Stonehill College awards annual grants to individuals or groups of faculty members in two categories:
A. Research, Writing, and Artistic Production
B. Seminar/Institute Support.
The Professional Development Grant is designed to support faculty members in their scholarly pursuits, including research, writing, artistic creation, and additional post-graduate education. These grants are competitive in nature. Final decisions regarding these competitive awards are made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs (herein referred to as the VPAA), after consultation with the Professional Development Committee (PDC)—a peer advisory body made up of elected faculty members. The annual deadline for Research, Writing, and Artistic Production Profession Development Grant proposals is the first Friday in October. The annual deadline for Seminar/Institute Support Professional Development Grant proposals is the first Friday in March.
- Guidelines and Restrictions for Professional Development Grants: Research, Writing and Artistic Production
Overview
- Professional Development Grants for research, writing, and artistic production ordinarily support projects that:
- Advance knowledge through original research and/or creative work
- Integrate or synthesize knowledge (e.g., create textbooks, edit anthologies or volumes; conduct interdisciplinary research; educate non-specialists within and outside the college; review the work of others; and develop technology to assist faculty in their work)
- Apply knowledge (e.g., develop public programming, design and lead workshops and seminars, create museum exhibits and catalogs, and participate in film and radio presentations)
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects are eligible for funding through the Professional Development Grant. The grants offered through the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (e.g., Teaching Circle Planning and Implementation Grants and Faculty Fellows) are ordinarily the appropriate venue for projects related to pedagogical and curricular innovation.
- A faculty member cannot hold both a Professional Development Grant and a Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) award simultaneously.
- During the designated award time for the Professional Development Grant the faculty member may not:
- receive a departmental grant to support research as part of an accreditation process (e.g., AACSB);
- hold an endowed Chair or professorship
- that provides additional research support;
- teach an overload;
- teach part-time at another institution;
- teach any additional courses, such as Winter-Session or Summer-Session courses.
Requests for an exception, with an explanation as to why such an exception is warranted, should be included in the application and will be reviewed by the Professional Development Committee. If after being awarded a Professional Development Grant, the faculty member decides to participate in one of the activities listed above and forego the grant, they must notify the VPAA as soon as possible. If the faculty member has an urgent reason to keep the grant while participating in one of the above activities, they must submit a request to the VPAA as soon as possible. The petition should outline how the faculty member will devote his/her full attention to both projects. The VPAA, in consultation with the Professional Development Committee, will consider exceptions and the reallocation of any newly available funds.
- A faculty member may apply for and receive a Professional Development Grant in order to augment other sources of funding for this research. However, the Professional Development Committee will have discretion in recommending college funding for needs beyond those covered by any outside sources of funding.
- Faculty members may apply for a Professional Development Grant: Research, Writing, and Artistic Production and a Seminar/Institute Support Grant during the same academic year. However, in such a case the faculty member must demonstrate that the work on one project will not impede work on the second project.
- It is recognized that in many disciplines there are several steps to research that may take significant time for data collection and analysis. Therefore, it is understood that certain projects might not immediately result in a publication. However, when applying for Professional Development Grants for multiple years for the same project, it is imperative that the faculty member clarify their progress in the various steps of the project in order to receive continued funding. Faculty will be asked to address this progress specifically in the proposal narrative (see proposal guidelines below) and to include a copy of the Grant Completion Report. In the case of consecutive-year awards, priority will be given to faculty members seeking outside funding. An applicant should indicate to which funding source they have applied or will be applying for this project.
- Grant awards are merit based. All things being equal with regard to merit, priority will be given to applicants who have not previously received a Professional Development Grant, non-consecutive awards, applications that demonstrate that the projects are in the early stages, and applications demonstrating extenuating financial need required for conducting the research/project.
- Faculty members have the right to appeal the award decisions of this grant competition to the Faculty Grievance Committee.
- A list of the faculty members and a description of the successful grant proposals will be published by the Office of Academic Affairs. The VPAA must provide a written explanation for any grant decisions that differ from the Professional Development Committee recommendations.
Process
Full-time tenure-track, tenured and term-renewable faculty members are eligible to apply for a Professional Development Grant. Visiting Professors and Professors of Practice are ineligible for Professional Development Grants. Applications must follow the official format for applications as noted below. Applications must be submitted using the Research, Writing & Artistic Production Grant Application Form by 4:30 p.m. on the first Friday in October. Late submissions and applications that do not comply with any of the required elements will not be considered.
