Application Deadline: January 5, 2024
One goal of the Sharing Our Scholarship committee is to encourage and support the efforts of Spalding faculty to pursue research and creative projects in their fields and across disciplinary boundaries. We are therefore pleased to announce the return of the Scholarship Course Release (SCR) Program. This offers Spalding University faculty an opportunity to apply for release from teaching one course during a given academic year in order to have time to pursue their scholarly research and/or professional development efforts. Along with the Faculty Challenge Grants, SCRs are funded by the Office of Academic Affairs.
Two awards are available for the 2024-25 academic year. There is no limit to the number of applications from faculty in a particular school or program since it is up to the unit’s chair or program director (or dean) to endorse each applicant.
Eligibility:
- Faculty members who are tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure track, or .75 FTE with a minimum of one full year of employment at that status at Spalding University at the time of the application are eligible to apply for a Scholarship Course Release. For example, a newly hired faculty member may apply for a SCR during their second year of teaching, to be used for release from a course in the faculty member’s third year.
Timeline:
- January 5, 2024: SCR application due (including a letter of support from your unit supervisor; more details provided below)
- January 6-18: Peer review of applications: A selection committee composed of both SOS members and other faculty will review the applications and make recommendations to the Provost. Applicants for awards will not serve on the selection committee. If there are more applications than grants, preference will be given to early career faculty.
- January 19: 2023-24: Scholarship Course Release recipients announced.
- July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025: Faculty will exchange teaching duties for one course for time spent on their proposed project.
- September 1, 2025: Brief written reports due to the Chair of the Sharing Our Scholarship Committee (about what was achieved due to the course release, and how the project benefits the faculty member’s disciplinary/interdisciplinary scholarship and interactions with students)
- Fall 2025: Recipients will give a short presentation to the Spalding community about their project at a President’s Tea or similar event open to faculty and staff.
Application Guidelines:
Please respond to the following information in the form of one 2-3 page document addressing areas 1-4, below. These areas are the criteria on which your application will be reviewed. The letter of support from your supervisor (#5) will be a second document.
- Summary: Provide a brief introduction to the scholarship activity for which you are requesting a SCR and why it is important or how it will contribute to your field.
- Research objectives: Explain your scholarship objectives for the course release period and how you will use the time to work toward these goals.
- Evaluation: Explain how you will evaluate the progress achieved during the SCR.
- Integration: Explain how the SCR links to your Professional Development Plan Scholarship Goals for 2024-25, your teaching or your interactions with students, and the mission of Spalding University.
- Unit approval: Provide a signed letter from your chair or unit director (or dean, as applicable) that indicates their support for your project and their ability to cover the course release.
Questions? Contact Dori Miller Parmenter ([email protected]), Co-Chair of the SOS committee, if you have specific questions or concerns about the application process.
Upload your application here: