Internal Funding

Following is a list of the funds available through the Provost's Office as well as information about how to apply for each, including a link to the appropriate electronic form. Please review the list regularly and note any deadlines. Reminders concerning upcoming deadlines may appear periodically on the Faculty Digest (e-mail).

Although any faculty member may apply for Research and Professional Development Grants, Interdisciplinary Exploration Grants, and support for a Student Associate, preference will be given to faculty members who will be employed at the College beyond the current academic year as these grants are intended to provide long-term benefit to the College and to the instructional program.

1. Research and Professional Development Grants: The Research and Professional Development Fund is designed to support projects that focus on either Individual Development/Research or Curriculum Development/Instructional Improvement. All faculty and administrators are encouraged to apply for Research and Professional Development Grants. Calls for proposals are announced on the faculty digest and Provost's Office website twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. The call includes the guidelines for the preparation of proposals, and a standard cover sheet. Applicants will be notified at the end of each semester. Check here for upcoming application deadlines, and/or to view/download the most recent call for proposals. Applicants may also want to consult sample proposals before submitting an application.

The Faculty Development Committee understands that the funding cycle for Research and Professional Development Grants does not always match the time table needed for funding decisions. Thus, the committee is willing to consider out of cycle proposals. Applicants are requested to submit to the Associate Provost the Research and Professional Development Grant application, including the cover sheet and department chair's commentary. In addition, applicants need to demonstrate that (a) the opportunity became available after the last proposal deadline and (b) the applicant requires a response before the next grant cycle. Funding will be contingent upon available funds.

2. Provost's Professional Papers Account: The purpose of the Provost's Professional Papers Account is to support attendance by faculty members at conferences where they are presenting papers or participating in the discussion of papers. The account is designed to supplement, not to replace, the departmental travel allocation for faculty members. A maximum of $800 toward the cost of attending a national meeting is available for each full-time faculty member per year.  Up to $1,500 may be reimbursed for presenting a paper at a meeting outside the North American continent. These funds are available for all full-time faculty members. When a full-time faculty member is attending a meeting to be a discussant for a paper, or as an officer of the professional organization, a total of $800 may be reimbursed even for international conferences. This limitation applies even if the faculty member both participates as an officer and serves as a discussant. Adjunct faculty will be reimbursed up to $400 for participating in or presenting a paper at a conference.

Faculty may request funds to cover the costs of attending a meeting to present a second paper within the same fiscal year (June 1 to May 31). A portion of PPP funds will be held in reserve to support the attendance of tenure-track, non-tenured faculty at professional meetings to present a second paper each year. Tenure-track faculty should apply for these second round funds as soon as their paper is accepted, and they can be reimbursed with second round funds at the time of attendance. In the 2007-08 academic year, due to one-time funding from the President's Office, funding may also be available for tenured faculty to present a paper at a second professional conference. In cases in which a faculty member requests funding to attend two conferences, only one conference can be reimbursed at the $1,500 level.  The second conference will be reimbursed at the $800 level even if it occurs outside the North American continent. For unusual situations (e.g., exceptionally expensive international conferences or uniquely important professional opportunities), please feel free to contact Kathleen Cain in the Provost's Office to explore additional funding possibilities.

For all Professional Papers, approval of funds must be obtained before each conference using the appropriate application form. Funds will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, so please apply for support as soon as your paper is accepted. You may find our online application form here .

The Provost is able to provide support for professional development for lecturers if the funding requested is to attend a conference directly related to the courses being taught or if the conference is directly related to the administrative duties associated with the position. This fund is intended to support attendance at conferences or workshops without a requirement of presenting a paper or participating in the conference in a formal way. The award amount is similar to the departmental travel allowance for tenured and tenure-track faculty--$500 maximum. Lecturers should submit this form.

3. Presidential Research Fellowships:

I. THE SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE GRANTS: This fund provides support for specific research, scholarship, or creative projects larger in scope and commanding a greater level of, or different kind of, support than can be accommodated by the Research and Professional Development Grants administered by the Faculty Development Committee. Presidential Research Fellowships (PRFs) are intended to support the time devoted to the project and only secondarily to offset expenditures. A small number of awards will be made each year, each entailing a stipend of $5,000 and provision for up to $5,000 in expenses for conducting the project. The stipend will be paid in equal installments during the summer following the award, regardless of the timetable of the project. All projects must be completed within fourteen months of the award. Summaries of recent awards can be found here.

II. ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATIONS: All full-time faculty and administrators are eligible to apply, provided the projects are scholarly. Full-time continuing faculty and administrators, however, will receive preference as these grants are intended to provide long-term benefit to the College and to the institutional program. Recipients of the PRFs may not re-apply for at least four academic years from the year in which the award was made. The Faculty Development Committee will consider all proposals and make its recommendations to the President based on 1) the merit of the research project, 2) a record of success in bringing projects to conclusion, and 3) demonstrated alertness to external funding opportunities. The same project may not be funded by regular Research and Professional Development grants and a PRF at the same time. Please note also that a PRF need not entail budgeted expenditures--faculty members planning projects with limited or no expenses will still be eligible for the stipend.

III. REVIEW PROCEDURE AND SCHEDULE: A REVIEWING PROCESS: All proposals will be reviewed, and awards recommended, by the Faculty Development Committee. B. TIME OF APPLICATION AND DECISION: Proposals will be reviewed in the Spring round of Research and Professional Development Grant allocations. Although an application may be made well in advance of the time of expected use of funds, budget factors may warrant deferral of a final decision until a later reviewing date.

IV. FORM OF PROPOSAL: The format of proposals may vary depending upon the particular nature of each project; however, all proposals should include the following: 1. A completed cover sheet. 2. A narrative describing the project. This description should contain sufficient detail and, where appropriate, specific examples to address the following points: a) the problem to be addressed, the questions to be asked; b) the goals of the project, what you intend to accomplish; c) how you intend to reach your goals, the methods you will use; d) how you will evaluate your project; e) a timetable giving the expected dates of initiation and completion of the project and periods when the major part of the work will be undertaken, and f) sources of external funding explored and applied to. As in the case of the R&PD Grants, your narrative should be addressed to members of the Committee and written in language which is accessible to them. It should not be written as if it is being submitted to a panel in your discipline. Although some detail is desirable the narrative should not be more than two or three pages long. Succinctness is appreciated by the Committee. 3. An itemized budget, if the project involves expenses. This should be sufficiently detailed to make clear the precise use to which supporting funds will be put. These uses include travel, board, lodging, or materials acquisition (photocopying, microfilming, chemicals, laboratory specimens and equipment, student assistants, and secretarial support) for research.

V. PROJECT REPORT: At the conclusion of each project, the recipients of the fellowship must provide a short report evaluating the results of the project in relation to the goals set out in the original proposal, and the use of expense funds (if applicable). In addition, upon conclusion of the project, the recipient of the PRF will make a presentation to the faculty in a suitable venue (such as a Friday Faculty Luncheon). Subsequent proposals will not be considered until reports on all previous projects have been submitted. If the project results in publication, the College requires that support from a Presidential Research Fellowship be acknowledged in the published piece(s). The Commission also requests that the Fellow deposit a copy of the work in the Gettysburg College Faculty Collection (Special Collections) of the Musselman Library.

4. Interdisciplinary Exploration Grants: This fund encourages faculty exploration of new areas for the purpose of simply investigating new and challenging issues, extending their research interests and competencies, or incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives into their courses. These special funds support attendance at conferences, workshops, or seminars that are interdisciplinary or that connect the faculty member with a discipline that is not that person's primary field of professional activity. These funds would be particularly useful for those one-time events that you are curious about and interested in attending, but that you would not be able or willing to attend with funding from other sources.

The support from Interdisciplinary Exploration funds is granted for attendance at such a conference or workshop, not for presenting a paper, as the funds are dedicated to exploration only. All support for paper presentations must come from departmental funds and/or the Provost's Professional Papers Account. In addition, support will be granted only one time for the same conference, workshop, or seminar; faculty are encouraged to continue to pursue a new or interdisciplinary interest (after initial support from Interdisciplinary Exploration Grant funds) through funding procured from the Faculty Development Committee and/or the Provost's Professional Papers Account. Each faculty member can apply for up to $500 from the Interdisciplinary Exploration Grant fund each year. Grants will be approved on a first-come-first-served basis, so plan ahead and send in your request using this form early .

