Grants

Faculty and administrators engaged in activities that support the mission of UC International Programs may apply for a Faculty Abroad Grant.  Grants awarded may be as high as $800, and the average is in the $500-600 range.  All full-time UC faculty or administrators and part-time faculty with recurring appointments are eligible to apply.

The mission of UC International Programs is…

• To promote international academic experiences to help students become culturally competent in order to succeed in an ever-changing world
• To provide support for faculty to develop programs in keeping with the UC|21 guiding principle: Cultural Competence.

Activities typically involve accompanying students on a trip abroad. In all cases, faculty applications must show how the grant will internationalize curriculum at the University of Cincinnati and internationalize the faculty member’s own courses and approach to teaching. This includes having students register for a credit-bearing course that obviously takes places outside of the U.S.  The course must be directly relevant to the international site where it will be taught.

Acceptable course titles:

• International Field Study
• Business Practices in Mexico
• Paris Today

Unacceptable course titles:

• Independent Study
• Research
• Field Study

In order to encourage more faculty members to be involved with taking students abroad, we may restrict faculty funding to one award per year.

 Good proposals…

• directly affect students
• help build community capacity and understanding
• demonstrate considerable preparation, i.e., are not simply exploratory in nature

Faculty Grants do not fund…

• faculty research 
• travel to present a paper or to lecture abroad
• sabbaticals or leaves
• graduate student research 

Submission Dates
Submit your proposal ON-LINE. The date stamp on your proposal must be no later than the date below for the time period requested:

Autumn Quarter, October 15, 2008
for activities beginning after November 1, 2008

Winter Quarter, January 15, 2009
for activities beginning after February 1, 2009

Spring Quarter, April 15, 2009
for activities beginning after May 1, 2009

Summer Quarter, July 15, 2009
for activities beginning after August 1, 2009

Advice on New Programs
Please contact Kurt Olausen (556-2240) to discuss proposal strategies for new programs.  In addition, all Faculty Directors must attend one Leadership conference each year to be eligible for University funding.

Grant Application Format
Faculty members are encouraged to submit proposals that are succinct and to-the-point. All of the following sections must be complete.

• Background: Tell us where the idea for this project originated, or the larger program it fits into.
• Description: Describe the activity as fully as you can. What will you be doing, where, with whom, and how?
• Rationale: Why do you personally want to do this particular project? How specifically does it fit into the international mission of UC and your department’s international goals for students?  What is the course number and name in which students will register?
• Outcomes: How does this project benefit others, particularly students, at the University of Cincinnati?  How does this project benefit you personally, your future courses, and your approach to teaching?  If you are accompanying students abroad, do you expect to have minimum of 10 students for each faculty member?
• Budget: Provide a clear budget breakdown of the total cost of your proposed activity (e.g., airfare, lodging, etc.). List any and all other sources of funding that you have already received or intend to apply for.
• Timetable: When will the project begin, and when will it be over? 
• Endorsement: Submit your department or division head’s endorsement separately. 
• Additional Documents: Submit any additional documents separately.

Review Procedures
Proposals must be complete and responsive in order to be passed on to the Review Committee. The criteria used to evaluate Faculty Abroad Grant proposals include:

• Demonstrated relevance to the internationalization of UC;
• Demonstrated impact on students;
• Demonstrated impact on teaching and learning;
• Explicit presentation of tangible outcomes for yourself, your students, your department, your college, along with any wider long-term benefit for the University community.

Condition of Award
All faculty accompanying students abroad must attend a Leadership Seminar prior to departure.  Leadership Seminars are offered during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.  UC International Programs will provide pre-departure orientation for students.   Both of these activities are required by the University to allow faculty to be covered by UC liability insurance.

You will submit a final report to UC International Programs, and will be invited to discuss your experience at one of our workshops.

We will ask you to submit a list of your students and their UCID #, and your itinerary with emergency contact information prior to your departure.  Your grant money will be transferred to your departmental travel account and must be used for the purposes agreed to.  If you are unable to do so for any reason, we expect you to contact us immediately and to return promptly to us the funds we have given you.  Some proposals may necessitate special conditions, and if so, these will be made clear at the time of the award.

Final Reports
You must submit, not later than three months after the completion of your activity (or before submitting an application for another UC International Programs grant, whichever comes earlier) a typed report, no more than 2 pages.  Failure to do so will disqualify you from all future UC International Programs grants:

• Rationale and Outcomes: Review briefly the purpose of the activity and what specific things you hoped to achieve or accomplish. In this light, what did you actually achieve, what could you not achieve, and why? Be specific about the products – tangible and intangible – that have resulted.
• Discussion: Talk briefly about the significance of the experience or activity, in terms of how satisfied you were with the outcomes, unanticipated problems, pleasant surprises, etc.
• Application: Tell us how you intend to use what you gained from this experience in the future, and how you may be able to extend the learning or benefits to others in the UC community.

Some things to keep in mind...
UC International Programs makes grants for very specific purposes. You will help ensure the success of your grant proposal if you discuss it with us ahead of time by attending a proposal workshop or speaking with us individually early in your planning process.

Our grant schedules are fixed. To avoid last-minute problems, please plan well ahead. We make every effort to review grants promptly (usually within three weeks of the submission deadline), and to transfer award money soon thereafter (usually within one week).

• We evaluate each proposal individually. Faculty applying for the same program must submit individual proposals. Proposals that are identical save for the names will not be reviewed.
• Grants are not intended to underwrite or replace your existing departmental or college budget, but to augment it, for purposes that extend and enhance educational offerings and opportunities. The Review Committee will carefully evaluate your budget proposals in this light.
• Certain activities may require you to comply with Federal, State, or University regulations, and it is your responsibility to be informed of these requirements before the fact. In particular, you should be aware of regulations regarding employment, insurance, mandatory benefits, equipment purchase, visas and other aspects of international work and travel, and the regulations regarding payments to international visitors.
• If your proposal is part of a wider international linkage, be sure to review the formal linkage arrangement that already exists between your college or department and the overseas institution, and modify or amend these as necessary. UC International has developed some guidelines for international linkages, and these are available on-line
• Students going on this program must be registered in a course whose title is indicative that it takes place abroad for them to be eligible for an individual grant.  Independent Study, Research, or generic Field Study courses do not qualify.  
• In the event that your program is cancelled, if you are unable to participate for any reason, or if you are unable to carry out your proposed project, please contact our office as soon as possible to discuss other possible options. 

To discuss your particular project, please contact Kurt Olausen (556-2240.)   

Apply for a Faculty Grant