Fisher Course Reassignment
Deadline for Fall 2025 and/or Spring 2026: October 30, 2024 at 6 PM ET
Purpose: A Fisher Course Reassignment is time from one course or its equivalent in a given semester in order for a colleague to complete a professional project, either for teaching or scholarly/artistic work (10-12 hours per week for a whole semester). Fisher Course Reassignments may be used for reassigned time for the preparation of a complete proposal for a significant external grant or fellowship. The Fisher applicant should have identified the grant or fellowship he or she aims to apply for, showing that there is an appropriate deadline and that he or she is a plausible candidate for the grant, and should also describe in some detail the work (writing, research, grant workshops, etc.) that will be undertaken during the period of the Fisher Course Reassignment that would justify the corresponding reassigned time. Faculty members interested in applying for grants should also contact the Dean of Faculty for assistance.
Eligibility: All tenure-track or tenured members of the faculty are eligible to apply each year, but they may only receive an award every two years. Term faculty members must have completed a successful third-year review. Faculty members are not eligible for a Fisher Course Reassignment during the same academic year as a sabbatical or pre-tenure leave. See section on "Faculty Categories and Eligibility for Funding" for more details.
Expectations & Rules:
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Faculty members considering projects that involve technology should consult with Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) at least two weeks prior to the application deadline.
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Your Chair or Program Director should send an email to Becky Wallace (facdev@depauw.edu) acknowledging that he/she has read the application and will work with you to determine the best time to take the reassigned time, should it be awarded, in relation to staffing needs. Faculty in the School of Music should share their application and plans with the Associate Dean of the School of Music, who will provide this email.
Criteria for Evaluation:
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Completeness and Clarity of the Application: The application should include defined goals and should be written in language understandable to your colleagues on the Faculty Development Committee. It should be detailed and contain a full explanation of the applicant's process and product.
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Scope of the Project: Fisher Course Reassignments are designed to support work to complete a project, such as an article or paper for a professional meeting, an external grant, or to complete art work for an exhibition.
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Merit of the Project: Does the proposal show promise of significant achievement in course development, in curricular development or in pedagogy, or does it show promise of a project or product of scholarly/creative importance? In areas of teaching and curricular improvement, the size of the audience or the longevity of the program may be a factor in consideration. Documents or letters of support from colleagues with expertise in the area of the project may strengthen the proposal. The Faculty Development Committee may ask for an opinion from another scholar in your field.
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The Applicant's Qualifications: Applicants should document their expertise in the area of their project. They may do this by submitting work previously done, annotated bibliographies, or a brief statement of their field within the discipline.
Procedure for Evaluation:
Proposals will be judged on their merits but all things being equal:
1. Awards may be distributed across disciplines.
2. Priority may be given to applicants who have not received a similar award in recent years and to applicants who have not frequently received grants from Faculty Development in the past.
3. Priority may be given to applications from tenure track and tenured faculty members.
Reporting Process: A report is to be submitted to the Faculty Development Committee for fall projects - by the first Monday of the following spring semester, and for spring projects - by the first Monday of the following fall semester. Your report should be addressed to the Faculty Development Committee Chair and, like your proposal, should be readily understandable by colleagues outside your field. You should refer to the product you promised in your original proposal, and show how the funding enabled you to meet your goals and advanced your professional development. Depending on the nature of the project, you may include a narrative or reflective statement (no more than 3 pages). You should attach or provide documentation of the promised product, or in some cases, as for instance with a draft of a manuscript or a syllabus, you should attach the product itself along with a brief cover letter (up to 1 page). A member of the Faculty Development Committee will review and respond to your report.
Please submit your report electronically to Becky Wallace in the form of a WORD or PDF document (facdev@depauw.edu).
Faculty members who fail to submit reports on time will be ineligible for Faculty Development funding until the report(s) have been submitted and approved. Funded proposals, approved reports, and brief responses from the Faculty Development Committee will be placed automatically in a faculty member's personnel file.