The PDC evaluates and submits recommendations to the VPAA, who makes the final decision on these awards. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of this process by the VPAA by January 1. Within ten business days of this notification, the VPAA will provide the PDC with (a) copies of the applicants’ decision letters and (b) a written explanation for any decision that deviates from the committee’s recommendation.
The grant funds will be available to the faculty member on January 1. Grant funds must be expended by December 31 of the year following notification.
Application:
The application for a Professional Development Grant: Research, Writing, and Artistic Production must follow the following format:
Cover page:
The first page of the application should be one separate page that includes the following information:
- Name
- Primary email address
- Office address
- Telephone
- Current position at Stonehill College
- Rank
- Discipline
- Specialization
- Department
• List amount of funds requested:
*Maximum request is $5,000 with up to $3,500 paid as a stipend (stipends are recorded as taxable income).
- List dates for requested period of funding (e.g., June 1-August 30)
- Give a brief descriptive title of your research proposal.
- List where and when you plan to conduct your proposed research project.
- If applicable, list any countries/geographical areas where you have done or will conduct research.
- List foreign language proficiency, if relevant to the project.
- If the proposed project involves human subjects, outline plan for securing IRB [Institutional Review Board] approval before the research begins.
- If the proposed projects involve animal subjects, outline plan for securing IACUC [Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee] approval before the research begins.
- Date of your last Professional Development Grant award.
Proposal Narrative:
Your project proposal, starting on a separate page after the cover sheet, should be sufficient in length to address the points below, but no longer than five double-spaced pages. It should make your project clear to an interdisciplinary academic panel of peers on the Professional Development Committee. It is recognized that project proposals will vary according to the author’s discipline or professional background; however, the basic elements requested below must be incorporated into the text.
An analysis of the problem to be addressed, its background, and its significance to the field, which may include, but is not limited to:
- The basic ideas and hypotheses to be explored
- Reference to the originality of the proposed study through a brief statement that locates it within the current literature of the field
- The methods or approaches to be used
- The body of research materials that will be drawn upon in archives, libraries, research centers, laboratories, or the equivalent, depending on the field of specialization
- A specific work plan that indicates what activities will be done during the period of funding
- An indication of where and how the project’s results will be disseminated
- An explanation of how the project will directly strengthen your teaching, research, and/or artistic production and how it fits into your scholarly trajectory.
- If the project has received previous Professional Development Grant support, please specify how the proposed project builds on the work completed. For these ongoing projects, you must address what was accomplished under previous grants and what would be accomplished under the new grant.
Itemized Budget Justification:
The Budget Justification should begin on a separate page after the proposal narrative and should outline how you will spend funds. The maximum amount per award is $5,000.
Allowable expenditures include:
- Travel expenses (itemized, e.g., airfare, train fare, car fare, rent)
- Other supplies (itemized)
- Equipment and books (ordinarily, available Faculty Development Funds should first be exhausted)
- Stipend (a taxable expense)
Appendices:
- Copy of current CV
- Professional Development Grant Completion Report – required for the last funded Professional Development Grant (for research, writing, or artistic production), whether it was for a related or unrelated project.
- Additional items that may help to inform the narrative (not required)
- In the case of consecutive year applications for the same project, list or description of external/internal grants for which the applicant is applying or has applied.
All materials must be included in the applicant’s packet and submitted by the applicant no later than the stated deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that a complete application is submitted.
- Guidelines and Restrictions for Professional Development Grants: Seminar/Institute Support
Seminar/Institute Grants are awarded to enable faculty members to participate in continuing education that is directly related to their research, artistic production, or teaching. A Seminar/Institute Grant should only be requested to cover the actual costs above the financial awards from the sponsoring institution.
Process:
All full-time faculty members with continuing employment at the College, including Term Renewable faculty and Professors of Practice, are eligible to apply for a Professional Development Grant: Seminar/Institute Support, due the first Friday in March. Applications must follow the official format for applications as noted below. Applications are to be submitted using the Seminar/Institute Support Grant Application Form by 4:30 p.m. on the first Friday in March. Applications for seminars/institutes that will take place before this date may be submitted earlier for prompt consideration. Late submissions and applications that do not comply with any of the required elements will not be considered.
The PDC evaluates and submits recommendations to the VPAA, who makes the final decision on these awards. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of this process by the VPAA by May 1. The grant funds will be available to the faculty member immediately upon notification of award. Grant funds must be expended by December 31.
Application:
The application for a Professional Development Grant: Seminar/Institute Support must follow the following format.
