The general principles governing the approval of requests for lecture appropriations from the Horizons of Knowledge fund are as follows:
- Lecturers qualifying for Horizons of Knowledge supplemental funds should be of interest to a large and diversified audience. The lecture should cross departmental and disciplinary lines. Each lecturer must have at least two departmental academic unit co-sponsors in addition to the sponsor.
- In all publicity the lecture must be designated as a "Horizons of Knowledge Lecture."
- Horizons of Knowledge lectures should be given by people who are good speakers, not just good scholars.
- The lectures should be of interest to undergraduate students, not just specialized graduate students.
- Horizons of Knowledge funds are intended to supplement funds that sponsoring departments or units themselves have committed as part of their lecture funds to the occasion.
- There should be reliable first-hand evidence that there will be no barrier in language communication with regard to the speaker.
- Because there is always a concern that visiting speakers will socialize exclusively with faculty, there should be a commitment from the departments involved that there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion and, if at all possible, for formal or informal contact with undergraduate as well as graduate students.
- The Horizons of Knowledge fund's normal supplement is between $50 and $600 and will be applied to the speaker's honorarium or approved travel expenses; in no case will the Horizons of Knowledge contribution exceed total departmental contributions. Funds will be limited to a maximum of $600 per inviting sponsor request. Priority will be given to units which have not received funding during the current academic year. HOK funds are not to be used for hospitality or entertainment (receptions, dinners, etc.); such expenses must be shared by the members of the cooperating departments or obtained from other sources.
- Horizons of Knowledge lectures must be open to the public and held on the IU-Bloomington campus.
- To apply for Horizons of Knowledge funds, complete application form (see link below); provide a curriculum vita and brief description of the speaker's qualifications; a brief abstract of the presentation; and brief supporting statements (with amount of contribution to demonstrate matching funds) from the sponsoring department and each academic unit co-sponsoring the lecture.