Funds for Faculty Research and Development

Faculty may apply to the Faculty Development Committee for funds from the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment or the Knight, MacDonald, Lowndes, and Goodrich funds for faculty research and development. Humanities faculty may apply for funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the same purposes. Likewise, all faculty members on sabbatical may apply for faculty development funds.

Funds from the NEH Endowment may be provided to the Humanities faculty for projects that contribute both to the improvement of the humanities programs at Converse and to the professional growth of the faculty member. Individuals may apply for the following expenditures:

1. Scholarly research;
2. Funds to participate in professional conferences (including giving papers, chairing a panel, serving as an organizational officer) and course development;
3. Fees or tuition for workshops, institutes, courses at institutions, etc.;
4. Funds to match or supplement funds from other sources;
5. Supplies (normally, scholarly publications for the applicant’s personal library are not included, and normally supplies purchased will become property of the University); and
6. Travel and expenses related to the aforementioned activities.

Funds from the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment may be provided to individuals for the following expenditures:

1. Scholarly research and/or artistic development;
2. Funds to participate in professional conferences (including giving papers, chairing a panel, serving as an organizational officer) and course development;
3. Fees or tuition for workshops, institutes, courses at institutions, etc.;
4. Funds to match or supplement funds from other sources;
5. Supplies (normally, scholarly publications for the applicant’s personal library are not included, and normally supplies purchased will become property of the University); and
6. Travel and expenses related to the aforementioned activities.

The Knight Fund is to be used for:

1. Developing study /travel programs with a focus on cultural diversity; and
2. Faculty research related to cultural diversity inside and outside the United States.
   The Knight Fund may not be used to subsidize student travel.

The Faculty Development Committee awards grants according to the following criteria:

1. Faculty Research and Development Funds will not be made available to any faculty member who is leaving the employment of the University at the end of the academic year in which such funds are to be used or who has otherwise indicated an intention to retire or resign from employment with the University.
2. The applicant must be a full-time faculty member or a permanent full-time employee of the University, provided that annual teaching duties are part of the employee’s contractual obligations. Full-time administrators and temporary and/or part-time faculty members normally would not be eligible for funds.
3. All faculty development projects of merit will receive consideration and support, within the limits of an individual’s cap and Committee resources. When limited resources compel a choice within the same funding cycle, the following priorities in descending order will guide the Committee’s decision regarding funding for attending conferences, workshops and conventions: [1] presenting research at a convention or conference or field equivalent of original research presentation; [2] organizing, chairing, or directing a convention panel or workshop or occupying an organization position of leadership; [3] attending a participatory workshop; [4] commenting upon papers or presentations.
4. Other things being equal, first-time applicants are given priority over those who have previously received grants.
5. Projects should satisfy an identifiable interest or need of the University:
   1. research that looks toward publication;
   2. professional development that replenishes or updates the discipline or the teaching ability or range of competence of the applicant; and
   3. unusual curriculum or program development sanctioned or encouraged by the applicant’s department or academic Dean.
6. Funds being available, the Committee may set aside each year up to $4,000 to fund a major project. A grant for a major project is renewable should it require more than one grant period for completion, normally one year. Renewal is contingent upon a report of satisfactory progress.
7. Funds being available, faculty proposals for the NEH, Kenan, and Knight funds will be considered for full funding on their merits, provided that they are implemented during the academic year the proposal is submitted or in the summer following the date of the proposal.
8. Proposals approved by the Committee—in most cases—will be funded to the cap.
9. The Committee will automatically table proposals that lack appropriate documentation.

Regulations for Applications:

Proposals are to be submitted electronically to the chair of the Faculty Development Committee at least one month in advance of projects. In rare cases, reimbursement may be granted after the project is completed. Applicants should submit documentation for reimbursement within one month after the event. The Faculty Development Committee cannot guarantee that late reimbursement requests will receive the same consideration as proposals submitted in a timely manner. A grant application form may be secured from the Converse University website or from the Committee chair which, along with supporting materials, should supply the Committee with the following detailed information concerning the proposed project or conference as well as the expected benefits for both the individual applicant and the University more generally:

1. Project title and abstract;
2. Funds needed and time involved;
3. Statement on how the project satisfies policies and criteria for selection;
4. Elaboration of the project in terms of time anticipated for full completion of the project and long-range aims;
5. Verification that the paper/project has been accepted for the proposed activity. This might include a scanned image from the conference program, a link to the conference program online, or a letter of acceptance from the conference organizers.

Reporting completed projects/Converse University Faculty Symposium Series

1. Within a reasonable period of time after the specified grant period is over, grant recipients must submit a formal report to the Faculty Development Committee for reimbursement. The report should summarize the value of the project (if not already included in the funding application) as well as all receipts for expenses incurred.
2. All recipients of grants for the purpose of presenting papers/compositions/projects must also agree to be willing to present the completed project to the faculty as part of the “Converse University Faculty Symposium Series.” The Faculty Development Committee will select projects from those previously funded and schedule presentations each long term.