Rationale

The Lift Awards supports the professional development of non-tenure eligible faculty to enhance their valued contributions to the College Humanities and Sciences’ teaching and service missions and to help them achieve career milestones as delineated by the CHS’s promotion and tenure guidelines. Examples of eligible proposals include certification programs, training, conference fees and travel, curricular development, creation of course content, research and scholarship on teaching, learning, and other relevant fields, salary support or the purchase of software licenses or equipment for use in the classroom.

Award Information

Applicants must clearly explain how the award will contribute to their professional development in their current capacity as term faculty and result in a pedagogical outcome or service contribution that benefits our students, the applicant’s unit, the College of Humanities and Sciences and the university.  

Award Amount/Number of Awards

The dean’s office will allocate up to $50,000 to fund a maximum of 10 awards of up to $5,000.

Eligibility

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

Budget/Allowable Costs

A detailed budget is needed at submission. CHS will fund up to $5,000 for each award. Funds must be used in accordance with university guidelines for direct costs associated with the proposal, which can include a course release during the fall 2024 or spring 2025 semester or for summer salary. Course releases need approval prior to submission from the associate dean of research and the faculty member’s department chair/director.

Cost extensions are not allowed and all funds must be expended by June 30, 2025. Awardees will need to complete the requested final report and be willing to share their experiences and results at a CHS event.

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 Lift 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 via the CHS internal budget form. 

• 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 estimated time and cost with these activities.
• 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.
• 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.

Appendices

• CV
• Current or pending funding information and intended funding request (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 March 11, 2024 via the form. 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 achieving career milestones as delineated by the College’s P&T guidelines (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)
   • benefit the applicant’s unit, the College of Humanities and Sciences, the university and the field of higher education enhance student success
   • enhance student success
2. Quality: The strength of proposal elements (e.g. proposal narrative, budget, CV and other submitted materials)
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

2024

• John Brinegar, Department of English, Revising ENGL 215 To Emphasize English-Related Career Skills In Health Fields
• Alix Bryan-Campos, Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, Newsroom Development
• James Fritz, Department of Philosophy, The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent: Connections Between Emotional Neutrality and Value
• Rebecca Gibson, School of World Studies, Expanding Opportunities Through Accessibility: Examining Mobility Options for Future Study Abroad Trip
• Michael Keller, Department of English, The Blackbird Founders Archive Educational Initiative
• Frankie Mastrangelo, Department of Sociology, Social Transformation Incubator for Living Learning Labs
• Maureen Mathews, Department of Psychology, Increasing EDI in a History of Psychology Course: Using Archival Data and Artifacts to Enhance Student Learning
• Anita Nadal, School of World Studies, Engagement in Community: Pedagogy, Identity, and Recognizing Impact
• Derek O'Leary, Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, Enriching MASC 383: User Experience - Unveiling a Toolkit for Enhanced Experiential Learning
• Tricia Smith, Department of Biology, Identifying Factors Affecting Diverse Student Mental Health and Academic Success Using Artificial Intelligence and Network Analysis