Selection at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is based on a less exclusive nomination process.

And like Radcliffe, the National Humanities Center has an open application.

The fellows are selected to represent a range of backgrounds and scholarly achievement.

And there’s no standard formula for fellowship success, NHC’s Connor says. In fact, taking risks sometimes pays off.

“You’ve got to take people who you think might be a little quirky, a little out of the mainstream sometimes, because that’s where a lot of innovation takes place,” Connor says.

GOOD NEIGHBORS

Radcliffe touts its direct affiliation with Harvard as one of its biggest draws. But even though all the other institutes for advanced study are administratively separate from the nearby universities, they often collaborate, sharing resources, students and faculty.

“It’s a very, very cordial relationship and absolutely vital to us,” says Connor, whose NHC is closely tied to the University of North Carolina, Duke University and other institutions.

And McAdam says Stanford “benefits enormously” from the nearby CASBS.

“It sort of thickens the intellectual community on a campus that is already very impressive,” he says.

Radcliffe’s relationship with Harvard, Faust says, is “hugely different.” In contrast to other institutes for advanced study, Radcliffe plays a role within the University. Faust says Radcliffe’s relation to Harvard will facilitate interdisciplinary interaction between the University’s often-disparate faculties.

And some say Radcliffe’s greatest potential for innovation lies in relationships with Harvard’s schools and programs that combine the interests of FAS professors and Radcliffe fellows.

In addition, Faust says, the short-term, flexible nature of Radcliffe’s fellowship program allows it to serve as a testing ground for ventures that could later move to other parts of Harvard.

But Bynum, the Columbia history professor, cautions that Radcliffe’s connection with Harvard is a risk as well as an asset.

“It’s quite possible that Harvard will start to think of the Institute as a place for sabbaticals for their faculty or as a means of recruitment,” she says. “It’s important that Radcliffe not become only the tail that’s wagged by Harvard.”