Frequently Asked Questions about Faculty Center Programs

Fellowships, Grants, and Reassignment Time

When faculty focus groups were asked what forms of incentives faculty most needed in order to bring about changes in the way their students learned, the three top answers were “on-going faculty development programs,” “money,” and “time.” These responses from faculty led to the creation of three specific programs tailored to faculty needs. In support of “Writing the Solutions: Steps Toward Developing Competent and Professional Writers,” the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning facilitates Faculty Fellowships, Grants, and Reassignment Time. For further information about any of these programs and for help in any part of the application process, please contact the Faculty Center.

QEP Faculty Writing Fellowships are academic-year appointments that begin in the Fall term and continue through the Spring; Faculty Fellows meet regularly as a group facilitated by the QEP Writing Specialist, Dr. Robert Cummings. During the Fall term, Fellows design writing-enriched courses that they then pilot in the Spring, culminating in a display of student work at CSU’s annual Celebration of Student Writing. Fellows are expected to assess the impact that writing has had on their students’ learning and to share their projects and experiences with the campus community. Faculty Writing Fellows receive a stipend of $2,000 divided into two equal payments: one occurring at the end of Fall term; the other occurring at the end of Spring. Because of the time commitment involved in the Fellowship program, potential fellows are advised to notify their department chair or unit supervisor prior to applying for a fellowship. All tenure-track or tenured faculty members or members of the Library faculty are eligible for fellowships; ideally, the Fellows will represent diverse disciplines. The deadline for submission is August 4 , 2008. Click on the link for a full description of the fellowship announcement.

QEP Grant Awards are one-time monetary awards intended to fund specific programs or events that will enhance the Grantee’s ability to incorporate writing into his or her classroom. QEP grants are available to all faculty members, full or part-time, regardless of rank or tenure-track status. Monies may be used for a variety of purposes such as travel to writing-specific conferences, materials such as software or texts, for compensation for extra time rating essays in a piloted class. Grants may be awarded both in the Fall and Spring term; however, there is a total of $10,000 in the grants fund each year. The QEP advisory committee has stipulated that at least 5 QEP grants should be awarded each year. The are 2 deadlines for submission. Fall submissions are due August 4, 2008. Spring submissions are due October 20, 2008. Click on the link for a full description of the grant announcement.

QEP Reassignment Time Awards are open to full-time faculty only and are for one semester only. If a faculty member’s request for reassignment time is approved, he or she will be released from one class during the reassignment-time term in order to work on a project related to the goals of the QEP. In the past, reassignment time requests have been approved in order to give a faculty member additional time to pilot and assess a writing-enriched class or in order to give a faculty member additional time to design substantial course or curriculum revision with an emphasis on bringing more writing into the classroom. Because of staffing issues, requests for reassignment time must be approved by both the faculty member’s chair and his or her dean; the QEP will fund the replacement of the faculty member for one class during the reassignment-time term by providing the dean with monies for the salary of a part-time faculty member for the reassigned class. The deadline for submission is August 28, 2008. Click on the link for a full description of the reassignment time announcement.