The Presidential Fellows Program

2012-13

As a complement to other programs supporting faculty scholarship, the Presidential Fellows Program permits a faculty member to concentrate for a year on his or her research or creative endeavor. Each year, the university supports up to two Presidential Fellows with a full release of teaching, committee work, and related duties and a $10,000 budget for travel, equipment, and/or other related faculty needs. Except for CART travel grants and contractual continuing scholarship funds, other university funds are not normally available to Presidential Fellows. Fellows are allowed to apply for Graduate Research Assistantships in support of their projects.

All full-time faculty and librarians are eligible to apply. Unless specifically requested and approved, faculty may not take a Fellowship immediately before or following a sabbatical semester. Preference is given to applicants who have a well-documented record of research or creative activity, whose scholarly work is poised for significant growth, who have a well-designed plan for the use of a full year of release time, and whose work will have an impact on the Bridgewater State University community. Fellows do not participate in campus service activities and are discouraged from teaching under the DGCE contract during the academic year of the Fellowship.

Application Process

(1) A complete curriculum vita;

(2) A project plan (2-3 pages) with

• a title
• a description of the faculty member´s planned activities as a Presidential Fellow
• a timeline and plan of work
• a breakdown of how the budget will be spent
• the impact the award will have on his/her scholarly and/or creative development
• the manner in which the university community will benefit from the work done as a Fellow;

(3) Two letters of endorsement, one from the applicant´s department chair and one from another colleague either at the university or elsewhere. If a department chair is applying, please provide two letters from colleagues.

(4) The semesters of the applicant's most recent and next planned sabbaticals.

The deadline for applications is Friday, January 18, 2013. A committee consisting of the four College Deans, the Director of Library Services, the CART Coordinators, the previous year's Presidential Fellow(s), the Executive Assistant to the President, and the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs will make a recommendation to the Provost and President.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Ann Brunjes with any questions. Ann may be reached at abrunjes@bridgew.edu or x 2564.

The awards will be announced early April. Applications should be submitted to:

Office of the Academic Affairs
104 Boyden Hall
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Attn: Presidential Fellows Program

Post-Award Expectations

Presidential Fellows will be expected to provide a written report of their activities, findings (if applicable), and outcomes or products from the project by September 1 of the following year. The report should be submitted to the President, Provost, Dean, Department Chair, and Library Archives and will be posted on a website and summarized in college publications such as the alumni magazine. Copies of articles or books arising from the Fellowship should be provided to the Library and the President's office as they are produced. Fellows are expected to present their findings at the CART Celebration or other venues.

See reports from Dr. Rob Hellstrom, Geography, Dr. Maggie Lowe, History, Dr. Michael Carson, Emily Douglas and Kevin Curry.

Last Modified: September 13, 2012