Guidelines for Multicultural Faculty Development Support Funds

Purpose

The Senior Faculty Mentor provides supportive services to tenure-track faculty members belonging to underrepresented racial/ethnic groups to facilitate the attainment of tenure and promotion. Initiatives include one-on-one consultations, including reviews of dossiers, regarding faculty members' professional progress; provision for supplemental funding for faculty members to participate in professional conferences, thus strengthening cases for tenure and promotion; and networking activities such as receptions, colloquia, and the maintenance of a listserv.

This faculty development support funding provided through the Office of Educational Equity is supplemental, i.e., it is intended to complement funds provided by a faculty member's academic unit. The principal responsibility for supporting faculty development, including funds to enable travel to professional conferences, resides with a faculty member's academic unit. However, increasing travel costs coupled with budget constraints limit the funds academic units can allocate to support faculty members' professional travel.

Guidelines

• To be eligible for funding, the support form with all appropriate signatures must be received in the Office of Educational Equity at least two weeks prior to the conference. Reimbursement will only be provided if (a) a form with all appropriate signatures has been submitted and approved prior to conference attendance, (b) approval has been documented in a letter from the Senior Faulty Mentor, and (c) all standard travel documentation has been submitted. 
• The maximum amount of funding that can be allotted is $750.
  The highest priority in the allocation of funds is given to requests where (a) a faculty member’s academic unit is assuming at least half of the anticipated costs of attendance and (b) the faculty member is making a presentation, and (c) the amount requested is small. Reimbursable expenses are limited to direct travel, room and board, and conference registration. The maximum amount of funding allowable is subject to reduction depending on the availability of resources. This policy is designed to allow support for the largest possible number of requests.  
• Faculty travel requests are limited to one per academic year. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Faculty development support funds approved by the Senior Faculty Mentor must be used in the current academic year (July 1 through June 30).
• Faculty development support funds approved for a particular trip cannot be used for any other trip without the written approval of the Senior Faculty Mentor.
• Faculty development support funds cannot be split between two trips.

Request for Multicultural Faculty Development Support Funds Form