Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors

The purpose of this fund (previously known as Supplementary Research Support for Faculty) is to encourage tenured and tenure-track faculty to actively engage undergraduate students in their research, scholarship, and creative work. With this supplemental support, faculty awardees are expected to create additional opportunities for undergraduate students to connect and contribute to active scholarly work, expanding their capacity to engage students in research, scholarship, and creative work. The funds may be used in a variety of ways to support student engagement (ex., software or supplies, transcription, travel associated with data collection, or other activities that build research/scholarly/creative capacity). 

Faculty are encouraged to use grant funds in creative ways in order to expand their ability to mentor undergraduate students. Examples might include: purchase of items that allow students to participate in research (e.g., chemicals, field or lab supplies, an additional laptop); hiring labor to transcribe recorded interviews or score video images; travel to field sites or archives of materials; travel to establish connections that facilitate research in a particular community or organization; use of archived materials or private collections. Faculty are encouraged to consider the ways their scholarly work might include undergraduate students and should consult with OURS concerning questions about how this fund might facilitate work appropriate for the inclusion of undergraduate scholars.

There are two separate, mutually exclusive, funds:

  1. New Faculty - Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors: These funds are intended to create space within a new faculty member’s research and scholarship to engage undergraduates. The goal is to create the space and structures early in a faculty member’s career, so they can increasingly work with undergraduates over time.
  2. Restart - Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors: These funds are intended to build capacity to re-engage undergraduates in faculty research and scholarly and creative work, not simply to fund faculty research. All tenure track and tenured faculty are eligible to apply.


About the Award

AWARD
Up to $1,000 for research expenses. Please note this award does not include student stipends, unless students are doing work that would accommodate the faculty member’s ability to engage additional students over an extended period of time. This award does not include a faculty stipend.

ELIGIBILITY

  • New Faculty - Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors
    • Pre-tenure faculty. Preference is given to those who are in their first or second year at the time of application.
  • Restart - Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors
    • All tenure track and tenured faculty are eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Proposals are accepted until funding is depleted. The proposal needs to be one complete document that you will submit to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.

Apply Online

Proposal Requirements

The proposal must include the following sections:

1. Proposal Containing all Sections:

  • Section 1: Project Summary/Abstract
    • Provide a clear, concise description of the research project to be supported, mentioning how it will include undergraduate scholars and expand capacity. This description should be written so that it is clear to a non-specialist.   (Maximum 200 words)
  • Section 2: Project Description and Timeline
    • Clearly describe the research/scholarship to be supported using language a non-specialist would understand. (The project description must be double-spaced and cannot exceed four (4) pages)
      • What is the purpose or objective of the proposed project? How does it fit into your overall or long-term research or scholarly program? If pre-tenure, how does this project help develop your long-term scholarly program? If tenured, how does this project reinvigorate or otherwise contribute to your long-term scholarly work? (e.g., enable you to pursue a new line of inquiry).
      • How will you conduct the work involved? What work will be completed during the period of funding? How will undergraduate students participate in this work?
      • Provide a timeline for completion of the work proposed.
  • Section 3: Engagement of Undergraduate Students
    • Explain how your current and future research will actively include undergraduate scholars and how the supplementary funding will expand your capacity for including undergraduate scholars in the future. (Must be double-spaced and cannot exceed one (1) page)
  • Section 4: Budget Justification
    • Clearly describe your budget justification. (Must be double-spaced and cannot exceed one (1) page)
      • Provide an itemized budget.
      • Explain how budget items support the proposed project and its inclusion of undergraduate students. How will your capacity increase in the future?
      • Include a disclosure of all additional funds (from internal and external sources).

2. Updated CV

  • Items included should demonstrate the faculty mentor’s qualifications for completing the proposed project and qualification for/interest in mentoring undergraduate students.

3. Letter of Support from the Faculty Member’s Department Chair, or Unit Head

The proposal must include the following sections:

1. Proposal Containing all Sections:

  • Section 1: Project Summary/Abstract
    • Provide a clear, concise description of the research project to be supported, mentioning how it will include undergraduate scholars and expand capacity. This description should be written so that it is clear to a non-specialist.   (Maximum 200 words)
  • Section 2: Project Description and Timeline
    • Clearly describe the research/scholarship to be supported using language a non-specialist would understand. (The project description must be double-spaced and cannot exceed four (4) pages)
      • Describe how your research was disrupted as a result of the pandemic.
      • What is the purpose or objective of the proposed project? How does it fit into your overall or long-term research or scholarly program? If pre-tenure, how does this project help develop your long-term scholarly program? If tenured, how does this project reinvigorate or otherwise contribute to your long-term scholarly work? (e.g., enable you to pursue a new line of inquiry).
      • How will you conduct the work involved? What work will be completed during the period of funding? How will undergraduate students participate in this work?
      • Provide a timeline for completion of the work proposed.
  • Section 3: Engagement of Undergraduate Students
    • Explain how your current and future research will actively include undergraduate scholars and how the supplementary funding will expand your capacity for including undergraduate scholars in the future. (Must be double-spaced and cannot exceed one (1) page)
  • Section 4: Budget Justification
    • Clearly describe your budget justification. (Must be double-spaced and cannot exceed one (1) page)
      • Provide an itemized budget.
      • Explain how budget items support the proposed project and its inclusion of undergraduate students. How will your capacity increase in the future?
      • Include a disclosure of all additional funds (from internal and external sources).

2. Updated CV

  • Items included should demonstrate the faculty mentor’s qualifications for completing the proposed project and qualification for/interest in mentoring undergraduate students.

3. Letter of Support from the Faculty Member’s Department Chair, or Unit Head

Proposal Review

Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty committee using a rubric.


Grantee Responsibilities

Funds will be available near the beginning of Summer semester of the award year. Faculty members will be expected to:

  • Provide a summary description on their research, how undergraduate students were involved, and how your capacity for including future undergraduates was expanded as a result of this project. This description will be featured on the OURS website.
  • Attend an Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) mentorship program during the award year.

Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors

Brooks Supplementary Start-up Funds: Leifa Mayers Spotlight

Brooks Supplementary Start-up Funds: Leifa Mayers

Leifa Mayers, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, 2016-2017 Brooks Supplementary Start-up Funds grant recipient.

Capacity-Building Grant: Jennifer Winther Spotlight

Capacity-Building Grant: Jennifer Winther

Jennifer Winther, Biology, 2021-2022 Restart - Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors grant recipient.

View More Capacity-Building Grants for Faculty Mentors



Page last modified September 29, 2021