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Summer Research Fellowship in Arts and Sciences

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The College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs at East Tennessee State University both strongly support excellence in scholarship and creative activities of our Faculty. The purpose of this award is to provide an opportunity for research support during the summer within the College of Arts and Sciences, in addition to the support provided through other mechanisms such as the Research Development Committee and the Presidential Grant-in-Aid Committee.

The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Vice Provost for Research have established a Summer Research Fellowship for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Summer Research Fellowship is available from funds provided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the College of Arts and Sciences. Competition for this fellowship will be open to all tenured or tenure-track faculty within the College of Arts and Sciences, but the criteria for award favor more senior faculty who have made significant contributions to their discipline and who have a substantial research plan for the summer during which they would hold the fellowship. The funds will be available to faculty as a salary supplement, as a combination of stipend and support for scholarly activity conducted during the summer, or as support for the scholarly activity. The amount awarded to a Summer Research Fellow will be between $7,500 and $10,000 depending on availability of funds. The amount available will be announced each year at the time the Request for Applications is published.

Eligibility and Criteria for Selection of Summer Research Fellows

Each January, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will consult with the Vice Provost for Research to determine the availability of funds and level of award for the following summer. If resources permit, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will then solicit proposals (no later than February 15) from faculty for a Summer Research Fellowship. These proposals will be reviewed by the ETSU Vice Provost for Research, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and an ad hoc committee drawn from senior ETSU faculty as selected by the Vice Provost and Dean.

All faculty in the college holding tenured or tenure-track appointments (except those holding endowed chairs), as well as chairs and directors of degree-granting programs, are eligible to apply for a Summer Research Fellowship. However, an individual faculty member can receive the Summer Research Fellowship only once during any five-year period.

Proposals will be judged in terms of significance of prior research, scholarly or creative accomplishments, the scholarly and/or creative merit of the proposed activities, including the potential for making an original contribution to the humanities, letters, arts, and/or sciences, and the ability of the scholar/artist to complete the project. Details for proposal preparation can be found in the Guidelines for Application below. Proposals also must include a letter from the department chair or Center or program director, acknowledging the contribution of the proposed research to the department, including a review of the proposal’s significance and feasibility. When more than one faculty member from a department or program is applying, the chair/director should indicate the relative ranking of each application. If a department chair or director submits a proposal, the Dean of Arts and Sciences will provide the letter and will recuse him/herself from evaluation of that proposal.

Guidelines for Application

Purpose

The Summer Research Fellowship in Arts and Sciences is intended to provide support of continued research activity by faculty members who have an established record of research productivity in the arts, humanities or sciences. The award will be for the summer only. It may be used to provide a summer stipend and/or for supplies, equipment, travel, or personnel directly related to the proposed research.

Proposal Format

The proposal must not exceed four (4) pages in length (typed, using font no smaller than 10 pitch, with margins at least one inch wide). The following must accompany the proposal, but no other appendices will be accepted:

1. Current complete Curriculum Vitae

2. Letter from the department chair (or dean if a chair or Center director is the applicant) supporting the proposal and indicating how the research will support the development of the department’s research mission

3. No more than three (3) letters from colleagues who can evaluate the applicant’s standing in the research, scholarly or artistic community may be included, but supporting letters are not required. If support letters are included, at least one (1) of these letters should come from someone who is not affiliated with ETSU, and who has not published, performed or presented with the applicant

The fellowship period is relatively short, so the proposed activity should be a focused project, such as the creation of a piece of art work, conducting an experiment, creating a piece of music, producing a CD, or writing a grant proposal. However, the proposed project might be the completion of a larger effort such as a book, or to conduct research that will permit initiation of a new piece of work. Regardless of the type of project, the plan of work must be presented clearly and the proposal must include specific, identifiable outcomes and a calendar or time line.

The body of the proposal must include an Introduction in which prior work by the applicant and others that forms the basis for the proposed project is reviewed. The Introduction must conclude with a statement indicating how execution of the proposed project will produce a meaningful advance in knowledge or the state of the art as appropriate to the field of endeavor. This may take the form of a statement of a hypothesis or of gaps in knowledge that will be filled and one or more specific aims that, when achieved, will test the hypothesis or fill the gap.

A Methods section must follow the Introduction. The Methods section should contain a description of how the applicant will conduct the project in enough detail to permit the reviewers to determine whether the work proposed can be done within the time frame of the grant and to evaluate the probability of success. A time line for conducting components of the project should be included.

An Outcomes section must be included. The applicant must describe the expected outcomes of the project. This might be as simple as completion and submission of a grant proposal or an experiment, but it must include an explanation of how the outcome(s) will make a significant contribution to the discipline and/or the applicant’s career (as in the case of a grant proposal).

A list of References or Bibliography of works cited must be included if appropriate.

A Detailed Budget and Budget Justification must be included. The Budget Justification must specifically tie the proposed budget to the proposed work as described in the Methods section. Budget development assistance may be obtained from Cynthia Hardin in the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (9-6051). Allowable budget items include a summer stipend of up to 25% (8/32) of the Academic Year salary (include 18% fringe benefits within the total), other personnel support such as a student worker, graduate assistant, or technician, supplies, equipment, travel, library costs, or any combination of these.

A faculty member may simultaneously hold a Research Development Grant or external support and a Summer Research Fellowship in Arts and Sciences, but if a stipend is requested the total of the Summer Research Fellowship stipend and other ETSU summer pay (teaching, RDC) cannot exceed 25% of the academic year salary. If summer salary is paid in part from an external grant the total amount may be as high as, but cannot exceed, 33% of the Academic Year salary.

Criteria

The following criteria will be used in evaluating applications for a Summer Research Fellowship in Arts and Sciences:

The quality and quantity of the applicant’s record of research, scholarly or creative/artistic accomplishment
The importance, significance and originality of the proposed project
The likelihood that the project will be completed within the timeframe and will produce new and useful information or creations
The adequacy and appropriateness of the methodology as applied to the project
The clarity of the project plan and the likelihood that it will lead to the described outcomes
The appropriateness of the budget and budget justification

Submission of Applications: Application materials should be submitted by the published due date to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (Deadline: March 24, 2006).

ETSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Ada Earnest House · P.O. Box 70565 · Johnson City, TN 37614

ph: (423)439-6000 · fax: (423)439-6050

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