Eligibility, Funds, & Grant Criteria

The Faculty Center is pleased to announce its call for proposals for the Faculty Center Professional Development Grant program. This grant is designed to support professional development activities for all faculty.

Grant proposals are due Nov 1, 2023.

Eligibility

All California State University San Marcos Faculty are eligible except for members of the Faculty Center Advisory Council (FCAC), both voting and ex-officio. FCAC members are not eligible to apply for a Professional Development Grant for the duration of their term.

** Faculty who have been awarded in the past must have submitted a valid PDG final report to the Faculty Center for the current application to be considered.

Funds:

Grants will be awarded in three categories: teaching, research, and inclusive excellence. The grant funds are available for use from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024, and projects can be retroactively funded during this time as allowed by existing campus policy and procedure. Retroactive funding for travel to states previously banned under AB 1887 will only be possible for travel that occurred after September 14, 2023.

A maximum of up to $750.00 will be awarded per faculty member as funds allow. Funds can only be spent per established campus guidelines including adherence to any needed prior approval and spending processes.

All professional development funds must be spent and all paperwork appropriately completed prior to June 30, 2024. If awarded, funds can only be used for the activities described and detailed in the application—funds cannot be used for additional, new, or previously unspecified development activities or purchases than those stated in the application. It is not possible to roll over funds beyond the academic year 2023/24. Any unused funds from the award must be returned to the Faculty Center at the end of the academic year. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to follow up and submit a copy of ALL documentation/travel claims with Sonia Perez, Faculty Center Coordinator, before the deadline September 30, 2024.

Please note that all approvals for travel or other purchases that require special permission should be completed in the faculty member’s home department. The Faculty Center does not complete travel approval requests for faculty. Any award made by the Faculty Center is conditional upon the successful completion of approvals and/or permissions of all relevant campus processes for travel and/or special purchase prior-authorizations.

It is the responsibility of the applying faculty member to follow up with a valid final report outling how the funds were spent as detailed in the grant request; otherwise, faculty will not be eligible to apply for future PDG funds.

Award Categories:

Teaching

Purpose: To encourage faculty innovation and continuous improvement in teaching to ensure engaging, inclusive, and equitable classrooms. Allowable costs include, but are not limited to:

Supplies or resources needed to improve teaching
Costs related to attendace to a pedagogical conference
Memberships to professional organizations
Books or other materials

Inclusive Excellence

Purpose: To provide support for faculty as they engage in learning and critical reflection that broadens and deepens their understanding of inequities that impact CSUSM student success. Provides support for teaching initiatives and learning that will benefit underserved and historically excluded student populations that lead to educational access, graduation, and lifelong success.

Costs related to attendance at conferences focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, social justice, anti-racism, and/or anti-colonialism
Memberships to professional organizations

Research, Scholarly, & Creative Activity

Purpose: To provide support for faculty as they participate in research, scholarly, and creative activity through funding for supplies, conference attendance, or publication costs.

Supplies or resources needed for research, scholarly or creative activity
Costs related to attendance to a disciplinary conference
Memberships to professional organizations
Books or other research materials

At this time, PDG funds cannot be spent on the following items:

Incentives for research participation
Employment of student assistants
Hospitality/Catering

Criteria:

The Faculty Center Advisory Council will conduct blind peer-review of the proposals using the following criteria:

Clearly defined outcome of the proposed professional development activity.
Significance of the proposed activity for the faculty member's professional development.
Evidence that the proposed activity clearly supports the University’s mission, commitment to the teacher-scholar model, inclusive excellence, and/or continuous improvement.
Clarity of itemized budgetary breakdown that clearly identifies areas of funding need.
Evidence that all purchases/expenditures must follow CSUSM policies and guidelines; consult your College ASC for approval.

**Proposals are ranked by merit, however, priority will be given to:

Probationary faculty seeking tenure, associate professors; and lecturers with 3 year appointments;
Faculty who have never received PDG funding in the past;
Proposals that offer new and innovative ideas for continuous improvement, especially in the areas of teaching and/or inclusive excellence.