The Professional Exploration and Growth grants program supports full-time faculty members (at any stage of their careers) who are seeking structured learning opportunities which help them broaden their skills as teachers, scholars, and leaders. Typically, these opportunities are (1) voluntarily undertaken as areas for growth identified by the individual faculty member, (2) non-credit-bearing, and (3) focused on practices/topics which could be shared with and applied by others on the UNC campus. The maximum award for any single experience is $2500, and preference is given to faculty members who have not received Professional Exploration and Growth funding in the past 18 months. Within 2 weeks of completing the grant-funded activity, recipients will be invited to participate in a 60-minute interview and planning conversation with a CFE staff member about their experiences.
Example Activities
- Attending a workshop to develop pedagogical expertise or to learn particular teaching methods (e.g., National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Summer Workshop)
- Attending an institute to develop expertise in a certain research methodology or analytical technique (e.g., Digital Humanities Summer Institute or Cold Spring Harbor Method Courses)
- Attending an institute to develop higher education leadership skills (e.g., PKAL STEM Leadership Institute)
Submission and Notification Dates
Subject to the amount of remaining funds available for the current fiscal year, applications will be reviewed by CFE staff shortly after the following rolling submission cut-off dates:
- 9:00pm (ET) on Wednesday, October 31, 2018
- Notifications sent to awardees by 5:00pm (ET) on Friday, November 9, 2018
- Awarded funds must be exhausted no later than June 30, 2019
- 9:00pm (ET) on Wednesday, April 17, 2019
- Notifications sent to awardees by 5:00pm (ET) on Friday, April 26, 2018
- Awarded funds must be exhausted no later than June 30, 2019
- 9:00pm (ET) on Wednesday, July 17, 2019
- Notifications sent to awardees by 5:00pm (ET) on Friday, July 26, 2019
- Awarded funds must be exhausted no later than June 30, 2020
Successful applicants for Professional and Exploration Growth grants will be able to (1) clearly articulate aspects of their practices which they would like to enhance, (2) identify a specific venue where they may develop their skills in those areas, and (3) demonstrate alignment between their individual explorations and any potential benefits to colleagues in the UNC community.
Additional Questions
Please direct any questions, comments, or suggestions about the CFE Professional Exploration and Growth grants program to cfe@unc.edu.