3.11 Faculty Research Funds

The faculty and administration of Scripps College agree that research activities on the part of the faculty are in accord with the primary purpose of the College, which is to provide the best undergraduate education possible for its students.

A vigorous faculty research program enhances student training by providing a dynamic example of the application of principles and techniques, by increasing the professional competence and enthusiasm of the faculty, or by providing opportunities for students to participate actively in research. Student participation is strongly encouraged when it is compatible with the nature of the research.

The Faculty Executive Committee is responsible for recommending to the President the distribution of two types of research funds at the disposal of the College: faculty research grants and sabbatical research fellowships. Proposals may be for scholarly research or other creative activity.

Scripps Faculty Research grants are regarded as catalyzing agents and are not intended to cover the full cost of a research program. Applications for major funding involving the Development Office should be submitted initially to the Dean of the Faculty.

Information regarding the tax status of the research monies awarded may be obtained from the CUC Business Office.

1. GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR FACULTY RESEARCH:
   
   Summer and/or academic year faculty research grants are currently available for reimbursable expenses connected with the implementation of research or creative projects.
   
   The Scripps College Sabbatical Research Fellowship currently offers a stipend of $8,000 to two faculty members for sabbatical research.
2. GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING FOR FACULTY RESEARCH GRANTS AND SABBATICAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
   1. General guidelines
      1. Announcement: Proposals are requested during the first semester of each year by the FEC for the support of scholarly research or other creative activity.
      2. Eligibility: Normally research grants will be awarded only to faculty members who expect to be employed at Scripps College for at least one year following the year for which the grant is awarded. Faculty members on sabbatical leave are eligible to apply for grants.
         
         Faculty who have earned the Ph.D. or other appropriate terminal degree are eligible for research funds; faculty research funds are not granted for completion of these degrees.
      3. Period of Award: Aid may be requested for one semester, one academic year or one summer. Funds are awarded each spring for the next fiscal year: July 1 - June 30.
      4. Procedures and Criteria: The Chair of the FEC will propose a subcommittee of three to review the proposals and make recommendations to the FEC regarding funding. No member of the FEC may serve on this subcommittee if he or she has applied for research funds. If an insufficient number of FEC members are eligible to serve on this subcommittee, the Chair of FEC will ask other members of the faculty to serve on the subcommittee on an ad hoc basis. The Dean of Faculty and the Associate Dean of Faculty will also serve as ex-officio members of this subcommittee.
         
         The subcommittee will give preference to a) projects of significant scholarly or artistic merit, b) faculty members who in the past have successfully completed projects and provide evidence of their prior productivity using Scripps research funds, and c) projects with detailed and justified expenses necessary to the research.
         
         The FEC will make recommendations to the President on the allocation of research funds for the following academic year.
      5. Capital Equipment: Capital equipment purchased with respect to a College-funded research project becomes the property of the College. Capital equipment is defined as equipment which has a life expectancy of 5 years or more and a purchase price of approximately $500 or more (as vs. consumable materials with a shorter life expectancy and limited dollar value).
      6. Report on Awards: A report on research projects is due on November 1st of the year following the academic year of the grant and is to be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty. The report should include an itemized accounting of the expenditure of funds, a report on the research undertaken and the resulting publication, exhibition or performance as well as any additional information the recipient considers pertinent. Future applications for faculty research funds must include a copy of this report.
         
         The recipient of the award is requested to share the results of the project with the Scripps community in whatever way is judged most effective.
   2. Faculty Research Grants
      1. Allowable Expenses: Scripps faculty research grants are given for out-of-pocket expenses directly connected with the research project, such as travel allowances, per diem expenses, research assistants, research-related supplies, specialized rental equipment, and books (or the equivalent necessary to pursuit of the project). Scripps research monies are not normally given for the following:
         1. course development;
         2. rent subsidies or per diem requests for extended period of time (e.g., sabbatical leaves) away from home when renting or subletting the faculty member’s Claremont or local home can be viewed as a viable alternative;
         3. text-book writing, or other for-profit projects. Monies may be advanced for these projects but are subject to reimbursement through royalties.
   3. The Scripps College Sabbatical Research Fellowship
      1. Goal: The goal of the Scripps College Endowment Fund for Faculty Research is to enable faculty members with research or creative projects of special promise to advance their scholarship, which will advance their teaching.
         
         The many demands made on faculty members for excellence in teaching and service to the College should not obscure the essential nature of scholarship and creativity as an obligation of a vital faculty. Scholarly and creative excellence bring recognition not only to the individual faculty member, but also to the College.
      2. Terms of the Sabbatical Research Fellowship: A Sabbatical Research Fellowship will provide additional funding to that normally available.
         
         The recipient of this fellowship, in addition to the normally received sabbatical salary, will receive a sum of $8,000 to help defray costs of travel, living, research, summer activities, or any expenditures which might interfere with the faculty member’s devotion of time and effort to the selected project.
         
         The recipient of a Sabbatical Fellowship should report receipt of funds for the same sabbatical project from a source external to the College. Depending on the size of the grant, the recipient may be asked to release the Sabbatical Fellowship for the use of another colleague.
         
         In the event that in any year there are no acceptable proposals, the unexpended fellowship will be returned to and added to the principal of the Endowment Fund for Faculty Recognition and Research.
      3. Method of Selection: The FEC will issue a call for proposals in the first semester of the academic year. A faculty member wishing to compete for this fellowship will apply to the Faculty Executive Committee with a written description of his or her project.
         
         The description will outline the project itself and its relationship to the applicant’s scholarly interests.
         
         The Faculty Executive Committee will recommend to the President the faculty member to whom the fellowship should be granted.

Core Development Funds

Core Development Funds are available in support of teaching in the interdisciplinary Core program.

The Core program’s ongoing success depends on the availability from year to year of a large pool of varied and interdisciplinary Core courses. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of these courses, they require more planning and preparation than courses in a faculty member’s own discipline. The purpose of the Core Development Funds of up to $500 per faculty member ($300 for stipend and up to $200 for materials such as books, videos, slides, etc.) is to allow faculty to devote time to the creation of new Core courses so as to insure availability, diversity, and periodical renewal of interdisciplinary courses within the Core.

Eligibility

Core I faculty members who want to research and prepare for new Core I lectures to be taught in the following fall, as well as faculty who teach Core for the first time, or who have not taught Core I for more than three years are eligible to apply.

Core II and Core III faculty members who wish to create new Core courses or who want to revise an existing course by giving it an interdisciplinary dimension, are also eligible to apply for funds.

In all cases, all courses thus funded must be taught within the next academic year.

Application

The Core Steering Committee and the Dean of Faculty are in charge of granting these course development funds. Applications are requested by the Core Director.