Academic Affairs

Purpose
The Elizabeth Watkins Porter and Robert Chamberlain Porter Fund was established in 1998 to “encourage faculty renewal and development to benefit both faculty and their students” by enabling faculty members to “engage in advanced study or research at other universities.”

Eligibility
All tenured and tenure track faculty members are eligible to apply to this fund, and priority will be given to applications requesting sabbatical leave supplement support. Faculty members may request salary support from this fund up to two-thirds of their normal one-semester salary. Applicants do not need to state their salary in their application. The Office of the Dean for Academic Affairs will calculate the appropriate salary amount. Committee members will not have access to this information. In addition, each individual may request up to $4,000 in travel and relocation expenses.

Application Procedure

A complete Porter application must include:

1. Title of project
2. A narrative description (no more than four pages single-spaced) in which the applicant makes clear in language that is accessible to non-specialist colleagues the following:
   1. the basic ideas, problems, works, or questions the study will examine, and the steps to be taken to accomplish this research;
   2. the significance of the project to the applicant’s scholarly field and research program;
   3. the relationship of the project to the applicant’s ongoing development as a scholar;
   4. a clear statement of anticipated outcome;
   5. the dates and amount of awards from the Faculty Development Committee (previously the Faculty Resources Committee) received over the past six years, any previous Faculty Leave Fellowship, Kenan, Bowdoin Faculty Research, or Porter grants, and a brief summary of their results. Any relationships between previously funded projects and the current research must be described.
3. If external funding has been sought – or applications will be submitted – this should be noted in the application, with a list of agencies or organizations to which applications have been or will be submitted. If such funds are obtained, the total amount of all awards, from Bowdoin and non-Bowdoin sources, should not exceed the normal salary for the current year.
4. A current curriculum vitae, no longer than five pages.
5. An statement indicating the university at which the applicant wishes to study or conduct research; explain why this would be a good site for the work proposed; and describe any efforts the applicant may have made to secure appointment as a visiting scholar. While it may not be possible to arrange for a formal letter of invitation from the host institution to be included in the application, it is strongly recommended that a letter from a contact at the university, even an informal e-mail communication, accompany the application. Funding is conditional on the faculty member actually going to the university specified.
6. An external recommendation by a scholar/educator in the same field as the proposal. The letter should address the merits of the proposed activity and why/how the applicant is prepared to undertake it successfully.
7. All these materials should be submitted electronically on or before the deadline date to fdc@list.bowdoin.edu. Applications must be submitted (in a single document when possible) in Microsoft Word or PDF format; 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.