Faculty Interdisciplinarity Grants
In October 2021, the Task Force on Interdisciplinary Cultures and Structures published its final report on interdisciplinarity at Fordham University. A series of recommendations were made by the Task Force and this call specifically responds to recommendation B.2 (Interdisciplinary Faculty Development Microgrants).
In 2019, FAS received a Strategic Initiative Grant from CUSP and the Board of Trustees to support the Task Force on Interdisciplinary Cultures and Structures and to provide a seed fund to subsidize its initiatives. The grant supported the work of the Task Force in 2019-2020, until its work was interrupted by the pandemic. The life of the grant was three years, and the remaining funds have to be expended before the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, and can only be used to fund activities related to the Task Force and interdisciplinary initiatives. This is the second of two grant opportunities that are being made available in AY 2021-2022. The first call focused on supporting Interdisciplinary Programs in developing and updating governance documentation related to their administrative and organizational structures. This call focuses on interdisciplinary course development opportunities.
FAS is pleased to announce a one-time grant opportunity to develop and/or enhance a specific interdisciplinary course (including, but not limited to, interdisciplinary capstone courses). This program is aimed at enabling faculty to learn about new topics, disciplines, or methods; to support interdisciplinary scholarship; to encourage creativity; and to create opportunities to interact and build connections with faculty members working in disciplines other than their own. The funded course needs to either have already been taught (with instructor(s) planning to offer it again in the next two years), or be a new course, planned for the 2022-2023 academic year. Requestors must have support from their home departments and a sign-off from their chair is required.
We are accepting applications for activities to take place by the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. Awarded funds must be expended and any receipts and reimbursement requests submitted by May 30, 2022.
The deadline to apply is February 28, 2022. All full-time faculty in the arts and sciences (tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track) are encouraged to apply, and need not be affiliated with an interdisciplinary program in order to do so. Award announcements will be made by mid-March. We look forward to project proposals that strengthen interdisciplinarity at Fordham, both within and outside of interdisciplinary programs. Priority will be given to projects related to social justice and anti-racism.
Funds can be used for the following purposes:
- Materials (books, journal subscriptions, software, etc.),
- Conference travel (applicant(s) must explain how the conference is related to the course in question, but do not necessarily have to be presenters),
- Training & Skills acquisition,
- Course development workshops and other opportunities for pedagogic development.
Proposals can be created individually or in groups, particularly if the course is meant to be team-taught or designed to be taught by different people at different times. We encourage A&S faculty to submit proposals that range in size and scope, and that cut across campuses, departments, and programs. Support for any particular project may range from approximately $500 to $4,000. We encourage proposals that intentionally involve undergraduate and/or graduate students in planning and implementation. If your project will utilize a graduate or undergraduate assistant, please itemize this cost in the budget form provided. A short report will be required in June for funded projects. Applications will be evaluated by the FAS Dean Fellows (Carl Fischer, Sara Lehman, Sharif Mowlabocus, and Stephen Hong Sohn), with additional input as needed from faculty members with relevant expertise.