4.1 Faculty Research Grants

The Kenyon Faculty Development Program provides funds to support members of the faculty and full-time members of the professional library staff in scholarly or artistic activities related to their college work and the enhancement of their professional activities, specifically research, artistic projects, and writing (see Provost’s website for additional information). Proposals are evaluated and grants awarded by the Faculty Affairs Committee. The program is administered by the Associate Provost.

Early in the fall semester, the Faculty Affairs Committee determines the level of funding for individual grants and publishes deadlines and guidelines for Research Grants for the year that is just beginning. This information is distributed to faculty members via email several times each year and can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Provost. Before submitting a grant proposal, members should consult the guidelines for the current year. At the end of each round of funding, the Faculty Affairs Committee publishes a list of grants awarded.

There are two award programs available to support faculty research awarded by the Faculty Affairs Committee and administered by an Associate Provost: Faculty Research Grants (currently awarded at amounts up to $3,000) and Labalme Faculty Grants for Research Involving International Travel (currently awarded at amounts up to $5,000, see section 4.3). The eligibility requirements, objectives, proposal guidelines, evaluation guidelines, etc. are similar for both types of grants, except that Labalme Grants are awarded only to support research that involves international travel.

(Revised June 2013)

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Eligible to participate are:

  • all members holding full-time appointments at the ranks of Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor (this includes full-time visiting appointments and shared appointments, as well as faculty members in phased retirement);
  • all members appointed under at least a half-time contract at the time of application; and
  • all full-time members of the professional library staff. Members in the last category should discuss their proposals with the Associate Provost before submitting them to the Faculty Affairs Committee. 

Applicants must be employed by the College at the time of application submission and during the funding period. Joint applications are acceptable; not all persons in a joint application need be eligible as individuals. Faculty development funds may not be used in support of work towards a degree or for expenses which are primarily promotional in character.

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Faculty Research Grants are primarily intended for the support of the scholarly or artistic engagement of faculty in areas of research, conference attendance, exhibitions, publication costs, international or domestic travel, equipment costs, and other such needs associated with professional development of the applicant beyond the classroom. Funds will not be awarded if the proposal focuses on developing courses or enhancing teaching methods. Funding for such proposals is available through Teaching Grants. (See section 4.2.)

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A member seeking support will submit a written proposal to the Faculty Affairs Committee in accordance with the directions announced at the beginning of each academic year by the Faculty Affairs Committee. Ordinarily, the committee sets a series of dates as deadlines for different kinds of grants. Members planning to submit a proposal are encouraged to discuss it with the Associate Provost or the chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, but only a fully developed proposal, submitted by the deadline, will be considered by the committee.

Applications must include the following:

  • The summary cover sheet available online from the Kenyon Grant Guidelines.
  • A statement of the project, the expected results, and the relationship of the project to the work of the member and the College.
  • A timetable.
  • A detailed budget for all books, equipment, materials, travel, and other expenses. Since funds are limited, every effort to economize should be made. Applicants should utilize the least expensive facilities and resources. Requests for books and equipment should not include those which are routinely purchased by the department or program, or are made available through other resources.
  • Estimates of travel costs should be obtained from the airlines’ website or an online travel company. In order to secure the best price, successful applicants are encouraged to purchase their tickets promptly. Faculty members eligible for IFDAs are reminded that IFDA funds may be used without committee review for attendance at professional meetings and other types of faculty development.  There is a section on the cover sheet for applicants to explain why IFDA funds are not sufficient to cover the expenses in their budget.

Unless otherwise requested by the applicant, all equipment obtained with faculty development monies belongs to the College. Requests for equipment will be entertained only if it is clear that the applicant has exhausted all other alternative sources for such funding.

  • If applicable, a statement as to whether outside funding was sought.
  • If relevant to the current proposal, reference to previously obtained FAC grants.
  • A current vita (2 page limit)

For the application to be considered complete, the applicant must have submitted written reports on previously awarded faculty development grants. The committee will review the file on the most recently funded proposal, and may review files pertaining to earlier grants as well. An applicant should regard this information as available to the committee and make reference to it as appropriate.

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After each announced grant deadline, the Faculty Affairs Committee will meet to evaluate proposals. Before each meeting the members read the proposals and rate them on a five-point scale. At the meeting, the members discuss each proposal and their individual ratings. Following this discussion, members declare their final rating and the results are tallied. The committee then determines appropriate funding and makes awards. The Associate Provost notifies applicants of the committee's decisions. Applicants may discuss the committee's decision regarding their proposal with the chair or any other member of the committee.

When a member of the committee has submitted a proposal to be evaluated, that member must excuse himself or herself during the time the proposal is evaluated. The other committee members will vote and the total score will be multiplied by a fraction compensating for the member's absence, or the scores will be added and averaged, and the average score will be added to the total.

The principal criteria used in evaluating proposals are:

  • The proposal's academic, artistic, and scholarly merit and the value of the project to the College and to the member's work.   
  • The qualifications of the member.    
  • The ability of the member to successfully carry out the project.
  • The feasibility of the plan and the timetable.
  • The availability of resources and research facilities.
  • The demonstrated need for funding to pursue the project.

 

These criteria must be clearly stated and/or argued in the member's proposal.

In judging proposals that seek funding to attend conferences and other meetings, the committee gives priority to applicants who are presenting work or presiding over conference sections, or whose attendance will significantly alter the direction of the applicant's professional development.

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The Faculty Affairs Committee has the right to revoke its funding of proposals when, in its estimation, members have failed to utilize approved funds within a reasonable period. Successful applicants must follow the policies and practices described in this section (4.1) when spending their grant allocation. 

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All recipients of Faculty Research Grants, including cosponsors of joint grants, must submit written reports to the Associate Provost on the work accomplished under the grant. The report is due within two months of the completion date for the project. It should include the recipient's evaluation of the project and a summary of actual funds expended and all receipts covering those expenditures. The report is required of all recipients to maintain eligibility for subsequent proposals. No proposal will be considered for funding if the applicant has failed to submit a written report for any previous Faculty Research Grant and/or Labalme Faculty Research Grant.

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