Robert P Knowles
International Education Grant

Criteria

Grants will be made to UWRF Faculty, instructional and non-instructional academic staff, and limited appointees to foster international activity.

Robert Dykstra was named the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Distinguished Alumnus of 1998. A 1957 elementary education and guidance graduate, Dykstra earned both masters and doctorate degrees in educational psychology and education from the University of Minnesota. Dykstra’s prolific work, spanning three decades from the mid-60’s to the early 90’s, includes research that continues to be recognized as among the most important ever conducted in his field. In 1967, Dykstra and colleague Guy Bond published the groundbreaking study, “The Cooperative Research Program in First Grade Reading Instruction,” commonly known as “The First Grade Studies.” This national investigation remains the largest and most thorough study ever completed of beginning reading.

Recent honors for Dykstra include being elected to the International Reading Hall of Fame in 1996. Along with assuming various leadership positions at the local and national and international levels, Dykstra continues to remember his ties to UW-River Falls.

Paul B. Dykstra is the highly successful son of Robert Dykstra serving as the chief operating officer of Viad Corporation and he serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Viad Corporation is an S&P SmallCap 600 company. Major subsidiaries include GES Exposition Services at Las Vegas, Exhibit group/Giltspur of Chicago, Brewster Transport Company Limited of Banff, Alberta, Canada, and Glacier Park, Inc of Phoenix.

Application Process

As of March 2, 2020, the application for this award has moved from paper format to online submissions.

A Brief Overview of How to Proceed:
If you have any issues, please contact fasdb.

Complete an application (click below), including the following:
An up-to-date C.V uploaded into the system.
A department chair's electronic signature. You will identify your chair, and once the application is submitted, this person will receive an email asking to provide an electronic signature.
One support narrative from a colleague (UWRF preferred), who can address how you contributed significantly to research, creative, or scholarly activity here at UWRF. You will identify this person in your application, and once the application is submitted, this person will receive an email asking to provide the narrative.

Application

Important:

If you haven't received a final email that tells you that your application was sent to the committee, please check on the progress. The application is considered NOT complete until all parts have been submitted by 4:30 p.m. on the due date.

Award

The financial award is typically in $1,000 to $2,000 range depending on the number of applications submitted.
One or two tenured or tenure-track faculty member(s) will be awarded.
The award will be announced at the fall opening meeting each academic year.
The award amount will be deposited in a university account for submission of expenses.