for the poster session
- Best faculty or staff presentation (at a symposia or other
event)
- Most innovative form of participation or suggestion for an
event related to the theme
The Sunset Image
The Provost displayed the digital image of a sunset, which
appears above, when she announced the project in August. If you
would like to use that exact image as part of your participation in
the Sunset Project and would like a high resolution digital copy,
please contact Chad Bauman (cbauman@butler.edu).