UPDATED PROGRAM GUIDELINES
PRESIDENT’S FUND FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE:
JUNIOR FACULTY
Program
The President’s Fund for Faculty Excellence will serve to enable research and scholarship that
has the potential to sustain the highest and most rewarding level of inquiry. The overall goals of
this program are to stimulate innovative and interdisciplinary scholarship.
Requests may be submitted for projects that enhance ongoing research or support new
initiatives. Projects may be campus-based or have an impact beyond campus borders.
Funding Priorities
The funding priorities under the President’s Fund for Faculty Excellence include the following:
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Create opportunities for tenure-track and contract faculty
Have the potential to leverage external support
Create new collaborations within and outside of the College
Define new areas of interdisciplinary inquiry
Encourage mentoring relationships amongst faculty and between faculty and
students
Take advantage of unique opportunities, facilities or strengths of the College
Develop, implement, and assess new pedagogies
Outcomes/Deliverables
Accountability is essential for all categories of projects. Deliverables are required. Examples of
deliverables include (but are not limited to):
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Submitted/published articles in peer reviewed journals
Books and book chapters
Book proposals
Preparation of proposal(s) to national funding agencies or foundations
Conferences and conference proceedings
Workshops and symposia
Exhibits and exhibition catalogs
Works of art and musical compositions
Computer software and web-based technologies
Digital archives and databases
Eligibility
 Priority in allocating funds from this pool will be given to applications from faculty
members who have tenure track appointments. However, contract faculty who currently
hold full-time appointments and who have held such for at least 2 but no more than 8
prior years are also eligible to apply and receive awards.
 Please be advised that, once an individual has received a grant, she or he is restricted
from reapplying to this fund until three (3) years from the end of the grant.
 Applicants whose proposals are not funded are eligible to apply again in subsequent
years.
Levels of Support
Proposals submitted by an individual faculty member may request up to $10,000. These limits
are intended to recognize that the grants are intended as seed funding and to provide
opportunities for as many faculty as possible.
Grant Period
The grant year begins on July 1. All projects are 12 months in length and should be completed
by June 30.
Allowable Use of Grant Funds
 Project funds may be used while one is on sabbatical or, in the case of contract faculty,
while on professional development release.
Ineligible Expenses
 Course releases are not eligible for funding.
Application Deadline
There will be one application deadline during the spring semester of each year for projects
beginning in the next fiscal year, July 1.
OVERVIEW OF APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Title of Proposed Project: The project title must be relevant, specific, and descriptive. You are
limited to 150 characters, including punctuation and spaces.
Project Description:
The proposal narrative should be no longer than five double-spaced pages. Additional pages
are allowed for references/bibliography and additional supporting materials. Successful
proposals will define the outcomes of the proposed work. The deliverables must be appropriate
to the proposed project. Evaluation of the impact of the funded work must be included as part of
the proposal.
Proposal Budget
Support may be requested for student research assistants, and general research related
expenses. Examples of general research related expenses include supplies; software; books,
periodicals, and electronic resources, and certain types of travel, for example, travel to a
repository to engage in research
A separate detailed budget explanation/budget narrative must be included.
Proposal Submission and Review
The area Dean(s) must sign off on each proposal prior to submission to the Office of Sponsored
Programs, Room E-206, MCB.
A complete application consists of the application form, a separate detailed project description,
a separate budget justification, and the Proposal Approvals form.
Proposals will be accepted until 4:30 PM on the deadline date. Proposals should be submitted
electronically to Valerie Beaudrault at valerie.beaudrault@simmons.edu by the deadline. In
addition, a signed original hard copy of the complete proposal must be submitted to the Office of
Sponsored Programs. The signed Proposal Approvals page must be attached to the original of
your proposal.
The proposal will be reviewed by the Simmons Fund for Research Committee, which is
comprised of faculty from a variety of disciplines.
Reporting Requirements and Acknowledgement of the Fund
Upon completion, a final project report, with documentation related to the project’s “final
product”, must be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Publications resulting from research supported by the President’s Fund for Faculty Excellence
should acknowledge the grant. The acknowledgement should be a variation on the following:
This project was supported by a grant from the Simmons College President’s Fund for Faculty
Excellence. A copy of the acknowledgement page should be attached to the final report.