Faculty Development
As part of our commitment to on-going faculty growth, Ursinus has a number of internal funding sources that support faculty scholarship, teaching, and professional development.
Conference Travel
All members of the Faculty are eligible for reimbursement of expenses for presenting at professional meetings in their field. The amount of reimbursement will depend on the nature of the participation in the conference. See guidelines for funding eligibility and details regarding reimbursement. (As an active participant - see guidelines for definition - you can request additional funding beyond $1,000. Modest funding is available for conference attendance without presentation.)
The Dean’s Office in collaboration with the Faculty Development Committee reviews travel requests twice per year. To facilitate budget planning for the year, all faculty are encouraged to make requests by October 15. Some opportunities may arise later than that, or plans may change, so the college will continue to honor requests for the base travel support (up to $1000) up to a February 1 deadline. If a request is not made by February 1 for travel in that fiscal year, the base travel funds cannot be guaranteed. Please submit your request and estimated expenses here.
The last step after conference attendance is filling out the Faculty Good News form which can be found here.
Sabbaticals
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.
Small Research Grants
These grants defray a portion of specific costs relating to research. Eligible costs include travel to research libraries or facilities, 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. Application deadline: September 1, February 1, and April 1 Submit an application.
Pearlstine Fellowships
The Gladys and Raymond Pearlstine Faculty Fellowship Fund was established in 1997 to support one or more faculty members, who are designated Gladys and Raymond Pearlstine Fellows for the year. The fund is administered by the Dean with advice from the Faculty Development Committee. Application deadline: February 1. Submit an application.
Staiger Grants
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.
Student Research Assistantships in the Humanities
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. Application deadlines: September 1, February 1 and April 1. Submit an application.
Summer Grants Program
- Workshops/Training Grant: Two competitive grants annually for faculty to attend workshops or training to advance and enhance their pedagogy within their discipline or to develop expertise in a new sub-field within their discipline. 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. Application deadline: February 15. Submit an application.
- Supplies and Materials Grants support faculty members needing supplies, materials or other items to conduct their summer research or creative projects. Some examples: lab supplies, art supplies, specialized software, data sets. Include an itemized budget. Application deadline: February 15. Submit an application.
VanSant Research Grants
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.
Additional Opportunities
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; the college’s Mellon grant supports course development related to the new Core (see Dean’s Office Resources on Grizzly Gateway Dean’s Office; UC login required), 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.