NCIS Mission & History

Mission

NCIS was formed in January 1989 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation to facilitate the work of independent scholars. Its mission is to serve the interests of independent scholars in relation to associations, funding agencies, publishers, editors, academic institutions, and libraries.

NCIS Seeks to

  • Provide grants, financial assistance, and publishing opportunities
  • Offer or sponsor events, conferences, and workshops
  • Create a community where independent scholars share interests, expertise, and ideas
  • Aid partner organizations by sharing experience and publicizing their work
  • Provide information for the creation of local organizations of independent scholars
  • Create or improve access to research libraries and institutions

Members

NCIS members are scholars whose research is not supported by an institution. Independent scholars from all disciplines may apply for membership. Applicants’ CVs should demonstrate a record of scholarly publications and/or conference presentations. An advanced degree is not mandatory for NCIS membership, although members tend by far to hold one. In all cases, applicants must show they are actively carrying out work of scholarly merit. Affiliate NCIS members come from regional and international independent scholars’ organizations. NCIS is led by a volunteer board of directors, elected from NCIS membership.

Policy of Non-Discrimination

It is the policy of NCIS not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ancestry, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical disability, veteran status, political service or affiliation, color, religion, or national origin. In addition, the officers, directors, committee members, and persons served by this corporation are selected entirely on a non- discriminatory basis, without consideration of age, sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

The Independent Scholar Movement

Independent scholars have participated in learned societies for centuries; associations tailored specifically to their interests appeared in the United States in the mid-1970s. As U.S. higher education rapidly expanded and then contracted, many new doctoral graduates were displaced from academia. Others became independent scholars after retiring from professorships or leaving tenured positions in favor of pursuing more research. Some independent scholars planned initially to leave academia and then rejoin later, but eventually opted to remain independent.

The Institute for Research in History, founded in New York in 1976, was likely the first group of independent scholars to organize. The next was the Center for Independent Study in New Haven (est. 1977), followed in 1980 by the Princeton Research Forum, the Institute for Historical Study in San Francisco, and the Alliance of Independent Scholars in Massachusetts in 1980. Later groups included the San Diego Independent Scholars, Northwest Independent Scholars Association, Independent Scholars Association of the North Carolina Triangle, Five College Consortium, and Association of Historians of American Art). The movement benefited tremendously from the work of scholar Ronald Gross, whose 1982 publication The Independent Scholar's Handbook received widespread attention.

NCIS launched in 1989

In 1986, San Diego Independent Scholars sponsored a national conference where members discussed challenges that could be better met through a central organization, one that could connect with foundations, professional societies, and federal government resources. Such an organization could facilitate networking and connect independent scholars with local groups. Following the conference, a committee investigated the issue further, resulting in the recommendation to create a national organization. Elections to the first board took place in summer 1988, and NCIS launched in 1989.

Advocacy

NCIS advocates on members’ behalf to bring recognition for their scholarship, and campaigns for equal access to resources such as libraries, online journals, and technology. NCIS encourages societies in various disciplines to urge their members to request that academic institutions provide library privileges, including interlibrary loan, for unaffiliated or unemployed fellow members. Because online resource access is a critical issue for independent scholars, NCIS offers a member discount for JSTOR.

At the same time, NCIS continues to advocate for equal access to academic libraries, and for extension of privileges to visiting independent scholars. Publishers and foundations have responded to this advocacy and, due to NCIS’s rigorous membership vetting procedures, NCIS membership is often recognized as an affiliation.

Looking to the future

More than 30 years later, the world has changed immeasurably since Ron Gross’s Independent Scholar’s Handbook (1982; 1993). NCIS has since 2015 published its own open-access, peer-reviewed journal, The Independent Scholar. Computer technology and the internet have led to the digitization of archives, social media platforms have proliferated, and the COVID-19 pandemic normalized online conferences and seminars as never before. In recognition of all these developments, and with Ron Gross’s blessing, in 2024 NCIS published the NCIS Guide for Independent Scholars. The organization’s evolution can be seen through its conferences since 1987.