Faculty Resources

Faculty Development Grants

The objectives of the faculty development program are to improve instructional effectiveness and promote the professional development of faculty members. Professional development activities to be supported are those designed to expand the academic expertise of full-time faculty. Included activities:

• Research
• Preparation of a product of this research
• Presentation of this research
• Writing
• Delivering academic papers
• Additional training
• Retraining to serve the university in a new area
• Supplemental funds for academic activities
• Support of course reductions from the university to allow for research time

Instructional development activities to be supported are those designed to increase teaching effectiveness and improve course content, including:

• Innovations in pedagogy
• Application of information technology to course content
• Activities directed at improving course content

Dissertation grants may be awarded to help offset the expenses incurred in preparing doctoral dissertations.

Grant priorities considered professional development, instructional development and dissertation grants.

Application Criteria

Criteria for the Evaluation of Faculty Development Grant Proposals by the Faculty Senate

1. Completeness of application, including following application instructions and guidelines (incomplete applications will not be considered)
2. Clarity of proposal, including the ability of applicant to communicate the proposed project’s contribution and process to a general academic audience
3. Contribution of proposed project to applicant’s individual research agenda and broader scholarly field (Professional Development grant) or to applicant’s teaching practice and broader experience of CNU students (Instructional Development grant)
4. Feasibility of the proposed project given the time and resources requested
5. Justification for funding, including:
   • how this project supports and advances the applicant’s professional or instructional development
   • why other resources (e.g., dept. travel funds, start-up funds, and/or other grant sources) are not available or reasonable to support this project
   • why the applicant’s project should be considered for additional FDG money if the applicant has recently received FDG funding for this or other projects
6. Articulation of the nature of and audience for deliverable products from the proposed project

Please refer to the University Handbook, Section XIII.3.b.6, Instructional Faculty Personnel Regulations, for more information on the faculty development grant program.

Application Process and Deadlines

Applications for Faculty Development Grants will be generated through Watermark Workflow. Faculty will receive an email from Watermark indicating that the application period has opened and provides the form to complete. Deadlines for fall and spring applications are indicated in the workflow process and are posted on the Faculty Calendar.