Science Collaborative Research Program (SCRP)

The major goals for SCRP are, in order of priority from highest to lowest:

1. to provide the most diverse range of relevant, significant, and challenging science research experiences possible to the maximum number of Willamette undergraduates;
2. to support development of the research programs of pre-tenure science faculty; and
3. to augment the research efforts of tenured science faculty members engaged in research with undergraduates, with priority given to colleagues who demonstrate peer-reviewed research productivity.

Criteria

To meet these goals the following selection criteria will be used to choose faculty for participation in SCRP:

I. Selection of pre-tenure, tenure track science faculty members:

1. Each tenure track faculty member who is pre-tenure will receive SCRP support for collaborative work with up to two students per summer, for up to three summers. After the first summer, funding in the following summers will be contingent upon a progress report to program coordinators that details the faculty member’s progress over the previous summer, and outlines future research goals and projects. The faculty stipend¹ in each of these three summers will be $5,000 up to a maximum of $15,000 over this initial pre-tenure period.
2. Each tenure track faculty member who is pre-tenure shall be eligible to receive further SCRP funding for up to two additional summers after the first three funded summers, provided he/she has fulfilled ALL THREE of the following requirements:

• filed a progress report detailing the previous summer’s work, AND
• applied for a peer-reviewed external grant in support of research, worth $5000 or more², AND
• presented results of his/her SCRP-supported research at one or more regional, national or international professional conferences. The SCRP faculty stipend rate during this second two-year pre-tenure period will be as described in (1) above: $5,000, up to a maximum of $10,000 over this final pre-tenure period.

II. Selection of tenured science faculty members:

A tenured science faculty member may receive SCRP funding for one student when he/she reaches the top of a rotation schedule.³ A faculty member at the top of the rotation who desires to supervise two students instead of one may wait one additional year, and then be granted funding for two students in the following summer, if the budget allows. The SCRP stipend for a tenured faculty member will be $5,000 per summer, regardless of the number of students supervised. To qualify for SCRP funding, a tenured faculty member must have completed ANY of the following within the previous two-year period:

1. submitted or published a peer-reviewed research publication, OR
2. submitted or been awarded a peer-reviewed external grant to support his/her research program, OR
3. was invited to give a featured oral presentation on his/her research at a regional, national, or international professional conference.

In addition to faculty productivity, balance among departments will also be considered when deciding which tenured faculty members will participate in SCRP. After informing SCRP coordinator(s), tenured faculty members may “freeze” their two-year SCRP eligibility window for any reason, for up to two years. Expansion of this “freeze” period may be granted, and rotation back into the SCRP eligibility pool will be contingent upon approval by the SCRP coordinator(s). Any funds left over after funding all eligible tenured faculty members in the ordinal rotation shall be used by the SCRP coordinator(s) in a manner consistent with the three SCRP goals in the order of priority specified above.

¹ Faculty stipends may be taken as honoraria, or used to cover direct research costs. Faculty members whose external grants cover summer salary are ineligible for SCRP faculty stipends.

² Peer-reviewed grants for lower amounts may suffice, based on the judgment of the SCRP coordinator(s); travel grants to attend conferences do not qualify.

³ Each tenured science faculty member who qualifies will enter an ordinal rotation for SCRP funding. Those who receive funding one summer will go to the bottom of the rotation for the next summer. Exceptions to the ordinal rotation may be made for faculty members with external research grants who need partial support for student researchers. These requests will be examined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the budget allocations of the external grant and available SCRP funds.