5. Reimbursement of Reprints: A small amount is available for reimbursement of the cost of reprints of a published paper. Reimbursement will be made for the minimum number of copies made available by the journal. A maximum of $150 can be allocated per faculty member within a fiscal year. These funds are distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

6. Peer Learning Associates: Formerly called the Student Associates Program and funded by a Pew grant, the program is continuing with College funding and is now merged with the former Peer Tutoring Program and managed through the Office of Academic Advising. Peer Learning Associates (PLAs) provide tutoring, and support group discussions, review or practice sessions, and group projects. Associates are paid an hourly wage. Requests for Peer Learning Associates are submitted in the spring term. Watch the digest for announcements.

7. Funds for Senior Projects and Student Research: Funding is available to support students during their senior year or the summer before their senior year. To be eligible, a student must be working on a senior project, either as an independent study or as a substantial term paper. These funds are meant to enhance the quality of the student's experience, not to make the project possible, and they can be used in support of supplies, equipment, and travel expenses associated with the student's project. Funding from the Senior Projects account must be sought by the faculty member who oversees the project, but the request may include materials submitted by the student (please use this form ). Funding from the Senior Projects account is allocated on the condition that the project is supported by departmental funds and the student's own contribution. A maximum of $500 is available per student. Funding takes the form of reimbursement of actual costs (receipts must be submitted); no travel advances will be issued. Additional funding may be available in certain cases, including unusually expensive projects or projects carried out by students who aren't seniors.  Decisions about such funding will be made on a case by case basis.  Please contact Kathleen Cain (kcain@gettysburg.edu) for additional information.

8. Students' Professional Papers: Funds are available to support attendance by students at professional meetings. Although preference is given to students who are presenting a paper or otherwise participating in the conference, this is not a prerequisite for support. Students presenting papers may apply for up to $200, while those simply attending a meeting may apply for up to $125. Students in the latter category will be funded only if accompanied by a faculty member. In all cases, departments are expected to indicate their support of student participants by providing some funding from their departmental budget. No more than five students will be supported to attend any one conference. Funds will be considered for approval (please use this form) on a first-come-first-served basis.

9. Academic Field Trips and Engaged Learning Opportunities: President Will has made funds available on a one-time basis during the 2007-08 academic year to support course-related field trips and other engaged learning opportunities for students.  If you are interested in obtaining such funding, please send Kathleen Cain (kcain@gettysburg.edu) a short description of what you would like to do and how it relates to students' learning. Please include a simple budget showing anticipated costs for the trip or activity. In addition, please be sure to copy Suzy Miller (miller@gettysburg.edu) on these emails.  In most cases we would ask students to share a portion of the costs, such as food expenses.

10. Faculty Entertainment of Students: Funds are available to help defray the costs of entertaining students for a meal in your home or on campus. You are not required to do the cooking; hosting a pizza party for students satisfies the purpose of these funds, which is to encourage faculty-student interaction outside of the classroom. Faculty will be reimbursed at a rate of $5.00 per student, for one gathering per semester, for a total maximum of 25 students. Please prepare a check request form and submit it along with the names of the students you entertained to Suzy Miller in the Provost's Office (Box 410). Receipts are not required unless there is a question of whether you spent $5 per student. Again, funds are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

11. Faculty/Student Dining Plan: In order to facilitate dining and conversation between faculty and students, each faculty member is credited with free meals (six for full-time faculty, three for part-time faculty) per academic year in either the student or specialty section of the Dining Center.

12. Reading/Writing Groups: We would like to support new and existing initiatives that facilitate cross-disciplinary discussions, such as faculty reading groups or writing groups. If you are involved in such a group or would like to consider forming one, the Provost's Office is ready to offer modest support for materials. Groups related to other campus activities, such as a lecture series or performance, are encouraged. Please send to the Associate Provost a brief description of a plan for your group (including reading materials, timetable including dates for discussion of the readings, and target event, if there is one), a budget, and the names of the faculty members who have expressed interest in participating (we can support up to 10 participants). One member of the group will be asked to submit a brief report upon the conclusion of the project (or at a suitable reporting time point).

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9/3/07