Research, Scholarship and Professional Growth Committee

PPM 1-13, Article B-5, Section 4.8: The Committee on Research, Scholarship and Professional Growth shall recommend policies on research, scholarship, teaching loads, instructional and faculty development and faculty productivity. It shall facilitate faculty in obtaining grants, travel funds, physical facilities, etc., to pursue research and scholarly activities.

All contract, salaried faculty are encouraged to submit proposals to the RSPG Committee (see list of proposal categories below). Adjunct faculty and professional staff may be included within proposals that are submitted by contract, salaried faculty.

Fall Award Deadlines for:

  • Hemingway Faculty Vitality Grants
  • Hemingway Adjunct Faculty Grants
  • Innovative Teaching Grants
  • Research and Professional Grants
  • Travel Grants

Fall travel grants are due September 2, 2022. Please submit one PDF copy of the travel request form and the documentation of conference acceptance to sarahherrmann@weber.edu. Maximum award is $750. 

Deadline for all other Fall awards is October 7, 2022 by 5 pm:  One copy of the final proposal with signatures can be emailed to sarahherrmann@weber.edu. Please give your college representative at least one week to review.

Proposals lacking any of the required signatures or late proposals will not be considered. An electronic copy in a pdf format must be submitted by email to the chair sarahherrmann@weber.edu. Your electronic application and any appendices should have your last name only (e.g., Smith application.pdf, Smith appendix A; Smith appendix B; etc.). Only two appendices will be accepted per application. 

Spring Award Deadlines for:
  • Hemingway Collaborative Awards
  • Hemingway Excellence Awards
  • Hemingway Adjunct Faculty Grants
  • Hemingway Faculty Vitality Grants
  • Hemingway New Faculty Grants
  • Innovative Teaching Grants
  • Research and Professional Grants
  • Travel Grants

Spring travel grants are due January 13, 2023. Please submit the application form available here. Maximum award is $750. 

Deadline for all other Spring awards is February 10, 2023 by 5 pm:  One copy of the final proposal should be submitted using the application form available here. Please give your college representative at least one week to review in advance of this date. You may do this by submitting through Google Forms and a copy will be sent to your college's representative, or you may send it to them separately. Any suggested changes may be made in Google Forms. Once you submit, you will receive an email with a copy of the submission for your records.

Proposals lacking any of the required components or late proposals will not be considered. Your electronic application and any appendices should have your last name only (e.g., Smith application.pdf, Smith appendix A; Smith appendix B; etc.). Only two appendices will be accepted per application. 

Summer Award Deadlines:

Summer travel grants are due May 5, 2023. Please submit the application form available here. Maximum award is $750. 

Hemingway New Faculty Grants: We are also reopening applications for Hemingway New Faculty grants, due Friday, May 5, 2023. Please submit the RSPG proposal form for review by the committee chair at least one week before the deadline (i.e., April 28).

 

HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT PROPOSALS

Proposals that include cost sharing from departments, colleges, off-campus agencies and/or faculty personal funds are viewed more favorably than are proposals that do not include cost-sharing.

RSPG grant amounts typically range from a few hundred dollars to $3,000. Presidential Teaching Innovation grants are limited to $5,000. Hemingway Collaborative and Faculty Excellence awards may receive higher levels of funding. RSPG will provide no more than $1,250/person for travel to conferences within the United States. The committee will consider larger requests for foreign travel during the mid-fall and mid-spring rounds. Travel that exceeds $750 must use the RSPG proposal form.

Proposals that request retroactive funding will NOT be reviewed. For more information on funding criteria and eligible expenses, go to https://www.weber.edu/RSPG/funding_criteria.html.

For more information on how the committee evaluates and scores proposals, see our evaluation rubric. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Chair.

HUMAN SUBJECTS/PROTECTED ANIMALS

Any research involving human subjects and/or protected animals must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate committee (Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects, Animal Care & Use Committee) prior to submission to RSPG. Submit the required forms to either:

  • Dr. Matthew Donahue, Chair of the IRB, irb@weber.edu, Ext. 7389

CATEGORIES OF PROPOSALS

GRANTS

  1. Hemingway Faculty Vitality Grants (Fall and Spring Semester Deadline)

Hemingway Faculty Vitality Grants are provided for projects that support individual faculty research, presentation of papers or serving in an official capacity at a professional organization meeting, attendance at a meeting or short workshop, development of a new course, or acquisition of new skills or expertise.

