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TCU Faculty Professional Development Grants

Overview

The College Fund recognizes that tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have limited funding to support faculty members’ professional development. The College Fund Professional Development program offers one-time grants up to $2,000 to TCU faculty. The goals of the program are to (1) enhance faculty members’ skills and knowledge and (2) to support TCU program development and leadership capacity by funding professional development activities that:

connect faculty with the latest research- and practice-based information on curriculum development, instruction, student engagement, higher education leadership, accreditation, and more.
inform faculty of current research and issues within their field of study or teaching area.
provide an opportunity for faculty to share their research with TCU and non-TCU audiences.

Faculty members can use the grants to:

attend or present at a conference related to their field of study or teaching area
attend a training, seminar, or workshop on a topic relevant to their role as a faculty member (e.g., teaching, assessment, engaging students online, accreditation)

The professional development grant can be used to cover the following expenses:

Registration costs
Travel costs (hotel, airfare)
Per diems and incidentals

Funding is limited each academic year and professional development grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be reviewed on the first Monday of the month and are due no later than noon PT the previous Friday. Deadline dates for the fall semester are September 30, November 4, and December 2.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Be a current faculty member at an accredited tribal college or university. For grants, the definition of faculty member includes full- or part-time permanent faculty members, as well as adjunct instructors (including TCU staff or administrators) who teach at least one course regularly.
Be committed to growing in your role as a faculty member by enhancing your skills and knowledge in areas such as your teaching practice, student learning and success, current research, and professional network.
Have demonstrated your commitment to American Indian higher education and to strengthening your TCU’s academic programs and long-term success.

Application Process

Completed application
Personal statement
Itemized budget
CV/resume
Letter of recommendation from your TCU president or academic officer

Selection Process

The College Fund will review applications using the following criteria:

Impact of the professional development activity on the applicant’s skills, knowledge, and/or ability to enhance their role as a faculty member. Activities could focus on curriculum development, teaching practice, leadership skills, knowledge of trends and current research, sharing research, professional networking, and more.
Clearly articulated goals and objectives for the activity as indicated in the personal statement.
Strong letter of recommendation and support from a TCU administrator.

Do not hesitate to contact Heidi Normandin, Faculty Development Program Officer at 303-426-9909 or [email protected], with any questions.

Contact Information

Salutation

First Name

Last Name

Tribal Affiliation(s)(if applicable)

Tribal College or University

Department

Position/Title

Appointment Type

Teaching and other responsibilities

Home Address

City

State/Province

Zip/Postal

Primary Email Address

Phone

Alternate Email Address

Academic Background

Associate Degree-Granting Institution(if applicable)

Degree Received and Year(if applicable)

Bachelor’s Degree-Granting Institution

Degree Received and Year

Master’s Degree-Granting Institution(if applicable)

Degree Received and Year(if applicable)

Doctoral Degree-Granting Institution(if applicable)

Degree Received and Year(if applicable)

Personal Statement

Please attach a personal statement of 400-600 words that includes:

A description of the professional development activity (e.g., dates, name of conference or event, name of workshop, location).
A detailed explanation of why this activity is important to your role as a TCU faculty member. What aspect(s) of your role will this activity enhance or strengthen most? For example, instruction, curriculum, student support, research, leadership and career advancement, assessment, etc.
For research-focused activities, please address how the grant will assist in the development of your research agenda, research skills, writing skills, research dissemination, and/or understanding of methodological approaches.
For activities that focus on teaching approaches or the subject you teach, please discuss how the activity relates to your content area and/or how it will enhance your teaching practice and student learning.
A discussion of how the professional development activity will positively impact your TCU and/or the tribal community.

Personal Statement File Upload

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Itemized Budget

Please upload an itemized budget in a Word table or spreadsheet that breaks down the costs to participate in the professional development activity (e.g., registration fee, flight cost). Please also include documentation (e.g., a screenshot of or link to a conference registration page) for major expenses in the same document.

Itemized Budget File Upload

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CV/Résumé

Please upload an up-to-date CV or résumé as a PDF file.

CV/résumé File Upload

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Recommendation Letter

Each applicant is required to submit a recommendation letter from their TCU president or chief academic officer to ensure the professional development activity meets the needs of the institution as well as the individual. We suggest sending the instructions below to the president or academic officer to guide their recommendation letter.

The College Fund recognizes that tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have limited funding to support faculty members’ professional development. The College Fund Professional Development program offers one-time grants up to $2,000 to TCU faculty (defined as full/part-time faculty and regular adjunct instructors). The goals of the program are to (1) enhance faculty members’ skills and knowledge in teaching, learning, research, assessment, and more, and (2) support TCU program development and leadership capacity.

In your 1-2 page recommendation letter, please address the following questions:

How will this applicant benefit from the professional development opportunity? What aspect(s) of their role as a faculty member or adjunct instructor will be enhanced or strengthened? Examples are instruction, curricular development, administrative or leadership responsibilities, research agenda, student support, and more.
How would you describe the applicant’s commitment to enhancing their skills and knowledge and to the tribal college community?
How will students, the TCU as a whole, and/or the tribal community benefit from this professional development activity?

Please write your letter on letterhead, add your signature at the bottom, and save it as a PDF.

Recommendation Letter File Upload

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For questions or additional information, please contact Heidi Normandin, Faculty Development Program Officer, at 303-426-9909 or [email protected].

TCU Faculty Professional Development Grants

Overview

Eligibility

Application Process

Selection Process

Contact Information

Academic Background

Personal Statement

Itemized Budget

CV/Résumé

Recommendation Letter

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