Faculty Development Grants

• All full-time faculty (tenure-track, tenured faculty, lecturers, librarians, full-time visitors) are eligible to receive faculty development money.
• Faculty currently on sabbatical are eligible for funding.
• Because the College is especially cognizant of the need to support tenure-track faculty in their efforts to start and develop their professional work, funding priority is given to proposals from pre-tenure faculty.  
• Requested items must conform to the general and specific priorities established by the Senate and Awards Committee, respectively, as outlined below.
• Regarding travel-related project proposals: be advised that faculty are welcome to submit requests for funding involving travel - this includes both transportation and lodging.
• Any and all travel plans should be made through our College travel partners, not out of pocket, for maximum flexibility.

In the section that follows, you'll find the official submission form and budget form. This section explains the components of the Google form. All applications should include the applicants full name and a brief proposal title of no more than 100 characters.

The grant request should include the following:

A)  Report on Previous Three Year’s Funding (submitted directly into Google Form; do not include in the narrative).

Enter a brief listing on the previous three year’s activities funded by Faculty Development Grants.  Where necessary, note years when no grant was awarded, or any deviation from proposal/award funding.

An appropriate format would read:

2014:  Received $1,120 for presentation at the Modern Language Association conference.

2015.  No grant awarded.

2016:  Awarded $1,300 for conference presentation at the Nineteenth Century Studies Association conference.  Because paper was not accepted, funds were instead used for presentation at French Studies Association conference, with an unused balance of $255 returned.

B)  Project Justification (uploaded as a separate document/PDF on the Google Form)

Each project proposal  (1000-1500 words) should describe the project for a general audience, and in sufficient detail that the Awards Committee can determine the nature and scope of the project.

NB: That if multiple projects are included within one proposal (eg, two separate conferences), you must include a prioritization of those projects.

C)  Requested Budget (uploaded as a separate Google Sheet; copied from template linked below).

The project proposal must include a detailed budget sheet (see link below). NEW FOR FY26: The budget form has had a major reformat designed to support the eventual work of the AFAs in processing expenses/reimbursements.

The project budget should list all resources needed for the project, including equipment and supplies, student labor costs, faculty travel expenses, meeting registration fees, etc.. The proposer must identify potential sources of support for each item, including departmental budgets, personal PD funds (the $1300 for all tenure-track faculty) or general college resources (e.g., use of a College vehicle).

Please be sure to read the FUNDING EXCEPTIONS on the first tab of the budget spreadsheet.

The committee will review proposals, and if necessary, ask questions for clarification prior to final review.  Rollover of faculty development funds will not normally be approved except in cases where the approved project is ongoing.

1. To present one’s work at a conference
2. To respond to an invitation to moderate, respond, or present at a conference
3. To participate in activities related to one’s society governance at a meeting of that society
4. To attend a meeting to collaborate on research during the meeting time
   • Note that faculty development grants are not applicable for conference attendance only.

• Applicants are welcome to submit FDG proposals for conferences for which they have not yet been notified of their presentation status with the understanding that their funding is contingent upon their acceptance.  Should the applicant’s conference paper/poster not be accepted, the FDG funds will simply be returned to the AVPAA’s office.

Priorities for funding within this category:

a. Transportation  (NB: funds to support student travel are not provided; faculty may inquire with the VPAA’s office about any ad hoc availability of these funds).

b. Meeting fees or registration fees
c. Hotel lodging/accommodation

Please note: No per diem/meals are offered through FDG funds.  

Faculty who are engaged in research in the same field of endeavor are encouraged to seek Faculty Development funds to explore research avenues that can lead to external funding to support their activities. If faculty members have received multiple years of support for the same activities, the Awards Committee will recommend that outside funding be used to support further research. Interested faculty are encouraged to get in touch with Leslie Mangold, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, who will happily assist them in finding funding sources and in applying for grants. Here is an outline of the basic steps when applying for external funding and here is an overview of the comprehensive services provided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

There are two equal categories within the research category

1. Travel
2. Materials and research/creative expression/scholarship support

Priorities for awarding funds to support travel for research/creative expression/scholarship

1. Transportation (note that funds to support student travel are not provided; faculty may inquire with the VPAA’s office about any ad hoc availability of these funds.)
2. Lodging
3. Costs associated with research at the site- fees for libraries, photocopying, etc.

Please note: No per diem/meals are offered through FDG funds. 

Priorities for awarding funds for materials and other support for research/creative expression/scholarship

1. Research supplies and materials
2. Pay for research assistants who conduct research
3. Pay for student assistants who photocopy, sort, catalog, etc.
4. Publishing assistance

(NB: of special interest in any of the curricular work below will be an articulation of how it will support the institutional commitment to more equitable outcomes for our students.)

Program development – either at the program or College level
Development of a new course
Shift in curriculum or shift in focus for an individual
Redesign of an existing course – methods, focus
Refresh a course

*Note that proposals up to $1000 for travel related to scholarship in pedagogy may also be directed to the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning (CITL).

a.  Awards Committee.  The Awards Committee shall consist of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs as chair, four faculty members chosen across a range of disciplines, the Director of the Library, and the President of the Faculty Senate.

b.  Calls for Proposals.  The Committee will hold two selection processes each year.  The majority of the funds available will be awarded in the spring term each year.  A second round of awards will be made in the fall term to accommodate primarily newly appointed faculty and faculty not awarded funds in the first round. At the fall meeting each year the Awards Committee will consider whether it wishes to advise the Senate to set specific topical priorities for grants for the following academic year.

c.  Making the Awards.  After the deadline for proposals has passed, the AVP’s office will announce a meeting time for the Awards Committee.  The first-round meeting will take place in late March or early April, the second round meeting in late October or early November. Proposals and a summary list of applicants with the amount of grants awarded them the last three years will be available to Committee members on the Portal.

• We expect faculty development funds to be spent on the projects that were originally proposed. However, we also realize that plans sometimes change. If your plans change and you are no longer planning to complete the original project, please notify the AVPAA promptly. You can propose a new project but that proposal must be accompanied by a new budget and it must be approved before you spend the funds. If you do not intend to propose a new project, the new project is not approved, or the new award amount is less than the original award, you should return the remaining funds so that they will be available to support other projects.
• Funds are to be spent by June 30 of the fiscal year they are awarded.  Second round FY24 funds will need to be spent by June 30, 2024.
• If there are unused funds after you have completed your project or conference, please arrange with the AVPAA and your AFA to have the unused portion promptly returned so that it can be used to support other projects.
• Review of Priorities: At three-year intervals the Awards Committee will review the funding priorities and propose to the Senate any changes it recommends.  The next scheduled review will occur following the FY24 award period.