  1. Innovative Teaching Grants (Fall and Spring Semester Deadline)

Presidential Teaching Innovation Grants
George and Beth Lowe Innovative Teaching Grants
Community Engaged Learning Innovative Teaching Grants

 

This category includes those proposals that focus on the development of student-centered pedagogical approaches; augmentation of existing curriculum; assessment of new skills for students; development of classroom support materials and activities, excluding consumables or materials that are part of normal operating expenses; and development of interdisciplinary programs or courses. These funds support innovative teaching strategies, projects and programs that address the four pillars of student success in and out of the classroom.  The Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Innovative Teaching Grants support the use of CEL strategies specifically.

 

Grant writers are encouraged to seek matching funds from offices promoting high impact educational experiences, where appropriate (i.e. Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL), Sustainability Practices and Research Center (SPARC), Honors Program, Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS), etc.).

 

Innovations from all funded proposals in this category will be recognized at the annual Faculty Symposium hosted by the Teaching and Learning Forum where recipients will be honored as having received a Presidential Teaching Innovation Grant, a George and Beth Lowe Innovative Teaching Grant or a Community Engaged Learning Innovative Teaching Grant.  All grant recipients are also expected to present at the symposium.

 
  1. Research and Professional Grants (Fall and Spring Semester Deadline)

This category encompasses faculty activities that promote original scholarship, research, and artistic expression, including the acquisition, application, and dissemination of knowledge, the facilitation and exhibition of artistic expression, and travel to present said work. 

  1. Hemingway New Faculty Grants (Spring Semester Deadline)

New Faculty Grants are provided to tenure track faculty within their first two years on tenure track at WSU.

  1. Hemingway Adjunct Faculty Grants (Fall and Spring Semester Deadline)

Grants are provided specifically for Weber State Adjunct Faculty to support research, presentation of papers or serving in an official capacity at a professional organization meeting, attendance at a meeting or short workshop, development of a new course or acquisition of new skills or expertise.  Adjunct faculty members can apply for these funds as principle investigators with or without the involvement of a full-time faculty member. Adjunct grants are limited to $2,000.

  1. Travel Grants (Fall, Spring and Summer Semester Deadline)

RSPG will provide up to $750 to offset the total cost of travel with documentation of acceptance.  One copy of the final proposal should be submitted using the application form available here, no paper copy is required. The travel funding application form is limited to $750 per trip. Trips which require more funding (i.e., international travel), or which occur after the initial travel funding is exhausted, are welcome to apply for larger grants in the Fall and Spring semester including Hemingway, Instructional Improvement, and Research / Travel Grants.

If the number of applications received are higher then the amount the committee has available to fund, priority will be given to faculty who have not received RSPG monies in the past and/or those who will not have a chance to re-apply before the next grant deadline. If excess funds are left over then the grant will be reopened at a later date.

Please note that RSPG does not fund travel to attend conferences where you are not presenting, however money for faculty mentors to attend a conference is available through the Office of Undergraduate Research. Travel to conferences which focus on improving one's teaching or innovative teaching strategies can also be applied for under Innovative Teaching grants in the Fall/Spring. 

 

AWARDS

  1. Hemingway Collaborative Awards (Spring Semester Deadline)

Hemingway Collaborative Projects involve two or more WSU faculty; priority will be given to proposals that focus on two or more separate disciplines. Applicants will indicate how their proposal is consistent with at least one of the following strategic goals: equity, diversity, and inclusion; student success; or community engagement and economic development. All award recipients in this category will be recognized at the annual Hemingway Luncheon where recipients will receive their award. Grant recipients are also expected to present their research projects to the Hemingway Foundation at this time.

  1. Hemingway Excellence Awards (Spring Semester Deadline)

Hemingway Excellence Projects have the potential to positively and significantly impact a broader community, and the potential to bring regional, national or international attention to WSU. Excellence proposals may lead to larger scale projects and the possibility for outside funding. Proposals must clearly specify how the benefit goes beyond individual faculty and impacts a broader community (community may be defined as an academic department or college, or an off-campus agency) and is consistent with at least one of the following strategic goals: equity, diversity, and inclusion; student success; or community engagement and economic development. All award recipients in this category will be recognized at the annual Hemingway Luncheon where recipients will receive their award.  Grant recipients are also expected to present their research projects to the Hemingway Foundation at this time.