Call for Proposals: Norman & Irma Mann Stearns Distinguished Faculty Award — Pre-Approval due March 18; Applications due April 8 – Research & Creative Scholarship Faculty Portal

Description

Several years ago, the late Dr. Norman Stearns and Irma Mann Stearns established a distinguished faculty award in their name to honor a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in recognition of outstanding scholarly or creative achievement. A $3,000 award is presented annually to at least one applicant. This funding may be used to enhance an ongoing project or for the development of a new scholarly or creative endeavor. In accordance with the family’s wishes, travel is strongly encouraged to be a part of the project activity.

Key Due Dates

Pre-Application Notification Due: March 18,2024
Selection of Nominees by Provost, Deans, and Chairs: March 22, 2024
Application form sent to applicants: by March 25, 2024
Final Applications due to ORCS: April 8, 2024
FDRC Review of Applications: April 8 – April 17, 2024
Final Selections made by Provost: by May 10, 2024
Applicants Notified of Funding Decision: by May 17, 2027

Awardees must utilize their funds between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

Eligibility

Full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members are eligible to apply for the Mann Stearns Distinguished Faculty Award.

Criteria

In evaluating proposals, the Faculty Development and Research Council (FDRC) will consider:

The applicant’s scholarly or creative achievement(s);
The quality, merits, feasibility, of the project for which the award funds will be used;
The inclusion of travel as a necessary component of the project; and
Publications, audio/video samples, or other supporting material.

Pre-Application Notification

If you intend to apply for a Mann Stearns Award, you must first submit a Pre-Application Notification email to ORCS by March 18, 2024. The body of the email should include a summary (1-2 paragraphs) of your proposed project, and a brief description of how you would use the $3,000 award. After you have submitted your notification, you will be sent the link for the Mann Stearns application form (see “Application Instructions” below).

Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by the Faculty Development and Research Council (FDRC), and with input from department Chairs, school Deans, and Academic Affairs. The FDRC will make the final recommendations to the Provost for funding. The Provost’s selections are final.

Application Instructions

This year, we have migrated the application packet to Google Forms. The advantages to this format include:

Email recognition: The form will recognize your Emerson email and open a blank application that will be automatically saved in your name.
Elimination of portable document errors: Reviewers will log directly into Google forms to read applications, removing the need to send electronic documents back and forth and reducing the chance for error.
Auto-save: The form saves your work automatically as you proceed.
Document uploads: Budget requests are now uploaded as a separate file, and you can also upload supplementary documents to bolster your proposal.
Ability to make revisions until the deadline: Applicants can make changes to their form up until the due date (April 8).

After you have submitted your pre-approval, you will be sent the link for the Mann Stearns application form. After you submit your proposal, you will receive a copy of your responses via email, and will have until April 8, 2024, to make any changes.

Applicants may include supplemental materials (publications, PDFs, media) that support their proposals with their submissions.

In addition to the application form and supplemental materials, a two-page curriculum vita should be included with each submission.

Final Report Requirement

A final written report is not required, but the successful applicant is expected to meet with members of the Mann Stearns family and other members of Emerson College to discuss the final outcome and deliverables.