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Faculty Grants and Professional Development

2010-11 Faculty Development and Professional Support Programs

Teaching Grants

KendraFrorupTanzaniaKendra Frorup '92, an assistant professor of art, spent three weeks this summer studying south of the equator in Tanzania. Frorup, the recipient of a 2010 David Delo Research grant, was one of three artists staying at the Warm Heart Art non-governmental organization, where she studied paper making, the local Masai culture and the sights, sounds and smells of everyday life.
  • Professional Travel Funds: The total fund to support and encourage scholarly activity and conference participation in 2010-11 is $337,500. Each college dean manages a travel budget drawn from this total and based on the number of full-time faculty in the college. You may find the Faculty Travel Policy on the provost's Web page. Funds become available each fall.
  • Teaching Innovation Funds: Each college dean has a fund of $10,000 allocated at the dean's discretion to promote teaching excellence, amounting to a total fund of $40,000. The associate dean for Graduate and Continuing Studies also has a fund of $10,000 annually to support innovation in adult and summer programs.
  • Learning Enrichment Grant: The associate dean for Baccalaureate Experience administers a fund of $40,000 that is intended to promote improvement in educational experiences associated with the Baccalaureate Experience program.
  • Quality Enhancement Plan: The Office of International Programs allocated $18,479.30 from the operating budget for faculty development in 2009-10, which included funding from the University's Quality Enhancement Plan. Each year, the International Programs Committee requests faculty applications for CIEE International Faculty Development Seminars, which are short-term, concentrated educational experiences designed to allow participants to experience a country and its people. Other faculty development programs include international "scouting" visits to travel course destinations. Again in this academic year, the Office of International Programs will allocate at least $25,000 for faculty development.
  • U.S. Department of Education Grants: Through a U.S. Department of Education Title VI A grant, the Office of International Programs allocated $55,135.17 in 2009-10 for faculty training, stipends and development related to internationalizing the campus and programs. The current DOE Title VI B grant will add $46,700 to support international travel, stipends and conference fees.

Research Grants

  • Faculty Sabbatical Leaves: Sabbatical leaves (half-year at full pay or full-year at half-pay) are available to tenured faculty members on a regular seven-year cycle. In this academic year, 20 faculty members will be on semester and one on full-year sabbatical leaves. Further information about this program may be found in the Faculty Handbook 5-13.A. and by contacting the Chair of the Faculty Development Committee. Applications are due Oct. 1 to the Office of the Provost.
  • Professional Travel Funds: The total fund to support and encourage scholarly activity and conference participation in 2010-11 is $337,500. Each college dean manages a travel budget drawn from this total and based on the number of full-time faculty in the college. You may find the Faculty Travel Policy on the provost's Web page. Funds become available each fall.
  • David Delo Research Professor Grants: The Faculty Development Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the provost for grants of up to $5,000 for individual grants out of a $100,000 total grant pool. Funds are awarded on a competitive basis to professors who demonstrate how the grant will complement previous scholarly achievements and promote the continuing development of a research agenda. Funds may be used for travel, fees, supplies, student assistance, publication expenses, computer hardware and software and other equipment. Delo grants may not be used for faculty stipends. Applications are due at the beginning of February.
  • Professional Development Awards: The PDA program promotes the intellectual growth of tenured or tenure-track faculty members who have taught at the University for a minimum of two years by granting release from one course per year. PDA activities should lead to a) curricular innovations, b) pedagogical enhancements, or c) scholarly ventures. The Faculty Development Committee reviews PDA proposals and makes recommendations to the provost. Up to four PDA awards are made annually. Applications are due at the beginning of February.
  • Dana Grants: Funding originally provided by the Dana Foundation provides $50-60,000 per academic year to support research and creative activities that will culminate in appropriate forms of peer review. Besides supporting research expenses, Dana grants may also fund summer research stipends up to $1,500. The Faculty Development Committee reviews Dana proposals and makes recommendations to the provost. Applications are due at the beginning of February. 
  • The UT Alumni Association Faculty Grants: Each year, the Alumni Association makes $10,000 available for research grants to tenured and tenure-track faculty members to support individual and collaborative projects to involve faculty members in expanding the research, educational or community outreach of UT. Projects should result in a publication, new educational program and/or community recognition. The Faculty Development Committee and one member of the UT National Alumni Association Board of Directors reviews and recommends Alumni Association proposals to the provost. Applications are due at the beginning of February. 

For more information on any of the above programs, contact Dr. Jennifer Wortham, (813) 257-1722 or jwortham@ut.edu.