Flexibility in Teaching Scheduling
Faculty identified increasing flexibility in teaching schedules as a potentially powerful way to support their research activities during the Arts & Sciences’ Strategic Research Planning initiative. We’ve worked with department leadership on a pilot program that enables faculty to redistribute teaching responsibilities across semesters to allow for intensive research, scholarship, and creative activities. This increased flexibility is intended to help faculty advance a significant project that would benefit from focused effort, and is available to tenure-track faculty members no more than once every five years. It does not affect faculty service efforts and should not result in an overall reduction of curricular offerings.
Like all matters of curricular scheduling, flexibility in teaching scheduling is department-led and will prioritize curricular needs. Each department will develop the criteria and procedures used to implement this pilot initiative. The application process is timed to coincide with annual curricular planning. More information can be found here.
Enhanced Research Staff Support:
Research Development
We’ve hired two experienced staff members for Research Development. They will help faculty acquire sponsored program support, including advising faculty on funding opportunities, providing guidance to enhance proposal competitiveness, and working with the VPR’s office to facilitate development of complex proposals. Trish Dant provides support for the Sciences, and Caitlin Charos for the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences.
Research Communication
Russ Bahorsky’s position in the Arts & Science’s marketing team is now focused full-time on research communication. As many of you who have worked with Russ know, he does a terrific job developing pieces to announce and publicize successes in research, scholarship, and creative activities. If you have exciting news, please reach out to your Department Chair or Divisional Associate Dean who can let Russ know.
Sciences Technical Staff
Shared equipment enables faculty research programs to access resources and keep pace with change at a fraction of the cost. Arts & Sciences will contribute to the support of staff members who run and maintain shared equipment and facilities to encourage greater availability and affordability of shared resources. Typically, costs will be shared equally between the Dean’s office (1/3), departments (1/3) and users (1/3), recognizing that allocations may differ initially when the user base is being established. Please suggest ideas for jointly supported research staff to the Associate Dean for Research.
Support for Developing and Executing Large-scale Grants
Possible teaching release is available for faculty members writing proposals for large-scale grants who don’t have an A&S Planning Grant. In recognition of the effort to establish new initiatives, teaching release may also be supported for faculty members with new center-scale or training grant funding. Reach out to the Associate Dean for Research to discuss possibilities.
Expansion of Graduate Education in the Sciences
Investment from the University’s Grand Challenges initiatives is increasing faculty numbers in several of the science departments. We are targeting graduate programs in these departments for growth as successful faculty recruitment requires a strong graduate program that has a surplus of students for new faculty members. Program growth is anticipated at 15 students/year for each of the next three years, resulting in an increase of ~50 students.
Limited Travel Funds for the Sciences
Funds are available for conference travel for research-active tenure-track science faculty who do not have grant funds (or have modest funds). Calls for Travel Funds will occur twice a year, March and September, with $1,500 available annually per faculty member. Additional details can be found here.
Sciences Research Infrastructure Upgrades
The University’s Grand Challenges initiatives require increased capacity for animal research. Arts & Sciences is investing $500,000 in upgrades to our animal growth facilities to enable faculty recruiting and the growth of existing research programs.
A&S Seed & Planning Grants Program
The A&S Seed & Planning Grants program is designed to enable new research projects, plan for externally supported centers, promote collaboration and increase sponsored research. There are two grant types, seed and planning. The program aims to enable faculty to undertake preliminary research needed for external proposals or plan for pursuit of major external funding opportunities such as center grants. Seed and Planning Grants will be awarded in the Sciences as well as in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences (A&H/SS). Awards will annually total approximately $750K for the Sciences and $80K for A&H/SS; the difference reflects the centrality of Annual Research Funds in supporting research activities in A&H/SS, while still encouraging the development of larger-scale, sponsored research activities in these areas. Proposals typically due mid-January, see "How to Apply" below.
- Seed Grants - Designed to enable faculty to undertake fundamental research, obtain pilot data, and leverage findings to secure external funding for research or creative activities. Successful proposals will have high potential for impact and concrete plans for pursuing subsequent extramural funding. Collaborative proposals are welcomed, particularly those involving new collaborations.
- Planning Grants – Designed to allow time and resources for planning of institutional-scale projects, such as major center submissions. Projects should enable faculty to plan, assemble teams for, and write major center proposals. Planning grants should enable significant planning and preparation over the funded period. Example activities could include dedicated faculty time for planning meetings and proposal preparation, visiting and building relationships with collaborating institutions, and/or conducting research to obtain critical preliminary information.
Annual research funding
All Tenure/Tenure-Track (T/TT) faculty in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences have access to $4,000 in annual research funding.
- Funds will be placed in individual accounts for each T/TT faculty member in these divisions annually and can be used for any activity related to research, scholarship, and creative activity. Accounts for jointly appointed faculty will be housed in their Primary Department. Address questions about access and use of funds to Department Managers.
- Annual research funds can be rolled over for one year, with a total allowable balance of $8,000 at year end. However, a balance of $8,000 cannot be maintained for multiple consecutive years.
Dean's Research Fellows Program
The Dean’s Research Fellows program recognizes an annual cohort of exceptional mid-career scholars who are performing transformational research in their fields. This is a limited-term program initiated in Fall 2024, with three annual cohorts of approximately six fellows each.
- Research Fellows will be recognized by receiving a salary supplement and additional research support.
- Selection criteria include innovative and field-transforming research, scholarship or creative work, a superb record of teaching, and strong records of service to departments, the university, and/or the broader field.
- The initial cohort is derived from the information collected in the A&S Promotion & Tenure process over the past several years. Future nominees will be identified by Divisional Associate Deans in consultation with departmental leadership and Promotion & Tenure and Peer Review information.
Research Top-offs
T/TT faculty who receive significant and prestigious external research fellowships that cover some but not all of their salary are eligible for salary supplements, i.e. Top-offs. Top-off funds will be available following a review process.
- The updated top-off policy will apply to awards beginning in Fall 2025. More information about the updated policy on faculty top-offs can be found here.
- (Professional Development Top-offs will be available to General Faculty who receive significant and prestigious external fellowships that support their professional development; again, these top-offs will be contingent on review. See policy)