Scholar Development

Purpose

The Pike Scholars program seeks to develop the next generation of scholars who will give leadership to the task of extending the boundaries of knowledge within the movement of language development and Bible translation that Kenneth L. Pike helped to establish.

How it works

The participants in the Pike Scholars program already hold a doctoral degree or are currently enrolled in a doctoral study program. Our program supplements their study program by:

• • Examining the call to integrative scholarship (which integrates across disciplines, integrates theory with practical service, and integrates faith with field of study)

  • Growing in vision for world-changing scholarship and how it can be funded

  • Practicing the craft of scholarship to begin growing a publishing record

All of these activities are pursued under the guidance of a mentor who is an established scholar in the same field of study and who is a Fellow of the Pike Center. Before being accepted into the program, the prospective Pike Scholar must find a sponsor to underwrite the financial costs of the program.

To learn more

• • Program overview

  • The curriculum is a work in progress. See the current status of Examining the Call to Integrative Scholarship, Learning the Craft of Scholarship, and Growing Our Vision for Integrative Scholarship.

  • Sponsorship and Accountability in the Pike Scholars Program — a document for administrators and personnel managers

  • On becoming a Pike Scholar, including eligibility, expectations, and application instructions

  • Early engagement in the Pike Scholars program: Doctoral studies as an entry-level position in SIL

Call for applications

In addition to meeting the program eligibility requirements, participants must have a financial sponsor to fund their scholarly activities. If you will be sponsored by your own organization or organizational unit, you may submit an application at anytime. 

• On becoming a Pike Scholar describes eligibility requirements, expectations of participants, and instructions for how to apply. 

• Sponsorship and Accountability in the Pike Scholars Program is a document you can share with your supervisor and other organizational leaders to explain how sponsorship works.

If you need to apply to the Pike Center for full or matching sponsorship, then you may submit an application at any time with the understanding that you are entering a waiting list. On December 1 of each year, applications for that year are closed so that deliberations may be made to name a cohort of incoming Pike Scholars for the new year. When the total of funds requested in the applications exceeds the amount that the Pike Center is able to allocate, then the applications will be evaluated against a number of factors as described in the final section of On becoming a Pike Scholar.

Background

• • Description of the program in Current upon its launch in 2016 with an initial cohort of six Pike Scholars

  • The working paper that laid out the need and vision for the program

  • Chapter 1 of A Threefold Purpose: Rediscovering the Heart of SIL develops the argument for why scholarship (as it "extends the boundaries of knowledge") is so foundational for our movement. (Slide price slider to left for free download.)