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Faculty Grants

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Berry College funds the Faculty Development Grant Program (FDGP) to encourage faculty members to engage in professional activities which will enhance their growth as scholars and teachers and contribute to the goals and objectives of their respective schools and departments as well as the institution. All full-time, continuing appointment, tenured or tenure-track faculty holding the rank of lecturer instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor are eligible to participate in the program. The program is divided into two categories: (1) faculty development grants and (2) summer stipends.

The FDGP does not provide support funds for travel to present research nor attendance at professional meetings. Funding for these types of professional activities should be made through the appropriate dean. Funding will be considered for attendance at special workshops/seminars when the applicant provides sufficient information to relate the value of the workshop/seminar to his or her research and/or teaching. In the event the workshop/seminar is being held in conjunction with a regular professional meeting, funding will be considered only for the workshop/seminar portion of the meeting.

Applications for faculty development grants are due by July 1, September 15, January 15, and March 15 of each year and are awarded within one month. Only a portion of the funds will be allocated during any of the award periods. All funds must be spent during the fiscal year in which they are awarded (fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year). Faculty should submit applications through the appropriate chair of the department and dean of the school which are then forwarded to the Faculty Development Committee by the Office of the Provost.

SUMMER STIPENDS

Summer stipend applications ($3500 for non-tenured faculty; $2500 for tenured faculty) are due by January 15 of each year and are submitted through the same procedure as the faculty development grants; applicants should attach a copy of their current curriculum vitae. A faculty member may receive a summer stipend only once in a three-year period. A faculty member who receives a summer stipend is expected to devote the entire summer to research and will not engage in teaching or other activities such as summer seminars. Should a faculty member resign before the start of the next contract year, he/she will automatically relinquish the stipend.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Using the following criteria, the Faculty Development Committee makes a competitive evaluation of the potential value of the various applications: 1) will the applicant become a better teacher and/or researcher as a result of the grant award; 2) will the project strengthen the academic goals and objectives of the college; 3) will the project strengthen the professional development of the applicant in a cost-effective way. Also if the grant is in support of an on-going project, the applicant should clarify the relationship of the activities covered by this specific proposal to prior-funded, (including external funding), activities associated with the project. Proposals should contain clear and specific information about the project, alternate sources of funding, and the expected results of the research on scholarship and teaching.

The committee evaluates applications and makes recommendations to the provost regarding funding. The committee determines what proportion of what grants will be funded according to the overall value of the proposal. Guided by the recommendations of the Faculty Development Committee, the provost will reconcile the grants with available financial resources. Awards currently may not exceed $2,000 per faculty development grant; no faculty member can receive more than a total of $3000 in any given year (not including a summer stipend).

Application forms are available above. Faculty who receive a grant must file a report detailing project activity and outcomes to the Office of the Provost within two semesters after the completion of the project.

SUMMER GRANTS FOR COURSE DEVELOPMENT
Application (PDF)

Berry College funds summer grants for course development to encourage faculty members to engage in professional activities during the summer that will: (1)greatly enhance courses they teach; (2) contribute to the goals and objectives of their department, school, and college; and (3)employ teaching initiatives that can serve as a model for other faculty.  It is expected that grants will be used for initiatives that go well beyond normal levels of preparation for new course assignments.  Five grants of $1,000 each shall be awarded.

• All full-time, non-temporary faculty holding the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, and professor are eligible to participate in the program.

• Applications for summer grants for course development are due by February 15 of each year and are awarded within one month.

• Faculty should submit applications through the appropriate chair of the department and dean of the school which are then forwarded to the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence.

• Faculty members may not receive a summer grant for course development in the same year that she or he has received a summer stipend, nor may they receive faculty development grants for this identical project.

• Unlike summer stipends, faculty members may apply for summer grants for course development every summer.  However, priority will be given to faculty who have not previously been funded with this grant in the past three years.

• Only one summer grant for course development is available per project.  Teaching initiatives involving more than one faculty member may only receive one grant, though group/team projects are certainly encouraged to apply.

• All full-time non-temporary faculty are eligible.  Should a faculty member resign before the start of the next contract year, he/she will automatically relinquish the grant.

• The following criteria will be used by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Teaching Enhancement Committee to make a competitive evaluation of the potential value of the various applications:

          1)  will significant effort be required, either to develop a new course or to revamp an existing one;

          2)  will the course be strengthened as a result of the grant award, and will the applicant be a better teacher;

          3)  will the project strengthen the academic goals and objectives of the department, school, and college;

          4)  will the project serve as a model for other faculty initiatives.

• Members of the Teaching Excellence Committee are eligible to apply for summer grants for course development, but must excuse themselves when their proposals are considered.  The director of the Center for Teaching Excellence is not eligible for a summer grant.

• Grants are awarded for the effort required for course development over the summer, not to purchase resources for a course.

• Proposals should contain clear and specific information about the project, alternate sources of funding, and the expected results of the grant on one's teaching.

• The committee evaluates applications and makes recommendations to the Provost regarding funding.

• Application forms are available above, in the Office of the Provost, and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

• Faculty who receive a grant must file a report detailing project activity and outcomes to the office of the provost during the following fall semester.  Also, recipients will be expected to share their efforts with other faculty at a brownbag or workshop the following academic year.

INTERNATIONAL GRANTS FOR FACULTY

Each year Berry College International Programs awards two types of grants for faculty: Summer International Programs Course Development grants and Cultural Immersion/Professional Development grants.  Applications are available in November.  For deadlines and current application information, please go to www.berry.edu/academics/study/faculty or contact Sarah Egerer, International Programs Director, at segerer@berry.edu or 706-233-4065.