Summer Study Grants for Teaching Faculty

This program funds six weeks of concentrated study of a coherently organized list of materials for non-tenure-track faculty.  The program is intended to recognize the contributions of non-tenure-track faculty to the University. The Center hopes to award six of these $4,000 grants each year.

Study grants may be used for two things: to conduct research in the faculty member’s discipline, or to support pedagogical development in the discipline. Ordinarily, preference is given to funding one grant for research and a second for teaching. The other grant or grants are left open for applications in either category. Applicants should indicate whether a specific study project is designed to support research or teaching.

Any portion of the $4,000 grant may be deposited, at the recipient's request, in a special pre-tax account to be used for reimbursement of expenses associated with the summer study grant (for instance, for the purchase of texts, or for travel associated with the grant). Unspent funds from this account will be returned to the recipient at the end of the study period (after appropriate taxes, if any, are deducted). Recipients whose contracts are not renewed for the following academic year are still eligible to receive the full grant. However, they must inform the Center that their contract has not been renewed, and they must accept payment for the full amount of the stipend as a single payment at the beginning of the grant period. They will not be eligible to set up a reimbursement account.

Eligibility

• Any non-tenure track faculty member in the humanities who has taught at least four courses at Loyola and who is teaching at Loyola in the year of application is eligible to apply. Faculty may apply for other Loyola summer study grants, but may not accept this one in addition to another. In any given year, preference will be given to applicants who have not received one of these grants in the previous year.
• Applicants may not teach more than one summer course at Loyola during the summer in which they hope to receive a grant.
• Non-tenure-track faculty with administrative appointments may apply, unless they are working under a twelve-month contract, in which case they are ineligible.
• An individual may receive no more than two of these grants in any three-year period.
• Any recipient who accepts a paid position outside of Loyola University before the grant period begins thereby forfeits the grant award.

Standards for Proposals

Applications for study grants designed to support research will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed study;
• The likelihood that the applicant will successfully complete the proposed plan of study;  
• The likelihood that the study will lead to publication or presentation;

• The information provided in the department chair’s letter.

Applications for study grants designed to enhance pedagogical development will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The conception, definition, organization, and description of the proposed study;  
• The likelihood that the applicant will successfully complete the proposed plan of study; 
• The likelihood that the study will enhance the applicant's teaching of specific courses, whether at Loyola or elsewhere; 

• The information provided in the department chair’s letter.

Procedures

Applications must include the following:

• A cover letter describing the proposed study project;   
• A CV;
• A list of the four courses most recently taught at Loyola, and when they were taught; 
• A statement as to whether the applicant has received this grant in the past three years, and if so, how many times
• A detailed study plan of no more than 500 words;
• A letter of no more than one page from the applicant’s department chair commenting on the quality of the application within the discipline as well as the applicant’s performance as a faculty member. This letter should be sent separately from the rest of the application.

Terms of the Grant

The applicant must submit a one-page narrative report on the project by Sept. 30, following the summer of the grant. The report should include a description of both successes and failures and, most importantly, advice for future applicants.

Deadline

Applications must be submitted electronically to esgarrett@loyola.edu by the last working day of January for the following summer.