College of Arts & Sciences Professional Development in Teaching Grants Call for Applications, Calendar Year 2027

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to fostering high-quality instruction and dynamic teaching practices that prepare our 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. Grants will provide faculty support to attend a teaching focused conference or workshop and a stipend once grantees have demonstrated implementation of a new idea or technique.

General Information:

  • Eligibility: Applications are welcome from all 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 23 with a deadline of November 30. Awards will be announced by early December for travel in calendar year 2027.
  • The award will fund attendance at a teaching-focused conference or workshop (up to $4000) and requires a departmental match of at least one-third of the total amount requested.
  • An additional stipend of $500 will be given to recipients once they share how they applied a new idea or strategy in one or more of their courses during the fall 2027/spring 2028 year.

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 30, 2026.
  • 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 1 report through the portal:

  1. Upon return: A travel report detailing expenses must be submitted within 30 days after the travel is completed and will be the trigger for travel funds to be transferred to the department. An additional stipend of $500 will be given to recipients who describe how they plan to implement/have implemented at least one idea or technique from the conference or workshop into a course they are or will be teaching.

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 in particular will benefit the faculty member's teaching? Does the applicant demonstrate the value of this conference/workshop?
  2. Are there specific goals for attending? Does the applicant convey a vision for the type of changes they would like to make in their course or any specific deficit they are trying to address? How likely are these goals to be met?
  3. How many students are likely to benefit from inclusion of new methods or techniques in the faculty member's course?
  4. Does the faculty member provide a compelling justification for funding?