Academic Affairs

Faculty Development Committee

The Faculty Development Committee (FDC) administers two endowed funds that support scholarly research leading to publication and/or presentation. The fund was established in 1953 with a gift from the Class of 1928 and augmented by the Class of 1928 at its 50th reunion. In 2000, a generous gift from William C. Fletcher (class of 1966) established the Fletcher Family Fund endowment which more than doubles funds available to support faculty research. The FDC also reviews proposals for funding from the Coastal Studies Research Funding.

The FDC is divided into two subcommittees the Resources Subcommittee and the Teaching Subcommittee. The Teaching Subcommittee administers course development grants and oversees the development of teaching: engaging speakers, organizing workshops, supervising the teaching mentorship program, etc. The Research Subcommittee administers faculty research grants and faculty leave supplements.

Members of the 2011 - 2012 Resources Subcommittee are: Faculty: Kristen R. Ghodsee (14), Barry A. Logan, Subcommittee Chair (13), James Mullen (14), Ingrid Nelson (14), Susan L. Tananbaum, alternate (13). Ex Officio:William VanderWolk, Associate Dean for Faculty Development; Representatives from the Center for Learning and Teaching, the Library, IT, Student Fellowships and Student Affairs, as needed.

Members of the 2011- 2012 Teaching Subcommittee are: Faculty: Rachel J. Beane (14), Michael Birenbaum Quintero (14), Susan L. Tananbaum, Subcommittee Chair and alternate for Research Subcommittee (13). Students: Amanda Gartside '12, Teona Williams '12. Ex Officio: William VanderWolk, Associate Dean for Faculty Development; Representatives from the Center for Learning and Teaching, the Library, IT, Student Fellowships and Student Affairs, as needed.

Open Access
Unless the applicant requests otherwise in writing, any successful proposal will be available for consultation by other faculty members.

Generation of Income
For all awards, if the project generates income, the relevant fund should be reimbursed.

Grant Period
All grants will cover a two-year period from the date of the award. Any unused funds will then revert to the Fund, as will any funds remaining at the end of the academic year from grants to those ending their services to the College in that year.

Eligibility

Grant recipients must be benefits-eligible members of the Bowdoin faculty during the time in which the funds are used. Faculty members terminating their service at Bowdoin who have received awards from the Committee will not be eligible to draw from their grant accounts for expenditures incurred or for work intended to be done after the completion of the final semester of their service at Bowdoin.

Faculty members may receive up to a total of $8,000 in a given fiscal year from among conference travel, research funds, and course development funds (excluding Kenan, Porter, Faculty Leave Supplements and excluding the Dean's Conference Travel Fund).

Awards to Ph.D. candidates will be made only at the last Committee meeting of the academic year. In particular, funds will not be awarded to pay for the preparation of dissertations.

Types of Expenses funded

Travel Expenses: Travel to conduct off-site research, archival research, collaborative research, and attendance at faculty retooling seminars/institutes are all appropriate requests to this fund. Meal and lodging costs (up to $200 a day) can be included in the budget.

Research Materials: When applying for the cost of research materials (i.e. laboratory supplies, books, videos, etc.), the applicant should first check with his or her department about the availability of resources allotted directly to the department or through departmental or library funds, and should discuss such efforts in the proposal. Materials purchased through the grant become the property of the College unless other arrangements are made and authorized by the Committee, with the following exception. The purchase of books, videos, etc., that would become the property of the applicant should be justified in terms of the project and should normally not exceed ten percent of the total funds requested.

Publication Expenses: Reimbursement for page charges for publication in learned journals may be requested in a grant application, as may editorial support and other subventions of academic publications. Requests for subventions for book publishing should be accompanied by a letter from the press that clarifies the publisher’s policy and provides information about the costs for which the applicant seeks funding. However, grants are not meant to cover the purchase of reprints. Faculty members are encouraged to negotiate with their publisher, bearing in mind the maximum amount of FDC research awards and carefully considering the proposed cost of copies and royalties supplied to the author.

Conference Support: Funding for professional trips to conferences can be requested provided that the previous year’s balance and current year allocation of travel funds from the Dean for Academic Affairs are expected to be exhausted during the current academic year. If this condition is met, funds can be requested either to supplement a costly single trip or to support additional professional trips and proposals will be considered as funds are available.

For those faculty members awarded with travel funds, 100% of the first $1,000 will be reimbursed and 75% of additional costs up to a total of $2,000 per person per year. Should there be funds available at the end of the year, those who have conference costs exceeding $2,000 may be further reimbursed. 

A request for support to attend a conference must explicitly state the value of the conference to the applicant’s research program. Moreover, it is preferable that the applicant be giving a paper and/or be an organizer. A request for additional funding for conference travel may also be made when the applicant expects to carry on other research in conjunction with the professional trip. Proposals to fund professional trips to conferences must specify the number of days for which support is requested.

Applicants for conference support will be required to submit a description of the intended use of the Dean’s professional conference travel funds. At the end of the academic year, if a faculty member has not used their balance from the Dean’s travel funds, the unused funds will revert to the Faculty Research Fund in an amount not to exceed the size of the Faculty Research Fund grant.

To see the complete list of allowable expenses please visit the College's Expense Reimbursement Policy.

Not Allowable Expenses: Examples of expenses that are not reimbursable by the College are prescriptions, over-the-counter medication or other medical expenses, amenities such as movies, health clubs or in-room bars, expenses related to non-Bowdoin activities or personal time taken before, during or after a business trip. If you have an expense and are not sure if it is an allowable expense please contact Kathi Lucas in the Academic Dean's Office (klucas@bowdoin.edu) or Lynne Toussaint in the Controller's Office (ltoussai@bowdoin.edu) for clarification.

How to submit
All applications must be submitted electronically on or before the deadline date to fdc@list.bowdoin.edu. Applications must be submitted in a single document in Microsoft Word or PDF format, an abstract of your proposal must be provided; any other electronic format will not be accepted. For assistance in creating PDF documents, please contact the IT Help Desk. Electronic applications will be received automatically by all members of the Faculty Development Committee. An incomplete or late application will not be considered. Do not submit original receipts with proposals. Please hold them until an award is granted.