Retraining & Renewal Grant Program

Purpose: The Retraining & Renewal Grant Program is dedicated to the maintenance of academic excellence. In keeping with the conditions and intent of the legislation that supports this program, "the purpose of this comprehensive program is to increase the flexibility and effective use of existing faculty personnel in the University of Wisconsin System."

The overall philosophy behind the faculty retraining/renewal program is to minimize the fiscal implications to the participant, thereby encouraging rather than discouraging participation in the program. These funds will be provided to support the following general types of activities:

• Development of scholarly resources of faculty members in fields of study allied to those in which they have their primary academic preparation in order to increase the ability of their institutions and units to adapt to changing curricular, student, and societal needs and to contribute to the continued professional growth of faculty.
  
• Continued development and renewal of the expertise of faculty members in their fields of primary academic preparation in order to increase the ability of their institutions and units to adapt to changing curricular, student and societal needs.

Guidelines for the Retraining/Renewal Grant Program

• Funds will be available during the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) of the year following the application.  
  
• The program is limited to ranked faculty (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor or full professor). Because the faculty retraining/renewal program is viewed as an important tool in developing institutional instructional flexibility, tenured faculty will normally receive preference over probationary faculty. Programmatic and institutional need/goal considerations may override this preference, however.
  
• Proposals may contain requests to pay for fees and tuition for courses at accredited institutions that the faculty member takes as part of the retraining/renewal program. A faculty member may also request support to pay for registration fees, participation fees, etc., at professional workshops, seminars, institutes, etc. Proposals may request funds to buy course related books and supplies.
  
• Supplies and equipment funds may be requested, if necessary for the successful completion of the project. Ordinarily, capital equipment purchases and purchase of equipment that should be supported by the department are not eligible for funding under this program.
  
• Funds for travel may be requested if it can be demonstrated that such travel is critical to the retraining/renewal project. If the faculty member is within commuting distance, a reasonable amount to cover commuting expenses may be requested. If the location of the program is beyond commuting distance, a faculty member may request one round trip to the location during the period of the project. Other trips must be paid for by the participant.
  
• If the retraining/renewal program takes place at a location beyond commuting distance from the faculty member's home, living expenses may be requested. However, institutional policies may limit the amount granted if the faculty member is also receiving a salary.
  
• Support for travel to and attendance at professional meetings may be requested, if it can be shown that such participation is a critical part of the individual's retraining/renewal program. Retraining/renewal funds ordinarily will not be used in place of institutional travel money for attendance at professional meetings.
  
• Faculty retraining/renewal funds will not be used to support faculty proposals whose primary object is to allow an individual to complete a terminal degree.
  
• Proposals linked with sabbatical leaves of absence will not be supported.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals submitted for consideration must contain a completed Proposal Cover Page attached to the proposal. The proposal narrative should not exceed five (5), double-spaced pages. The body of the proposal must include the following elements:

• Name of the faculty member involved (including rank and tenure status).
• In detail, what will the retraining/renewal program consist of?
• Where will the activity take place? Why must it occur there?
• Why is the project program necessary?
• Courses and number of students that would be affected by the proposal.
• How much will the program cost?
• What is the source of funds?
• Are any in-kind contributions available through the department or college?
• Include a summary budget including salary costs and S&E broken down by categories.
• How will the program be evaluated?
• Letters of support are not required but could enhance the strength of the proposal.

Criteria for Review

Proposals will be evaluated on a competitive basis by the Teaching Committee of the Faculty/Academic Staff Development Board. The following criteria will be used by the selection committee to determine funding:

• Is the institutional goal which the proposal addresses clearly stated?
• Does the proposed program clearly address the identified goal?
• Does the proposal answer the question of who will do what, when, where, why, how and at what cost?
• Are effective evaluative criteria built into the proposal?
• What institutional fiscal constraints exist?
• Will the proposal lead to an enhancement of individual and institutional resources?
• How does the quality of the proposal being evaluated compare to that of the others under consideration?
• Is the proposed activity to be conducted within the time frame of the funding period?

The cover page available here as a "fill in" MS Word form. You must use this form to apply for funds. Download the form, fill in the gray boxes with the relevant information, print the form and submit seven copies of your application to the Director of Faculty and Student Academic Support Programs, 104 North Hall.