Provost's Leadership Opportunity Grants

The Provost's Leadership Opportunity grant program is designed for faculty who are committed to the future of RIT and who: aspire to a leadership role in the future or are serving in a leadership role, want to expand knowledge about leadership in higher education, and/or have a desire to learn more about the role effective academic leadership plays in academia.  The goal of these grants is to provide professional development opportunities for faculty to support their career advancement related to leadership. Full-time faculty may apply for grants up to $2,000 and must meet all eligibility requirements.

The grants will provide support for projects/activities related to leadership development and/or attendance at leadership development programs. Good leadership is founded on mutual purpose and good character; more broadly, leadership can be demonstrated in the classroom, in governance, or the conference room through collegiality and ethical behavior. The role of leader can be groomed more formally like that of department head, unit director, or dean. However, informal leadership roles can be possessed and honed by all through reading, resource sharing, and skills developed through lifelong learning and professional development.

1. Eligible faculty include full-time tenured, tenure-track, principal lecturers, senior lecturers, or lecturers in Academic Affairs at RIT who meet the goals and purpose of the Provost's Leadership Opportunity Grant.
    
2. Priority will be given to faculty aspiring to leadership positions at RIT or new department heads. 
    
3. Priority will be given to faculty who have not received a Leadership Opportunity Grant in the past. 
    
4. Faculty who have not completed previously awarded grant-funded projects or have not submitted an “Outcome Report” for a prior grant will not be eligible for a new grant-funded activity. 
    
5. Faculty may not submit more than one grant application per academic  year.
    
6. Hospitality requests should not exceed 10% of total budget.
    
7. Funding for software/hardware acquisition or other equipment, professional membership fees or licensure, certification, festival/screening fees, tuition, add-pay, faculty stipends, course release, or additional faculty salaries will not be considered.

• Call for Grant Proposals: Week of September 23, 2024 
• Grant Proposals Due: Friday, November 1, 2024, 11:59 pm. Late applications will not be considered.
• Funding Decisions Announced: Early December 2024. Grants may not be applied retroactively to activities participated in prior to the award.
• Final Grant Outcome Report Due: 30 days after completion of grant-funded project

1. Review the sample application below prior to preparing your application. We strongly recommend that you complete the application in a Word document, then copy/paste into the Qualtrics form.
> Sample Application
> Online Application (Qualtrics)

2. Have your dean's office (associate dean or dean) complete and sign the Verification Form (download file below). Grant applications without this form included as part of the application will not be considered. 
Step 1: Download form.
Step 2: Prepare the form in its entirety.
Step 3: Submit to your associate dean or dean for approval/signature.
Step 4: You or the dean's office should then email the completed/signed form to FCDS@rit.edu when you submit your application online via Qualtrics.

Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty selection committee, and recipients will be notified approximately December 1. If you are awarded a grant, you will receive instructions for accessing funds and reporting on the use of your grant in your award letter. If awarded, the acceptance of a Provost’s Leadership Opportunity Grant does not imply an expectation or an offer of formal leadership moving forward at RIT.

Grant recipients are asked to help disseminate their results by completing an online “Outcome Report” following the project completion. In this report, you will share the impact of this grant on your professional development, your teaching, and future success in your field.