The Dean’s Office, in collaboration with the Professional Development Committee, will consider requests for registration at virtual conferences in Fall of 2020-Spring 2021, with $500 guaranteed and a possible maximum of $1000 available on request. Please be aware that funding may be limited. We ask that all faculty make requests by October 15. Some opportunities may arise later than that and plans may change, so the college will continue to honor requests for support with a possible maximum of $1000 up to January 15, 2021. Base funds cannot be guaranteed if requests are not made by January 15. If you have other sources of funding (grants, start-up, or endowed professorships), or if a conference offers any sources of funding for applicants, please plan to use to those sources first. Based on state guidelines and review from the college, limited professional travel for the spring may be considered. For faculty attending but not presenting at a conference, up to $150 may be granted. Please fill out the funding request survey here. 

When requesting reimbursement, please complete and submit a check request, located on the Business Office website, along with scanned copies of your receipts within 90 days of conference participation. If receipts are not submitted within 90 days, reimbursement may be delayed.

The last step after conference attendance is filling out the Faculty Good News form which can be found here.

Sabbatical leaves allow faculty members to engage in scholarly activity that will contribute to their long-term effectiveness as teachers and scholars at Ursinus and in the academic profession. Typically, tenured faculty members are initially eligible in their seventh year of full-time service at Ursinus to submit an application for sabbatical leave. Please see the Faculty Handbook for more details. The Office of the Dean will send yearly announcement of application deadlines. Submit an application.

These grants defray a portion of specific costs relating to research. Eligible costs include instrumentation, computer software, lab supplies, and other direct expenses. The maximum grant will be for $1,000 during an academic year. These funds are designated for faculty members who are not funded elsewhere, either internally or externally. Small Research Grants cannot be used to supplement other College funding or be combined with funding for conference travel. Applications are due March 15. Submit an application

The Pearlstine Fellowship is a fund to advance the scholarly agenda of faculty, including the scholarship of teaching and learning.

For the 2021-2022 year, the committee will prioritize support for projects with evidence of approaching completion, as well as launch funding for projects in their initial phases. There may be an opportunity for support for several smaller projects, rather than one or two substantial ones. The committee welcomes first-time applicants. While the first priority will be tenured faculty, nontenured faculty will also be considered. The Pearlstine award may be used during a scheduled sabbatical and may supplement external grants for research to make a leave possible. Selection will be based on the applicants’ proposal and the relation of the project to the three-year professional plan. If a course release is requested, please explain why teaching relief during the 2021-2022 academic year is necessary to the completion of the project. Pearlstine funds may not be used to defray living expenses while away from campus. Pearlstine Fellowships may not support research travel until current restrictions are lifted. (2/5/21)

If funds remain, proposals from untenured faculty will be considered.

Preference will be given to first-time recipients. Feedback is available on request.

In your proposal, please indicate how Pearlstine support will enhance your teaching as well as your scholarship. Pearlstine Fellows are expected to give a presentation in the format of their choice as well as a progress report to Professional Development.

The operation of the Fellowship program will undergo periodic reviews, and, if adjustments are recommended, they will be undertaken in consultation with the Dean and the President. Application deadline: April 1. Submit an application.

The Roger P. Staiger Faculty Development Fund in Chemistry provides funding for the grant. One grant will be awarded each year to a faculty member in chemistry. Application deadline: September 1. Submit an application.

These grants fund students in the humanities division who assist a faculty member in their scholarship, providing an opportunity for students to share in the scholarly work of professors. Grants of up to $500 per project are available to pay student assistants. Applications are due March 15. 

Supplies and Support Grants support faculty members needing supplies, materials or those with other needs to conduct their summer research or creative projects. Grants must be used to support direct expenses. Some examples: lab supplies; art supplies; specialized software; data sets, analysis, or processing; professional services (e.g. editors, translators). Include an itemized budget. Funding may not be used to support conference travel. The maximum amount awarded is $2,000. Application deadline: March 15. Submit an application.

 

The fund generates funds for small awards on a competitive basis to faculty to support laboratory research projects in which both faculty and students participate. Funds may be used for the purchase of capital equipment, chemicals and general supplies. Application deadline: May 1. Submit an application.

A few competitive grants annually for faculty to attend workshops or training to advance and enhance their pedagogy within their discipline, to develop expertise in a new sub-field within their discipline, or for an area of professional development that merges teaching and research or supports the faculty member’s long-term growth. These grants are for up to $2000/each. They may not be combined with any other college-sponsored travel grants and are not designed for faculty members to attend conferences in their fields. Contact Associate Dean Goldsmith with questions or for more detail.

There are also a number of other sources to support your work, including collaborations among faculty, staff and students. The president’s office sponsors Inclusive Community Grants and Fellowships and the NetVUE and Harold C. Smith grants support new course development related to vocational discernment, among other opportunities. Watch your email for calls for proposals from the TLI and U-Imagine, including grants for pedagogical innovation and entrepreneurship. Support for digital studies is available from the Cutler Fellows fund. The Center for Writing and Speaking offers write-in hours during the school year and summer writing accountability groups. For more information on informal writing groups, please contact the Dean’s Office.