Graduate Enrichment

Priority is given to those graduate students enrolled in Taft-eligible units that are registered for at least one credit hour. Awardees can receive up to $2,500 in total award(s) in any 24-month period.

Applications for Research Support are reviewed at the following deadlines: October 19, December 1, and March 1 by 5pm.

Open to all graduate students of Taft-eligible units that are registered for at least one credit hour.

Eligible projects include but are not limited to the following:

• Travel to a library, archive or other source of primary research materials
  Purchase of software or data sets
• Payment for technical services such as videotaping, laboratory analysis, etc.
• Expenses involved in conducting interviews or distributing surveys
• Workshops or seminars necessary to significantly advance a student's skill set, where such training is not otherwise available at UC.

Per diem is not an eligible expense under this program. 

Awardees remain eligible for other awards.

Applications must be received through the online portal no later than 5PM on the day of the published deadline. Applicants may not bypass any component of the system or ask the committee to instead view an uploaded document for the project narrative.

A complete application must include the following: 

1. Project narrative of no more than 10,000 characters (approximately 1,500 words), to include the following:
   1. Project description
   2. Current project status and proposed schedule
   3. Preliminary or expected results
   4. The role of the project in the applicant’s advancement to degree and unique impact on intellectual development not otherwise attainable
   5. A brief budget outline with explanation and proof of costs, indicating any other funding sources involved in the project
   6. Where the project overlaps with a faculty member’s, applicants should provide a statement on the distinct, separate nature of the student’s project.
2. An abbreviated (two-page) curriculum vitae (CV)
3. A support letter from the student's advisor, project director, or the graduate program director, commenting on the role of the project in the student's degree program, the significance of the project to the field and their development, and the student's ability to complete. Students must communicate with those writing in support of their application, to have them submit a letter through the prompt (sent out once application is submitted) from the application system.

A single PDF file should contain screenshots of costs and the abbreviated CV.

Where travel is involved, a travel authorization must be completed prior to submitting a funding request.

If eligible for other, non-Taft Support, this amount must be listed in the application and will likely be deducted from the budget total when calculating the award. Where other funds are available for this purpose, e.g., awards through the Graduate College, such funds should be used prior to utilizing Taft funds.

Incomplete applications or those that do not follow the application procedures may be denied, requiring submission at a later deadline.

Applications will be assessed based upon the following criteria:

• The quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work as a scholar or creative writer and teacher
• The significance of the contribution that the proposed project will make to the applicant's degree program
• The conceptualization, organization, and description of the proposed project
• The current state of the research, the proposed research schedule, and the timeliness of the award to ensuring the completion of the project

• The likelihood of project completion within the stated time period.

• If eligible for other (non-Taft) Support, this amount must be listed in the application and will likely be deducted from the budget total when calculating the award. Where other funds are available for this purpose, such funds should be used prior to utilizing Taft funds.
• Failure to obtain travel authorization prior to travel may result in the revocation of award. Where deviations from the approved application occur, the awardee must notify the Taft Faculty Chair in writing and receive written approval for the changes. The total expenses to be reimbursed or paid cannot be more than authorized, nor can line items be claimed that were not authorized.
• Full disclosure of non-Taft funds received for the proposed project, both inside and outside the university, is required. The award must not duplicate other funds granted for the same purpose, except when a deficit in the project budget is anticipated. 
• All funds must be expended exclusively in furtherance of the award and all expenditures must comply with university policies relating to financial transactions, including the Code of Conduct and, as discussed in the Code of Conduct, the ethics laws of the state of Ohio which prohibit certain private financial interests in university matters. University Rule 3361:10-17-03(D).
• Per university policy, receipts and travel reimbursement request must be submitted via Concur, within 30 calendar days of the conclusion of the trip.