Incentive Grants for Engaged Scholarship

Application Process

The application period for AY 2022-2023 is now open.

For questions, please contact Dr. Christina Holub, Faculty Director, at cholub@csusm.edu. 

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Community Engagement announces faculty grant opportunities to support community engaged scholarship (also referred to as engaged scholarship, defined below). All California State University San Marcos faculty are eligible to apply. Awards will range from $2,000 - $5,000, based on the proposal and budget specifications.

In keeping with the parameters of engaged scholarship, project proposals must involve faculty partnership with a community organization(s)—no partnerships with other institutions of higher education will be considered—on research/creative activity, teaching or service.   Successful proposals will: (1) demonstrate a mutually-beneficial, reciprocal relationship (both partners share tasks through all stages of the project and both benefit from the outcome); (2) demonstrate a contribution to the public good (defined below); and (3) enhance the mission of the university in the creation, transfer and/or application of knowledge.

For this application cycle, we have added an additional category for funding: Registration to attend the CUMU Annual Conference, The Essential Role of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, October 23–26, 2022 in San Diego, CA. This conference includes critical conversations around community-based leadership development and the role of higher education, as well as major themes on community engagement, racial equity, and social mobility. CSUSM is a member institution and we encourage you to attend this conference, especially as the conference comes to San Diego this year. We also encourage you to submit a proposal to the conference, due March 25^th.

Categories of fundable activities include, but are not limited to:

• Design and implementation of engaged scholarship research project or creative activity
• Development of curricular or pedagogical strategies involving engaged scholarship
• Collaboration with a community organization by providing subject matter expertise
• Travel to conference to present on an engaged scholarship project
• Registration for the CUMU Annual Conference 

Priority will be given to project proposals that are in their first two years of partnership or partnership development. Priority is also given to proposals that are rebuilding partnerships and collaborations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selection Process:

Members of the the incentive grant committee will conduct a review of the proposals, based on the evaluation rubric.  

Funds:

The grant funds will be available for use from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. A range of $2,000-$5,000 will be awarded per proposal. All professional development funds must be spent and all paperwork appropriately completed prior to June 30, 2023. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to follow up on any documentation/travel claims with their respective department before the deadline.

*DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP

Community Engaged Scholarship (CES) is centered on a mutually-beneficial collaboration between the university and a community partner outside the academy. The purpose of the collaboration is to bring together the specialized knowledge of the university with the specialized knowledge of the community to generate new knowledge that is applied to solve critical issues of interest to both. CES meets the needs of the community partner as defined and expressed by the partner, with measurable outcomes. The collaborative work is characterized by robust participation by both the university and community partners and results are disseminated to all partners and beyond.

• By community we mean an organization, entity, or simply people, outside of academia.
• By engaged we mean a partnership between community members and the university that is  marked by mutual respect, in which all partners are significantly and equitably involved in the partnership, community needs are the motivation for the partnership, and the goals and outcomes of the partnership are mutually beneficial.
• By scholarship we mean a process of inquiry that applies a suitable methodology to answer a question driven by community needs and goals, and that contributes to a body of knowledge. The outcomes of CES include both traditional peer-reviewed products as well as items of use to the community partner that would not have been created without the scholar’s input.

**DEFINITION OF PUBLIC GOOD

The term “public good” speaks to the commitment to civic [engagement] and social responsibility, to serving and protecting ... [societal well-being].  It implies a moral obligation on the part of individuals and institutions to attend to social problems.

~ Higher Education for the Public Good: A Report from the National Leadership Dialogues