Rationale

The goal is to create a professional development award for term faculty. The Term Professional Growth Award (GROWTH for short) will provide funds and time for term faculty to learn new skills, create new products and design and implement projects that help them advance in their teaching and service responsibilities and achieve career milestones. In addition to the benefits of the professional development of the participants, the program affirms our commitment to term faculty as valued members of the faculty.

Currently, the College does not have an award with an explicit focus on professional development in teaching and service for term faculty. Though the idea is similar to the Seed Awards, where faculty are given funds to help start or advance a research project, the GROWTH award is unique.

Term faculty who do not have funding or sponsorship opportunities are highly encouraged to apply.

Award Information

The Dean’s Office will sponsor eight GROWTH awards during the academic year. Each award amounts to $5,000, of which $3,600 will fund a course release for the term faculty member during either the fall or spring semester. The remaining amount of $1,400 will be released to the term faculty member to support their project.

Number of Awards

Up to $40,000 will be allocated to funding these awards. Funding is expected to be available on July 1, 2022.

Eligibility

All full-time term faculty in CHS whose employment is not conditional on a waiver are eligible to apply.

Budget/Allowable Costs

Allowable costs include small equipment, supplies, printing, publishing, travel to conferences, conference fees, associated lodging and meals, and graduate/undergraduate student support.

Proposal

Please keep in mind that not all reviewers will be experts in every proposed field of study, and thus project descriptions should be written for a broad audience.

Proposal Narrative

Three pages maximum, including Title, Abstract and Project description.

The project description must address how the proposed activities are consistent with the goals of the program as outlined under Review Criteria below. The description should include sufficient detail such that reviewers can evaluate the appropriateness and feasibility of the proposed plan. The narrative should describe the proposed activity in a concise manner.

• Abstract (Concisely convey, in lay terms, the nature of the project and its significance. 250 words maximum).
• Introduction/Background
• Specific Aims
• Significance to and impact of the project on the applicant’s professional development in their current capacity as term faculty; the applicant’s unit, the College, the university and field; and the applicant’s students (where applicable)
• Importance of GROWTH funding to launching/implementing/concluding the project, including whether the applicant has received/is currently receiving/will receive additional funding support from other sources
• Plan to Achieve Aims

References Cited/Bibliography

Use the citation format that is appropriate for your field. No page maximum, but limit it to highly relevant citations.

Budget and Justification

Please submit a detailed account of the expenses associated with the planned proposal with written justification. Two-page maximum.

• Personnel: For each person included in the proposal, describe the activities they will perform, the estimated number of hours to be worked, the hourly rate of pay and the total estimated cost of each assistant. The term faculty member cannot have additional salary paid as part of the award.
• Travel: List estimated airfare, lodging, meals and incidental expenses as well as the approximate dates of travel and number of days of research. Economy class flights only are allowed. Travel funding requests must otherwise comply with VCU Office of Procurement Services guidelines. International travel must comply with current university policies.
• Supplies: Please itemize supplies in separate subcategories, such as software, subscriptions, books, materials, recordings, tools, chemicals, reagents, etc.
• Equipment: Justify any equipment you need for the project, and estimate its cost.
• Other: Please describe and estimate the cost of any additional activities to be supported by the grant (e.g., conference fees, registration fees or tuition). Please indicate how you arrived at the estimate.
• Pending or intended funding applications: List funding requests—source and amount—for this and related projects.

Appendices

• CV
• Current or pending funding information (if not provided on CV)

Submission Instructions

Font should be Arial, at a size of 11 or larger. Margins, in all directions, must be at least 1”. The entire package should be uploaded by 5:00 p.m. on May 13, 2022 as one PDF file. The applicant should speak to their chair/director prior to submitting so that they are aware of the submission and can support the application. A letter of support from the chair/director is not required.

Submit form

Review Criteria

1. Impact: The extent to which the proposed activity will
   • contribute to the applicant’s professional development in their current capacity as term faculty (e.g., by leading to a useful certification establishing expertise, resulting in beneficial pedagogical innovation, contributing to professional reputation or other indicators of success in teaching and service as delineated by the College’s P&T Guidelines)
   • benefit the applicant’s unit, the College, the university and the field of higher education
   • enhance student success
2. Quality: The strength of proposal elements (e.g. proposal narrative, budget, CV or resume)
3. Preparedness: How well the applicant establishes readiness and/or competence relative to proposed activity (e.g. relevant knowledge, interests, skills or certifications)
4. Deliverable: What is the anticipated product or output resulting from the conclusion of the proposed activity

Recipients