Cover page:
The first page of the application should be one separate page that includes the following information:
- Name
- Primary email address
- Office address
- Telephone
- Current Position at Stonehill College
- Rank
- Discipline
- Specialization
- Department
- List amount of funds requested: Maximum request is $2,000
- List the amount of funds awarded, if any, by the sponsoring institution.
- List the seminar/institute title.
- Give a brief summary of the seminar/institute.
- List dates of the seminar/institute.
- If an applicant has been awarded a SURE Grant for the time period covered by the Seminar/Institute Grant, the applicant must reveal that. On this matter, see Seminar/Institute Grants: Criteria for Selection
Proposal Narrative:
The proposal narrative, starting on a separate page after the cover sheet, should be of sufficient length to address the points below, but no longer than three double-spaced pages. It should make your reasons for attending the seminar/institute clear to an interdisciplinary academic panel of peers on the Professional Development Committee. It is recognized that project descriptions will vary according to the author’s discipline or professional background; however, the basic elements below must be incorporated into the text.
- A detailed description of the seminar/institute. Discuss the projects that you personally will explore.
- An explanation of how the seminar/institute will directly strengthen your teaching, research, and/or artistic production.
Itemized Budget Justification:
The Budget Justification should begin on a separate page after the proposal narrative and should outline how you will spend the funds. The maximum amount per award is $2,000.
Allowable expenditures include:
- Registration/tuition fees
- Travel to and from the Seminar/Institute (itemized, e.g., airfare, train fare, cab fare, carfare)
- Participation expenses not covered by the Seminar/Institute sponsor (e.g., rent, materials)
Appendices:
- Copy of current CV
- Announcement/confirmation/brochure/award letter about the seminar
- Professional Development Grant Completion Report—required for the last funded Professional Development Grant (for seminar/institute support), whether it was for a related or unrelated project.
- Additional items that may help to inform the narrative (not required)
All materials must be included in the applicant’s packet and submitted by the applicant no later than the stated deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered or approved, respectively. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that a complete application is submitted.
- Evaluation
In awarding the grants, the following criteria will be considered in addition to adherence to the application format:
Research, Writing and Artistic Production
Criteria for Selection
Proposals are scored and ranked on each of the following criteria:
- Degree to which the applicant’s project will advance their research (as defined in Section 1, point a)
- History of publications of refereed books, articles, or creation of exhibitions. This does not preclude the awarding of grants to faculty who have not had a significant publication record but who can demonstrate a plan for beginning or reinvigorating their scholarly efforts and outcomes.
- Potential for contributing new knowledge and/or insight within the discipline
- Potential for outcomes
- Justification of expenses
- For repeat applicants, evidence of outcomes of previous proposals, including Grant Completion Report
- Prior Professional Development Grants (priority will be given to applicants who have not held a grant previously. This does not preclude repeat applications.)
- Evidence of applying for outside grants
Seminar/Institute Support:
Criteria for Selection
Proposals are scored and ranked on each of the following criteria:
- Degree to which the applicant’s project will enable the applicant to enrich and strengthen the curriculum and the applicant’s own teaching and/or scholarly activities
- Demonstration of fulfillment of previous proposals and submission of a Grant Completion Report to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs upon completion of the grant project
- Potential for contributing new knowledge and/or insight within the discipline
- Potential for outcomes
- Justification of expenses
- For repeat applicants, evidence of outcomes of previous proposals, including a Grant Completion Report for the Seminar/Institute program. An applicant who has held a Research, Writing, and Artistic Production grant need not include the Completion Report as part of an application for a Seminar/Institute Grant.
- Priority will be given to those who have not previously held a Professional Development: Seminar/Institute Support grant. However, this does not preclude repeat applications.
- A faculty member may normally not hold both a Seminar/Institute Grant and a SURE grant. However, extenuating circumstances will be considered. The applicant must explain these circumstances and justify that the Seminar/Institute Grant will not negatively impact the SURE project and its requirements.
- A faculty member may apply for more than one Seminar/Institute Grant, in order to fund more than one Seminar/Institute, as long as these do not conflict in time. Applicants should be aware that awarding of more than one grant per applicant is contingent upon available funding. Thus, in this case, the applicant must indicate order of preference.
- Grant Completion Report
A report that details the results of the Professional Development Grant, both for Research, Writing, and Artistic Production awards and for Seminar/Institute awards following the criteria listed below, must be submitted to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs within three months following the completion of the grant award period as outlined in the application.
The report must adhere to the following format:
- Name
- Brief description of your project
- One-page narrative detailing activities during the grant period and listing specific outcomes/results (e.g., publications, exhibitions, course developments)
- Specific itemization of expenditures