Summer Stipends for Faculty
Deadline for Summer 2024: March 20, 2024 @ 6PM ET
Purpose: The summer stipend program is designed to enhance the range of faculty development possibilities by taking into account that scholarly and creative pursuits take a variety of forms and may go through a series of stages before fruition. They acknowledge that individuals need time and encouragement to develop new courses or renew existing ones. To encourage several different ways in which scholarly and artistic work may be accomplished, the Faculty Development Committee will recommend to the administration that at least one summer stipend be awarded to qualified applicants in a) scholarly work or artistic project or b) course development and renewal.
Eligibility: Faculty members who are on a full-time continuing contract whose summer project would be at least one semester removed from a leave of absence are eligible to apply for a summer stipend. Faculty members may apply for only one Summer Stipend per year and are eligible to receive one award every two years.
Expectations & Rules:
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All funded Summer Stipend awards are in the amount of $3000 to the faculty member as a salary supplement.
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The fund provides a stipend for your time and effort. If you need funds to support expenses for the project, you should apply to the the Professional Development Fund
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If the Summer Stipend is for Course Development or Renewal or for Technology Enhanced Course Renewal, the faculty member should teach the course within two years of the award.
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Faculty members considering projects that involve technology should consult with Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) and/or the Tenzer Technology Center at least two weeks prior to the application deadline.
Types of Summer Stipends:
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Scholarly Work or Artistic Project: This award is designed to provide support and incentive for faculty who plan to bring a piece of creative work or a research project to a close, or who plan to complete a significant portion of a larger project at any stage. Criteria will include magnitude of the project; likelihood of publication, exhibition, or performance; and overall significance of the project for the field.
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Course Development and Renewal: Summer stipends may be granted for course development, technological enhancement, or for significant revision of full-credit courses and curricula. Priority will be given to proposals that support University-wide institutional goals and initiatives. Applicants should attach a letter of support from their department Chairs and from Directors or Coordinators of relevant interdisciplinary programs, confirming that the proposed course or revision meets a department and/or program need and that the course will be able to be offered within two years of the award. It is desirable that these courses be offered more than once and become part of the regular DePauw curriculum. Applicants proposing projects that involve technology should attach a letter of support from the FITS or Tenzer Technology Center Director stating that the director has seen the application and will work with the applicant on their project.
Criteria for Evaluation:
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Completeness and Clarity of the Application: The application should include defined goals and should be written in language understandable to your colleagues on the Faculty Development Committee. It should be detailed and contain a full explanation of the applicant's process and product.
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Scope of the Project: The project should be of sufficient scope to accomplish the outlined goals and to be completed over the summer period of the award.
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Merit of the Project: Does the proposal show promise of significant achievement in course development, in curricular development or in pedagogy, or does it show promise of a project or product of scholarly/creative importance? In areas of teaching and curricular improvement, the size of the audience or the longevity of the program may be a factor in consideration. Documents or letters of support from colleagues with expertise in the area of the project may strengthen the proposal. FDC may ask for an opinion from another scholar in your field.
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The Applicant's Qualifications: Applicants should document their expertise in the area of their project. They may do this by submitting work previously done, descriptions of courses previously taught (in the case of applications for course development or renewal), annotated bibliographies, or a brief statement of their field within the discipline.
Procedure for Evaluation:
For projects involving course development or renewal, priority will be given to proposals for new courses or for major revisions of courses that will reach a large number of students and can be offered soon and regularly. In addition, priority will be given to proposals that support University-wide institutional goals and initiatives or support the University's curriculum.
Proposals will be judged on their merits but all things being equal:
1. Awards may be distributed across disciplines.
2. Priority may be given to applicants who have not received a similar award in recent years and to applicants who have not frequently received grants from Faculty Development in the past.
3. Priority may be given to applications from tenure track and tenured faculty members.
Reporting Process: Reports for all Summer Stipends are due for by the first Monday of the following fall semester. For a course development award, reports should include a course syllabus and supporting materials as appropriate. For a scholarly or artistic project, the report should include the product of the summer work (for example, a draft of a completed manuscript). Your report should be addressed to the Faculty Development Committee Chair and, like your proposal, should be readily understandable by colleagues outside your field. If the product of your summer work is not a completed syllabus, manuscript, etc., you should provide a narrative or reflective statement (no more than three (3) pages) explaining how the funding enabled you to meet your goals and advance your professional development. A member of the Faculty Development Committee will review and respond to your report.
Please submit your report electronically to Becky Wallace in the form of a WORD or PDF document (facdev@depauw.edu).
Faculty members who do not submit reports on time will not be eligible for Faculty Development funding until the report(s) have been submitted and approved. Funded proposals, approved reports, and brief responses from the Faculty Development Committee will be placed automatically in a faculty member's personnel file.