Faculty Scholarship and Innovation Fund: Introduction
Scholarship and innovation is highly valued at Bemidji State University. The office of Academic Affairs and the Center for Professional Development want to assist BSU faculty in their efforts to secure funding for individual or group research, pursue innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and to pursue external funding that benefits BSU students, BSU faculty, and residents of northern Minnesota. The New Faculty Scholarship and Innovation Fund (NFSIF) has been designed to help new full-time faculty members accelerate individual scholarship, assist in building a sustainable research program, and pursue innovative initiatives that benefit BSU students or residents of northern Minnesota. It is our hope that new faculty members will view this program as an excellent opportunity to jump-start their scholarly efforts soon after their arrival on campus.
Full details of the NFSIF program are outlined below. A crucial aspect to the success of this program is mentoring. Each new faculty member who receives funding from this program should work with his/her faculty mentor. The mentor will guide the new faculty member in developing his/her scholarly program and assist in planning and preparing her/his proposal. Ideally, mentors will be members of the faculty in a related research area with experience and success in obtaining external funding and support.
Program Implementation
Eligibility: To be eligible, individuals must be in their first 3 years as a full-time faculty member at Bemidji State University, untenured, and have completed the terminal degree in their field. Requests for exceptions to these requirements should be submitted in writing by the faculty member’s dean or department chair.
Contact
• Patrick Guilfoile
• Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs
• (218) 755-2015
• pguilfoile@bemidjistate.edu
Qualification for the Award: An eligible faculty member may qualify for a NFSIF in two ways:
Option 1: Support of scholarship, creative activity, innovation, and research; maximum award size: $3,000
This option is designed to begin building a new faculty member’s sustainable program of scholarship, creative activity, pursuit of innovation, and/or research. The proposal may indicate a specific external funding opportunity or possible sponsors for the future.
Option 2: Seed funding for major external funding opportunities; maximum award size: $8,000
A goal of Bemidji State University is to significantly increase the volume of external funding. To this end, new faculty members who are in the process of submitting external grants, and/or has an external grant submitted and needs matching funds, may apply for Option 2 funding. Awarding Option 2 funds is based upon the likelihood that a faculty member’s external grant submission could result in a significant grant or award. More competitive than Option 1, this option is also focused on assisting faculty in their efforts to build a sustainable research program.
