Introduction:

Fostering student and faculty collaboration has been a tradition at Hampden-Sydney College for many years. For at least a decade the College has provided a mechanism and the funds to pair students with faculty members for extended summer research work. In 2004 President Bortz obtained new funds from the Arthur Vining Davis and the Cabell foundations to extend our student/faculty summer research program. Earnings from these endowments will support teams of faculty and students who will work together, as mentor and apprentice, on research or creative activities during the summer.  

Solicitation of Proposals:  

Each year the Dean of the Faculty solicits proposals from faculty/student teams for research or creative activity projects that will be undertaken and completed during the following summer. The deadline for submission of these proposals will be the first Monday after the start of the spring term in January. Please submit summer faculty fellowship grant proposals electronically by uploading your proposal as a PDF file. The link will be available in January.     

The Committee on Professional Development will then evaluate these proposals in consultation with the Honors Council and make recommendations to the dean. Application is open to all faculty members who will continue to be employed the fall after the supported work. Student participation is open only to currently matriculated full-time students; students graduating in May before the summer research begins may not receive funding.  

Proposal:   The faculty member is responsible for submitting a proposal that includes the following:  

  1. Previous Awards: A list of outcomes from previous student/faculty awards the faculty member has received (for example, a presentation at a professional meeting, a publication, a public performance). Such information is important as the committee evaluates subsequent proposals.  
  2. Project Description: A project description written in sufficient detail and in clear language so that faculty in other disciplines may read and evaluate it. The description must include a discussion of the background for the project, why it is important to do, and whether the project will lead to public presentation in a forum appropriate to the field. Generally, a few sentences or even a paragraph is an insufficient indicator of scholarly preparation for a research project.  
  3. Student Collaborator: The name of the student who will work with the faculty member and a one-page statement from the student outlining why he wishes to work with the faculty member on the project.  
  4. Applicants' Qualifications: This section should not merely list your degrees but rather describe how previous scholarly experiences qualify you to undertake the proposed project. Include previous research, workshops or conferences attended, or other sources of pertinent expertise.  Include related pertinent information about the collaborating student.    
  5. Support Required: Will you need specific library, computer, or other resources?  If so, how do you plan to meet these needs?  
  6. Tentative Budget: A tentative budget that lists and justifies supplies or travel requests.  
  7. Outside Support: Have you sought outside funding? Describe any pending or confirmed support.  
  8. Other Responsibilities: A list of other responsibilities that will occupy the faculty member's time during the summer.  
  9. Miscellaneous: Describe here any other factors that may affect the project.  

Note: It is not necessary for you to attach supporting materials to the proposal. Describe any letters of support, papers, or other relevant materials in the body of your proposal. You may also describe travel expenses and supplies in the body of your proposal. Please do not include copies of airline reservations or excessively itemized budgets.   

The total proposal should not be longer than five pages.  

Note: If you find that the focus of your summer proposal must change because of unanticipated circumstances that arise after you receive the grant, you must seek approval for the change from the chair of the Committee on Professional Development or from the Dean of the Faculty.  

Questions to consider when formulating a proposal:  

  1. Does the proposed project promise truly collaborative work?  
  2. Can the project be substantially completed during the summer?  
  3. Will this project advance the faculty member's program of research?  
  4. Are the supplies and travel budgets appropriate for the project? Are these budgets itemized?  
  5. Does the project have the potential to lead to public presentation in a forum appropriate to the field (for example, an article in a refereed journal, a display in a juried gallery exhibit, a presentation at a professional meeting)?  
  6. Has the faculty member successfully supervised other student projects?  
  7. Given the other summer obligations and the intensive nature of this collaborative work, will both faculty member and student have sufficient time to spend together on this project?       

Stipulations:  

  1. Student stipends will be $2,000 for 8 weeks of full-time research work or creative activity during the summer. Funds to support the student stipends will come from a variety of endowments or the operational budget.  
  2. Faculty stipends will be $3,000 for 8 weeks of full-time research or creative activity supervision during the summer. Funds to support the faculty stipends will come from the A.V. Davis and Cabell endowments noted above.  Alternatively, this $3,000 can be taken for supplies/travel related to the project.  Please indicate in your proposal how you will use these funds.  
  3. In addition to the $3,000 described above, teams may request up to an additional $1,000 for transportation (airfare or mileage) and supplies.  
  4. The available funds will not necessarily be awarded each year. The total amount awarded will be based upon the funds available as well as the number of requests received and the merits of the proposals.  
  5. The Committee on Professional Development will attempt to distribute awards evenly to the natural science, social science and humanities divisions. However, if insufficient proposals of quality arrive from one division, the Committee may reallocate the awards to deserving applicants in another division.  
  6. A written report on the expenditure of funds and progress on the research project must be submitted by the supervising faculty member to the dean by the day after the Fall Break in the semester following the summer award.  
  7. Unexpended supply or travel funds may not be carried over into the Fall Semester.  
  8. The faculty member supervising the project is responsible for providing the dean with programs of conferences, performances, or exhibits, and copies of papers from journals or meetings where the supported work was presented.  
  9. Faculty members who fail to submit required reports on previous summer research grants will not be considered for funding of subsequent proposals.  
  10. Faculty members may not receive a Faculty Summer Research Fellowship and a Faculty/Student Summer Research Program Fellowship simultaneously.