Academic Affairs

Faculty Leave Supplement

A Faculty Leave Supplement provides salary support for up to two-thirds of a one-semester salary.

Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships

Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, these fellowships further Bowdoin faculty development by supporting one semester of full salary support. Recipients may elect to divert up to $10,000 of an award to a professional fund to support research activities during the leave (if, for example, a faculty member receives external grant support for partial salary). Up to two Mellon fellowships can be awarded each year: one for an assistant professor and one for a tenured faculty member.

Porter Fellowships for Advanced Study or Research

The Elizabeth Watkins Porter and Robert Chamberlain Porter Fund was established in 1998 to "encourage faculty renewal and development to benefit both faculty and their students" by enabling faculty members to "engage in advanced study or research at other universities." Faculty members may request salary support from this fund up to two-thirds of their normal one-semester salary. In addition, each individual may request up to $4,000 in travel and relocation expenses.

Bowdoin Faculty Research Fellowship

Bowdoin Faculty Research fellowships are intended to further 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.

Up to two fellowships will be awarded: one fellowship to be awarded to an assistant professor, and one to a tenured faculty member. Applications must be made in the academic year preceding the project's starting date. Awards can be for amounts up to two-thirds of one semester's salary and up to $10,000 for research expenses. 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 no sooner than ten years after receiving their award.

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.