Fisher Fellowship
Deadline for academic year 2025-2026: October 9, 2024, at 6 PM ET
If you would like to see an example of a successful proposal, please contact Becky Wallace (facdev@depauw.edu).
Purpose: One faculty member per academic year may receive the designation of "Fisher Fellow." The Fellow is granted a one-semester paid leave to work on a scholarly, creative, teaching, or curricular project. In addition to the regular salary, he or she shall receive a $5000 stipend as well as $1000 for project expenses.
Eligibility: Only tenured faculty members may apply for a Fisher Fellowship. A Fisher Fellowship may not be held concurrently or in conjunction with an award that carries a course reassignment. For more information about eligibility, please see "Faculty Categories and Eligibility for Funding."
Expectations & Rules:
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All applications must specify a tangible product
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The Committee expects that the person designated a "Fisher Fellow" will share the fruits of this work with the community in an appropriate setting, such as a Faculty Forum.
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Since the designation "Fisher Fellow" is a major recognition of professional excellence, the applicant should present as complete and as thoroughly documented a proposal as possible. Applications will be considered on the basis of relative merit, and the Faculty Development Committee may request off-campus evaluations. The Committee may also request an interview with the applicant.
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A Fisher Fellow is eligible for other FDC funding except for Faculty Fellowships and Fisher Course Reassignment. A fellow may also apply to the Professional Development Fund for expenses related to the fellowship project.
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In accordance with long-standing University policy all semester-long grants will be made only to DePauw faculty who continue with the University for at least one year following the year in which the grant is used. Should a grant be awarded to a member of the faculty who, subsequent to the award, finds that he or she will not be continuing his or her professional relationship with DePauw University during the next academic year, such an award will be withdrawn.
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 Fellowships are designed to support work on a major project comparable to that expected of a sabbatical.
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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. FDC 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 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.
Reporting Process: A report is to be submitted to the FDC 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.