The deadline for applications is a minimum of 2 months before your travel date or project start date, with a final cut-off date of March 1 each fiscal year. That is, for travel or projects starting in late April through June 30, you must apply by the March deadline. Later requests will be considered only if funds remain after the March allocations.
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Guidelines and Procedures for 2007-08
Faculty development is defined as activities that serve your continuing growth as a teacher, scholar, and contributor to a liberal arts college community. You may request funds for research expenses; travel to research sites; professional conferences and workshops; pedagogical and course development; additional training; and purchase of materials needed for teaching and research. (Requests for supplies that are typically obtained through other means, such as through departmental budgets, will not be approved, nor will journals or books.) Up to $150 may be requested for payment of membership fees to professional organizations. The FPDF not only supports ongoing research, but also may be used by faculty who wish to develop new teaching materials and methods, or who need to develop new skills and expertise (consistent with the College’s academic mission). If faculty have start-up funds designated for research travel that would normally be covered by FPDF, they should expect to use those funds before applying to FPDF.
Eligibility: All teaching faculty (term and tenure-track appointments), including those on regular leave, are eligible to apply to the Fund. Colleagues on associate status and part-time appointments are also eligible, but support might not be at the same level as that given to full-time faculty. Colleagues who have received funds from endowed chairs, or enrichment funds from other College sources, will not be eligible for FPDF.
Funding: Currently, $2,000 is the working figure that may help you shape your request(s) and allow those overseeing the budget to gauge needs and expenses. It is not, however, intended to suggest that $2,000/year of development funds has been set aside or will be approved for each faculty member. The actual total amount approved per year may be lower than $2,000; just as it may be necessary to increase the amount for some projects that require a higher level of funding due the nature of the project or the venue of the conference. Acknowledging the high cost of international travel, we plan to support a few faculty members at a higher level of funding than usual from FPDF (as the budget permits), so they may take advantage of exceptional opportunities. Please submit additional justification with the application form.
Recognizing that going to conferences is an important aspect of one’s professional activity, but also recognizing that funds are limited and need to be used for an increasing number of professional development opportunities, proposals for travel that include paper, poster, or artistic presentations, serving as discussant, or chairing sessions, will receive greater priority and greater levels of funding than those that do not. Support for travel to meetings at which faculty do not engage in such activities (do not appear on the program) are limited to $650.
If the funds cannot be utilized in the manner for which they were approved (e.g., the conference is canceled, the research assistant is never hired), then they may not be used and are made available again to all faculty. Please contact the office of the Dean for Faculty Development & Research if your project or travel is canceled. If you want to use money for any reason other than that for which it was approved, you must submit another FPDF proposal.
Application Procedures: The deadline for applications is a minimum of 2 months before your travel date or project start date, with a final cut-off date of March 1st. That is, for travel or projects starting in May and June, you must apply by March 1st. If funds are still available after the February proposals have been reviewed, additional requests will be considered.
An application form is available on the web from the Academic Affairs web page under the Faculty Research & Development selection. After you are notified via the web that you have "successfully" submitted the application, you will be asked to print the form which will need to be submitted to the DFDR (in Old Chapel) before the appropriate deadline. The application requires the signature of the Department Chair (or the DFDR if the applicant is a Department Chair). When available, program descriptions for workshops and short courses should be appended to the application. Note that processing of requests will not begin without an endorsement from your Chair.
When filling out the application form, and trying to estimate food expenses, you can use links from the Academic Affairs (Faculty Research & Development section) web page to access governmental websites to view per diem rates for both the continental U.S. and foreign cities. If you are submitting receipts you can be fully reimbursed for all meal receipts; if you are being reimbursed using per diem rates, the maximum amount allowable is based on federal guidelines for the specific city/state or city/country where you are traveling (using the website information). Reimbursement for living expenses while pursuing research will normally be subject to federal per diem rates for periods up to two weeks, with a maximum of $1500 per month.
Booking air travel: Following are excerpts from the College Travel Policies “The College has designated two local travel agents, Accent Travel and Milne Travel, as preferred vendors for travel services…Some travelers may elect to make their own reservations using Web-based services. Travelers choosing this course are encouraged to obtain a competitive quote from the preferred agents before finalizing alternative bookings. As always, controlling the institutional costs of College travel and maximizing budget resources should be the goal of everyone traveling on college business.” The current policy can also be found in the College Handbook at: http://www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/general/misc/travel.htm.
Reimbursements: All requests for reimbursement should be sent to Nancy Vizvarie, Assistant to the DFDR (in Old Chapel 107). The use of the activity code is an important feature for FPDF grants, so please include the activity code (provided in your approval letter) on all charges or vouchers.
Research and travel expenses should be submitted on a pink voucher after completing your trip or project. Please be sure to attach original receipts and verification (including itemized food and lodging receipts). A voucher and worksheet may be found from the following web page: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/acadaff/research_development/
If you are requesting payment of membership fees to professional organizations, you do not need to fill out an application form; instead, fill out a pink voucher. If you have not paid the dues yet, you can submit the voucher filled out to the organization and include the membership/renewal form. If you have already paid the dues, send the voucher filled out for reimbursement and include a receipt or canceled check.