Instructions for the Distinguished Early Career Grant Application
The DEC application must be submitted by 4 p.m. on June 1 to the Faculty Development Center
(facdevctr@stthomas.edu) and must include:
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Completed application form with all requested information filled out
Statement of the significance of previous scholarly work
The project narrative (see below for specific components)
Bibliography
A current Curriculum Vitae (see below for categories to be included)
Three to five representative samples of scholarly work (books, published journal articles,
or other examples). These must be in digital form to allow for easier distribution of the
work to internal and external reviewers.
A bibliographic listing of these work samples (above).
A list of three to five potential external reviewers in your field, with whom you have no
close personal or professional relationship.
External reviewers will be sent the application materials for comment on the significance
of your previous scholarship, as well as the plan for scholarly work to be done with the
support of the DEC.
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Supporting documents and materials, if needed
A letter of support from the Chair and Dean (see form for clarification regarding who
needs to sign the letter) is required; the deadline for receipt of the letter from Chair/Dean is 4
p.m. June 8, emailed to the Faculty Development Center (facdevctr@stthomas.edu.) The form
for the letter, with specific instructions for the content of the letter, is posted on the FD website
DEC webpage.
The staff of the Center for Faculty Development will add the letters from external reviewers to
your application before it is reviewed by the Faculty Development committee.
Specific instructions for the components of the DEC application are given
below.
I. Cover sheet
Complete all requested information including a proposal abstract of 150 words.
II. Statement of the significance of previous scholarly work
Provide a 2 page summary statement (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) that
describes and documents the quality of previous scholarly work, noting in particular that done
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while at UST. Of special importance is the documentation of achievements at the national or
international level, competitively peer reviewed work published in major journals of the
discipline or sub-discipline, invited or keynote presentations. Address how your work has
contributed to your field and/or been recognized as significant contributions to your field by your
peers.
III. Project Narrative
The narrative should not exceed 6 double-spaced pages, with 12 point font and 1 inch
margins.
The project narrative should be a clear statement of the rationale for and goals of work to be
undertaken. Proposals should be written in a way that minimizes disciplinary jargon as much as
possible (if necessary to include, provide definitions) and is understandable for a non-technical
reviewer. The narrative should outline the general plan of work, in enough detail that reviewers
can appreciate the substance and merit of the proposed work.
Specifically, applicants must describe/explain the following in the Project Narrative:
1. Background/context and Goals for the project. This section should place your proposed
work in the context of work done by others and by yourself. Cite previous work done by others
in the subject area as well as your own. Background information should lead directly to a
statement of your goals for this project. In addition, provide a rationale for the project and
justification for why it is an important scholarly contribution and/or critical step in your
professional career.
2. Plan of work to be accomplished. Begin this section by providing the broad design of the
project and activities to be undertaken, then give a more detailed methodology that helps the
reviewer understand how the proposed activities will accomplish your goals. The content and
form of this section will depend on the academic discipline of the applicant and the nature of the
project. However, one purpose of this section is to convince reviewers that you have developed a
thoughtful approach appropriate to the project and have demonstrated your readiness to engage
in the proposed project.
3. Timetable for the project. Present a detailed timetable that clearly justifies the request for 2
years of support and the number of course releases.
4. Project's value. This section must include a description of how the proposed work will
contribute to or enhance your scholarly agenda. It should also identify any groups or institutions
that might benefit from the project, and identify, as specifically as possible, the potential
benefit(s) to them. Also, you must place this project in your long term plans as a teacher/scholar.
5. Evaluation and Dissemination of the project. This section should relate back to the goals
and objectives described in section 1. Describe how you will assess the degree to which your
objectives have been met and your plan for disseminating the results of this project to the
intended audience(s). It is expected that Distinguished Early Career Grant recipients will
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disseminate the products of their research to a professional audience, via books, journal articles,
presentations at a professional conference or seminar (for which proposals are competitively
reviewed), or other peer-reviewed professional types of outlets.
IV. Supporting Materials
A Bibliography in two sections: 1) Works Cited in the Statement of Significance section and
the Narrative sections of the proposal; and 2) Current and Relevant Literature integral to the
project but not cited specifically in the narrative. The latter category is intended to demonstrate
applicant familiarity with the current literature and readiness to engage in the project. Included in
your bibliography should be citations of sources you will be using, studying, etc. for this project.
An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (four page limit, single spaced) that provides the following
information: name, department and contact information, education (years and degrees); academic
appointments (years and titles); grants and other honors or awards (last 10 years); publications
(last 10 years, with notations of work done while at UST); other professional activity relevant to
the project (e.g., consultancies, travel, organizational leadership, editorial work, collaborations).
Other supporting documents deemed appropriate to the project, such as book contracts,
invitations to contribute articles, grant proposal reviews, etc.
Chair/Dean letter of approval: use the separate form found on the FD website; it should be sent
directly to the Faculty Development Center (facdevctr@stthomas.edu) by 4 p.m. June 8. The
Center will add the letter to your application.
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