Academic Affairs

Purpose
The purpose of the Bowdoin Faculty Research fellowship is to further Bowdoin College faculty development by supporting distinguished, substantive, multi-year projects. Outstanding research programs or projects aimed at improvement in teaching are strongly encouraged.

In addition, projects which fall outside of the standard research or instructional categories will be seriously considered if they substantially contribute to a faculty member’s intellectual development or to the educational mission of the College. Proposals built on well-defined departures from previous teaching or research will be viewed as favorably as those proposals that promise substantial enrichment of ongoing projects. In all cases the project should represent a faculty member’s primary commitment over a specified period of time. If appropriate, proposals may incorporate up to one semester of paid leave.

All tenured and tenure track faculty members are eligible to apply for the Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship. Up to two fellowships will be awarded: one fellowship will be awarded to an untenured faculty member, and one to a tenured faculty member. Applications must be made in the academic year preceding the project’s starting date. Awards will be made by the President of the College upon the recommendation of the Faculty Development Committee. Awards are for amounts up to two-thirds of one semester’s salary and up to $10,000 for research expenses. Applicants do not need to state their salaries in their applications, as the final calculations will be made in the Office of the Dean for Academic Affairs. The Committee will not have access to confidential salary information. Availability of funds is limited to the period of a faculty member’s Bowdoin appointment. Individual awards will be disbursed in installments directly linked to the attainment of project-specific milestones. Faculty who receive a Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship or who have received a Kenan Fellowship will become eligible to apply again ten years after receiving their award.

In order to avoid unnecessary duplication of applications, an applicant to this fund who has requested a semester’s paid leave may elect to have an unsuccessful proposal considered for the Faculty Leave Fellowship. To exercise this option, applicants should explain what self-contained portions of the multi-year Bowdoin Faculty Research project can be successfully accomplished within the period of the proposed leave.

If a successful applicant has received a Faculty Research Award for a portion of the Bowdoin Faculty Research project, the former grant should normally be returned to the College.

Application Procedure

All Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship proposals should clearly state specific goals, milestones to be attained (with anticipated dates), and results to be achieved by the end of the project.

A complete Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship application must include:

1. Title of project.
2. A narrative description (no more than five single-spaced pages) in which the applicant makes clear in language that is accessible to nonspecialist colleagues the following:
   
   1. the basic ideas, issues, problems, works, or questions the project will examine, and the steps to be taken to accomplish the project objectives;
   2. the significance of the project to the applicant’s scholarly field and research program and/or the applicant’s effectiveness as an instructor;
   3. the relationship of the project to the applicant’s ongoing development as a scholar and/or teacher;
   4. a clear statement of anticipated outcome(s);
   5. the date and amount of awards from the Faculty Development Committee received over the past six years, any previous Faculty Leave Supplements, Kenan or Porter grants, or Bowdoin Faculty Research, and a brief summary of their results. Any relationships between previously funded projects and the current research must be described.
3. An external recommendation by a scholar/educator in the same field as the proposal. The letter should address the merits of the proposed activity and why/how the applicant is prepared to undertake it successfully.
4. A multi-year time-line of the research/renewal program that conceptualizes the project in distinct phases. Specific dates of implementation and specific dates for achieving milestones and/or intermediate goals must be included.
5. A budget, as detailed as possible, including a budget time-line. Please round off figures to the nearest $10 when submitting your budget. Requests for a paid semester leave should not exceed two-thirds of one semester’s salary, and research expenses should not exceed $10,000. Applicants should not state their salaries. Final salary calculations will be made in the Dean’s Office; the Committee members will not have access to confidential salary information. Summer salary cannot be provided by a Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship.
6. An assessment of the availability of outside funding for the project. The Committee is well aware that certain types of worthy Bowdoin Faculty Research proposals might not be appropriate for requests to conventional funding agencies. Justification is required, however, if external funding has not been sought. If external funding has been sought – or applications will be submitted – this should be noted in the application, with a list of agencies or organizations to which applications have been or will be submitted. If external funds are obtained, the total amount of all salary awards, from both Bowdoin and non-Bowdoin sources, cannot exceed a faculty member’s annualized salary. In addition, Bowdoin Faculty Research funds for non-salary items that are duplicated by external funds must be refunded.
7. If the proposal includes a request for a paid semester leave and receives an unfavorable decision, a declaration of whether or not the applicant wishes to be considered for a Faculty Leave Fellowship. An affirmative declaration requires a description of how self-contained portions of the current multi-year proposal can be successfully achieved over a shorter period of time.
8. A current curriculum vitae, no longer than five pages.

All these materials should be submitted electronically on or before the deadline date to fdc@list.bowdoin.edu. Applications must be submitted (in a single document when possible) in Microsoft Word or PDF format; any other electronic format will not be accepted. For assistance in creating PDF documents, please contact the IT Help Desk. Electronic applications will be received automatically by all members of the Faculty Development Committee. An incomplete or late application will not be considered.