Faculty Development Grants

This grant program has two tracks. The Instructional Development Grants are intended to advance instructional excellence, and the Scholarship Development Grants are intended to support the scholarly life of the faculty.

Instructional Development Grant

INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS are intended to advance instructional excellence. Full and part-time faculty are invited to apply for funding to be dispersed after at least two full years of employment at the college. Funds may be used to promote curricular/pedagogical innovation, support continuing skills training, implement emerging disciplinary methodologies, create effective assessment tools, or to integrate classroom technology. Typically, funds are intended to be used to: purchase books/software, attend a class, or to receive course release time. They are not intended to subsidize new course development, new programs, new degrees, or conference expenses. The aim is to fund up to three or four projects per academic year, which may vary depending upon the nature of the requests. Typically, the maximum request will not exceed $3,100 or 3-4 credit hours of release time. Awards are more than mini-grants but less than sabbatical leaves, typically amounting to 3-4 credit hours, which cannot be an overload.

Criteria

The faculty members (full or part-time) will have taught at the College at least two years (4 semesters).
The project will be clearly related to advancing instructional excellence.
The project will be supported by the faculty member’s department chair and/or dean.
The project will be incorporated into the faculty member’s faculty evaluation and development plan approved by the Dean.
A follow-up report will be submitted to the Office of the VPAA.

Application Materials

Application letter, not to exceed 1,000 words, which includes the following:
- Name, academic rank, program/school/department affiliation, statement affirming eligibility.
- Statement of any previous funding received through this grant and outcomes of that support.
- Description of proposed project, including timeline and expected outcomes, and budget accounting for all funds requested. Additionally, please include the following:
  1. a statement regarding how this work fits with the applicant’s goals for developing instructional excellence,
  2. a description of how the project will enrich student learning, and
  3. comments upon how the project enriches instructional excellence at the college.
  4. identification of any other funds applied for or existing that support this work.
One statement of support, not to exceed 500 words, from the applicant’s supervisor. For applicants from the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Integrative Studies, this letter should be submitted by the department chair and include a signature line for the dean to indicate that they have reviewed and approve the application. For all others, this letter should be submitted by the dean of the applicant’s professional school affiliation. The letter of support should include:
- comment on the promise of the proposed project from the perspective of expertise in the discipline
- comment on how the proposed project enriches the instructional excellence of the college, and
- plan for covering applicant’s released responsibilities, in the case of application for released time.

Schedule

Applications will be received and reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee twice each year; in September for projects beginning the following spring and in January for projects beginning in the summer or fall.
Timely notice of call for proposals will be posted twice each year, once in December and once in May, informing faculty of the availability of the grants and the details of the application process.
Awards will be made no later than October 15 and February 15 each year.
Funds awarded under this application process are to be used within the fiscal year designated in the award notice and are subject to the budgeting process as outlined in the award letter.

Scholarship Development Grant

SCHOLARSHIP DEVELOPMENT GRANTS are intended to support the scholarly life of the faculty. Full-time tenured and tenure track faculty are invited to apply for funding to be disbursed after at least one full year of service to the college. Funds may be applied to a spectrum of resources that support the production of scholarly or creative works, including but not limited to: equipment, outside consulting, lab resources, performance and exhibition expenses, and course release time. The aim is to fund up to three or four projects per academic year, which may vary depending upon the nature of the requests. Typically, the maximum request will not exceed $3,100 or 3-4 credit hours of release time, which cannot be an overload

Criteria

Funding is available to full-time faculty who have served the college for at least one full year in a tenured or tenure track position. Those who have received funding from this grant in the last three years are not eligible.
Proposals should clearly identify anticipated scholarly products, performances, or artifacts.
The project must be supported substantively and administratively by the department chair (where applicable) and the dean of faculty member’s home school.
In addition to advancing the applicant’s program of scholarship or creative work, the project must enrich the scholarly life of the Edgewood community. Projects do not have to be restricted to identified college-priorities, however, the applicant should be able to articulate how the project can enrich our shared work at Edgewood College.
A follow-up report will be submitted to the Office of the VPAA.

Application Materials

Application letter, not to exceed 1,000 words, which includes the following:
- Names, academic rank, program/school/department affiliation, statement affirming eligibility.
- Statement of any previous funding received through this grant and outcomes of that support.
- Description of proposed project, including timeline, expected outcomes and budget accounting for all funds requested. Additionally, please include the following:
  1. a statement regarding how this work fits into the applicant’s scholarly profile,
  2. a description of how the project advances the production of applicant’s scholarly work, and
  3. comments upon how the project enriches the scholarly life of the college
  4. identification of any other funds applied for or existing that support this work.
One statement of support, not to exceed 500 words, from the applicant’s supervisor. For applicants from the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Integrative Studies, this letter should be submitted by the department chair and include a signature line for the dean to indicate that they have reviewed and approve the application. For all others, the letter should be submitted by the dean of the applicant’s professional school affiliation.
The letter of support should include:
- comment on the promise of the proposed project from the perspective of expertise in the discipline,
- comment on how the proposed project enriches the scholarly life of the college, and
- plan for covering applicant’s released responsibilities, in the case of application for released time.

Schedule

Applications will be received and reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee twice each year; in September for projects beginning the following spring and in January for projects beginning in the summer or fall.
Timely notice of call for proposals will be posted twice each year, once in December and once in May, informing faculty of the availability of the grants and the details of the application process.
Awards will be made no later than October 15 and February 15 each year.