College of Arts & Sciences Professional Development in Teaching Grants Call for Applications, Calendar Year 2026

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to fostering high-quality instruction and dynamic teaching practices that prepare students to attain their personal and professional goals. To allow faculty to pursue continuous growth in high-quality instruction, the College of Arts & Sciences is sponsoring opportunities that encourage professional development in teaching. Awardees of the Profession Development in Teaching Grants are provided up to $4,000 to attend teaching-focused conferences and/or workshops. In addition, awardees will receive $500 in discretionary funds once they have demonstrated implementation of a new idea or technique into the classroom.

General Information:

  • Eligibility: Applications are welcome from all permanent, full-time faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences. Priority will be given to those who are most directly involved in teaching at the undergraduate level, especially those focused on lower level or gateway undergraduate courses.
  • The portal will open for submissions October 27 with a deadline of November 24. Awards will be announced by early December for travel in calendar year 2026.
  • Up to $4000 is awarded to fund attendance at a teaching-focused conference or workshop and requires a departmental match of at least one-third of the total amount requested.
  • An additional $500 in discretionary funds will be provided to faculty once they implement the new idea or strategy in one or more of their courses.

Proposal Specifics:

  • A compliant proposal submission will contain a Proposal Cover Sheet (web form) and a Full Proposal Document described below. The proposal must follow the format included in this RFP.
  • You can enter the proposal submission portal by clicking the Login button in the upper right of this Professional Development in Teaching Grant web page. To create a new proposal and to enter the submission portal, click on the + New request box.
  • You will be required to enter the following information in the web form (Proposal Cover Sheet):
    • Applicant NetID, Name, and Contact Information
    • Applicant Title/Faculty Rank
    • Departmental Affiliation
    • Name of conference or workshop
    • Conference or workshop location
    • Conference or workshop dates
    • Proposed budget information (e.g. registration, travel, and any other expenses)
  • The portal provides a browse and upload function to upload the Full Proposal Document (PDF format). The Full Proposal Document must consist of the following in a single PDF document not to exceed 2 pages (12-pt, Times New Roman font; one-inch margins, single-spaced):
    • Description of the conference or workshop
    • Explanation of why this particular conference or workshop would be beneficial along with any specific goals for attending
    • Description of the applicant's typical teaching assignment including number of sections and approximate number of students enrolled
    • Additional information to support the request (see review criteria below). This may include evidence of successful prior efforts to incorporate innovative teaching methods in courses, specific student outcomes the faculty member would like to address, or specific needs for professional development.
  • When all required information is entered, the Full Proposal Document is uploaded, and you have reviewed all materials and are ready to submit, click the Submit for Approval box at the bottom of the page.
  • After successful submission, you will receive a confirmation email from the portal system and your proposal will be routed to the department head for review and approval. If you do not receive an electronic confirmation, please contact Michia Williams at mwilliams@deanas.msstate.edu.
  • Once the department head approves, the applicant and departmental business manager are sent a confirmation and the proposal is routed automatically to the dean's office where they will remain until the review process is complete.
  • Proposals must be submitted and approved through the head via the A&S Funding Opportunities Web Portal by November 24, 2025.
  • Questions about the nature of the grant, the application process, or submission process can be directed to Kelly Moser at kellymoser@cmll.msstate.edu.

Post-Award Requirements:

Grantees will be required to submit 2 reports through the portal:

  1. Upon return: A travel report detailing expenses and describing how the awardee plans to implement at least one idea or technique from the conference or workshop into a course they are or will be teaching. This report must be submitted within 30 days after the travel is completed and will be the trigger for reimbursement of travel funds to be transferred to the department (include your department account number and Concur expense report in the travel report).
  2. Upon their implementation of a new idea or strategy: An additional $500 in discretionary funds will be provided once the faculty has implemented the new idea or strategy in one or more of their courses. Faculty must submit a report that includes (1) strategies learned during the conference/workshop, (2) how these new stratgies were implemented in a class or classes, and (3) outcome(s) of that implementation. Reports should be submitted within the Submission portal by June 1, 2027.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel that may consist of the A&S dean, associate or assistant deans, and/or faculty recognized for excellence in teaching.

Merit review guidelines are as follows:

  1. Is it clear how attending this conference or workshop will benefit the faculty member's teaching?
  2. Are the specific goals for attending this conference or workshop stated? How likely are these goals to be met?
  3. Does the applicant convey a vision for the type of change(s) they would like to make in their course or any specific deficit they are trying to address?
  4. How many students are likely to benefit from inclusion of the new method(s) or technique(s) in the faculty member's course?
  5. Does the faculty member provide a compelling justification for funding?