2008-2009 Scholarship of Engagement Grants - In Georgia

Introduction

The Scholarship of Engagement: A faculty member who participates in the scholarship of engagement partners with a community in Georgia to identify a community need. The faculty member then works with the community to design and implement a research-informed outreach program or activity to address the need. In most cases, the community benefits from:

• Inclusion of undergraduate, professional and graduate student time and intellectual resources, and
• Collaborations by faculty members from multiple disciplines and units in addressing the community need.

Lessons learned from the community partnership and the outreach project inform the faculty member’s research, teaching, and other outreach endeavors, and enhance student learning experiences. Outreach projects can include service-learning projects by UGA students; community-based participatory research, applied research, and policy analysis; technical assistance; and program development and delivery.

The Vice President for Public Service and Outreach’s 2008-2009 Scholarship of Engagement Grants Program is designed to support outreach projects in Georgia by permanent, full-time public service, academic tenure-track, or clinical faculty members. Proposed projects are submitted to the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach with the support of a unit head, department head, or dean. Project budgets typically range from $3,000 to $6,000.

The Scholarship of Engagement projects are supported by the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach with state funds and are, therefore, subject to all University of Georgia policies and procedures for state funds including all deadlines for spending the funds by the fiscal year end (i.e. before June 30, 2009).

The proposal deadline is March 31, 2008. Scholarship of Engagement Grant application materials may be accessed at http://outreach.uga.edu/publications/.

Proposal Criteria for the 2008-2009 Scholarship of Engagement Grants:

1. Does the proposed project result from a partnership with a community, and does the proposed project address a need expressed by the community’s members (people living and working in Georgia)? (In what ways will the project strengthen their economic and community well-being? In what ways does the project address the demographic profile of the State?)
2. Is the proposed project a promising example of the Scholarship of Engagement? What is the anticipated impact of the project on the community, the faculty member’s research and teaching, and on student learning?
3. Does the proposed project represent collaboration across disciplines, and among academic and public service units, in acknowledgment that solutions to community issues require the expertise of multiple disciplines?
4. Does the proposed project involve UGA students in a service-learning activity? For more information about service-learning, please go to http://www.servicelearning.uga.edu/.
5. Does the proposed project have strong support from the department, unit, school, or college? (Does this support include supplementary funding support?) Unit heads, in their letter of support, should outline how the project complements the teaching, research, and/or outreach goals of the unit.
6. Is there a strong likelihood that the project can be sustained over time by internal and/or external funding? (Is there a clear budget justification and description of plans for sustaining the project after June 2009?)

Funding Guidelines and Requirements

Scholarship of Engagement Grants are intended to support the development of new outreach projects. The program is not intended to be a source of support for an ongoing program, nor is it an alternative source of funds for programs already developed to a level that normally would justify support from external sources. Scholarship of Engagement funds should not be used as matching funds, where such funds are required as part of an external proposal. Scholarship of Engagement funds may be used for:

• Support for undergraduate and graduate student involvement in the outreach project (Scholarship of Engagement funds are not intended to support student thesis or dissertation research. Proposals requesting undergraduate or graduate student participation should make clear the role played by the student in the outreach project, and highlight how the project contributes to the students’ learning experiences.)
• Travel expenditures required by the outreach project (excluding travel to professional meetings or conferences).
• General expenditures for supplies, equipment (itemize items over $1,000), and materials required by the outreach project (Scholarship of Engagement grants do not support expenditures for computers).

Supplementary funds and additional support for the project should be described.

Scholarship of Engagement grants are state funds and subject to all state-fund guidelines, and are to be expended within the FY09 year (before June 30, 2009) and are subject to all university spending deadlines. Please note that Scholarship of Engagement funds may not be used for Maymester or summer school salary.

Review and Awards

Proposals will be evaluated based on the listed proposal criteria by a committee appointed by the vice president. Recommendations made by the committee will be considered by the vice president for final funding decisions. The committee will take into account the nature and number of exemplary projects that can be awarded with available funds, and may recommend partial funding for selected projects.

Proposers will be notified of the award decisions the week of April 30, 2008.

Funding Obligations

As part of a funded project, project leaders may be asked to share their experiences with a variety of communities (e.g. schools, university student groups, or community groups).

Acknowledgment: Public acknowledgment of funding through the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Scholarship of Engagement Grants Program should be included in any printed programs, reports, press releases, or publicity materials. Please use the following single line of text for such acknowledgments:

This project is supported by an Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Scholarship of Engagement Grant.

Follow-up Report: A report for the project, including an outline of how the project funds were spent, must be submitted by September 10, 2009. Guidelines for the final report may be found at http://outreach.uga.edu/publications/.

Application Materials include:

1. A completed 2007-2008 Scholarship of Engagement Funding Request Form
   • Available at http://outreach.uga.edu/publications/
   • Complete the form, obtain required signatures, scan and save as funding-form.pdf
2. A proposal that addresses each of the grant criteria
   • 4 pages, no smaller than 12 pt. font
   • Saved as proposal.pdf
3. A budget description
   • Saved as budget.pdf
4. A letter of support from the department/unit head or dean
   • Scan the signed letter and save it as head-letter.pdf.
5. A current 2-page curriculum vitae for the proposer
   • Saved as c-v.pdf
6. Copies of applicable research compliance materials* such as IRB or Animal Care and Use materials
   • Scan and save as research-compliance.pdf
7. Optional: A letter of support from the proposed-project community partner
   • Scan signed letter and save as support-letter.pdf

The proposal deadline is March 31, 2008. Scholarship of Engagement Grant application materials may be accessed at http://outreach.uga.edu/publications/. Application materials must be submitted electronically, in pdf format, at http://outreach.uga.edu/engagement-grant-application/. Please have all submission materials ready and accessible. You will not be able to return to this site to continue uploading your files. If you have questions regarding program content or need to re-submit forms, please contact Trish Kalivoda at 706-542-6125.

* If the project involves research, please note the following:

Institutional Review Board approval. If the proposed project involves activities that are considered human subjects research, IRB approval must be secured. While a faculty member may submit a proposal prior to IRB approval, it is recommended that an IRB application be submitted to the Human Subjects Office at the time the grant proposal is submitted to avoid unnecessary delay in the event that the project is funded. Verification of IRB approval must be submitted before grant funds are awarded. If a determination is needed as to whether the proposed project requires IRB review and approval, please contact the Human Subjects Office at 706-542-3199 or .

Similar planning should be done for any other applicable research compliance issues, such as animal care and use. For more information please refer to the Office of the Vice President for Research web-site: http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/.

Examples of Past Funded Projects:

• Support for a teacher-training program as part of the Archway Partnership Project and conducted by faculty members in the College of Education.
• Support for a faculty member in Horticulture to include a service-learning project in one of his courses. The project addressed a need of low-income residents in Athens.
• Support for a Law Education Outreach Project for Latinos living in Georgia by a faculty member in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
• Support for an outreach program by a faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine to attract under-represented students to careers in veterinary medicine.

Descriptions of the 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007 Scholarship of Engagement projects may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Vice President. Questions about the Scholarship of Engagement program may be directed to Trish Kalivoda, associate vice president for public service and outreach at 706-542-6125 or , or by going to http://outreach.uga.edu/publications.