The Willamette University Center for Sustainable Communities is pleased to support and encourage rigorous scholarship and teaching that enhances both our understanding of sustainability and its practice within our communities. In doing so, we affirm our vision of a Center for Sustainable Communities that advances academic excellence while focusing the University’s expertise on the fundamental dilemma of our generation—creating sustainable and resilient ecological and social communities which balance the needs and wants of present generations with those of the generations which follow.
In line with the University’s commitment to a robust and interdisciplinary conception of sustainability that embraces President Pelton’s “Four E’s of Sustainability”— Equity, Environment, Economy, and Education, the Center seeks to encourage and support sustainability research and teaching across the disciplines and colleges—from Art and Anthropology to Marketing, Law, Science, and Theater. All grants are offered on a competitive basis.
The Center for Sustainable Communities offers grants for faculty development in three categories: a Faculty Fellow Study Time and Research Grant of $12,000; Faculty Fellow Research Grants of up to $5000; and Sustainability Curriculum Development Grants of up to $3000. Applicants for faculty research grants may apply for an additional $1000 grant to be paid toward a student research assistant associated with the research project.
1. Faculty Fellow Study Time and Research Grant.
The Center will provide funds towards a course buy-out ($9000) and an additional $3000 stipend for a substantial research project in a subject related to the scholarly mission of the Center. This grant is available to all Willamette University faculty. We particularly encourage proposals from individuals who have substantial sustainability projects in process who need additional time and funds to bring the project to completion and publication/presentation.
|Faculty Release and Research Grant Application Form| Deadline: February 20th, 2009
|Proposal Format Procedures|
2. Faculty Fellow Research Grant.
The Center encourages applications for Faculty Fellowship Research Grants of up to $5000. These grants are available to all Willamette University faculty. The goal of these grants is to provide faculty significant financial support to engage in new scholarly research leading toward scholarly publication or presentation, or to complete an ongoing project that will result in a scholarly presentation and/or publication in a scholarly journal or book. Funds can be used to support research costs and/or personal stipend. Applicants for Faculty Fellow Research Grants may apply for an additional $1000 grant to be paid toward a student research assistant associated with the research project.
|Faculty Fellow Summer Research Grant Application Form| Deadline: February 20th, 2009
|Proposal Format Procedures|
3. Sustainability Curriculum Development Grants.
The Center seeks applications from Willamette University faculty to develop new courses in all disciplines related to the understanding, practice, and encouragement of sustainability. The grants may also be used to significantly enhance already existing courses in ways that will integrate an interdisciplinary exploration of these of related topics.
|Sustainability Curriculum Development Grant Application Form| Deadline: February 20th, 2009
|Proposal Format Procedures|
The Center for Sustainable Communities seeks to advance both disciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise in sustainability related fields. Please keep in mind that readers of your proposal may be from outside your discipline. Thus, methods and criteria specific to your field should be briefly elaborated. Proposals will be reviewed by the CSC’s Faculty Advisory Board and approved by the Directors Council of the Centers of Academic Excellence.
1. Faculty Research Grants — Evaluation Criteria
- Degree to which proposal advances scholarship and practice of sustainability as understood through the lenses of ecology, equity, economy and/or education.
- Originality of topic and likely contribution to the scholarly literature or discipline.
- Quality of the proposal with respect to planning and articulation of purpose.
- Anticipated broader impacts and synergies beyond the Willamette community, including regional and global impacts.
- Any outstanding offer of publication or presentation of proposal.
- A description of how the project relates to the applicant’s ongoing research and scholarship, their teaching interests, and to the our understanding of sustainability.
- A description of the methodology or format of the project.
- Timetable for publication/presentation.
- Progress reports at regular intervals.
- A copy of the final monograph or project.
- A final report on the project.
- Publication of research in a peer-reviewed/scholarly journal or as part of a book or scholarly report, or
- Presentation of project at a scholarly conference or its professional equivalent.
- Presentation of research results to the Willamette University community, through lecture, workshop or other means.
Collaborative curriculum development proposals supporting team-taught or inter-related courses by more than one faculty member are encouraged.
Grantees will be expected to complete a grant application (Curriculum Development Grant Application Form) and project narrative, which will include:
- A description of the course or courses topic, coverage, and expected pedagogy.
- A description of how the course or courses will address, in an interrelated manner, themes of sustainability.
- A description of how the course relates to the applicant’s teaching area(s), his/her research and scholarship, and to other courses offered in the university.
- Approval of the course proposal by the Department/College and the Curriculum Committee.
- Intention to offer the course twice within the next 5 years.