The Faculty Benefits Committee sponsors three competitive award programs to support the professional development of tenured and tenure-track faculty: sabbaticals, summer fellowships, and project grants. The following questions are typically posed by applicants pursuing a summer fellowship. Applicants are strongly urged to consult the Faculty Handbook (Section XII. A-D, pp. 70-81 and Section IV. A-D, p. 112) for a complete description of the purpose, eligibility, conditions of acceptance and application procedures of each program.
1. What professional activities are supported by a fellowship?
2. When is the deadline for filing a fellowship application and who receives copies of the proposal?
3. Where can I obtain an application form and related information about this award?
4. What is the department chairperson's role in the application process?
5. How often am I eligible for a fellowship?
6. What is the dollar value of the fellowship?
7. Can I teach or accept other paid employment during the term of the fellowship?
8. What are the final reporting requirements and when is the report due?
9. Who receives copies of the final report?
11. What happens if I terminate my employment at NKU and do not return at the end of the fellowship?
13. When do I learn if my application is approved?
14. Where can I find an example of a successful application from a prior year?
1. What professional activities are supported by a fellowship?
Answer: Fellowships provide salary to support a variety of professional activities during the summer months. Fundable activities include developing teaching skills, conducting research, publishing scholarly work, performing creative and artistic projects attending seminars or conducting pilot studies and literature searches.
2. When is the deadline for filing a fellowship application and who receives copies of the proposal?
Answer: The deadline for filing an application is the first Tuesday of October of each academic year. Submit copies electronically ( preferably PDF form) to:
a). Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles (hilesg1@nku.edu);
b). the department chairperson.
3. Where can I obtain an application form and related information about this award?
Answer: Application forms can be down-loaded at the following address: Summer Fellowships . The procedures, eligibility conditions, and reporting requirements are covered in the Faculty Handbook (Section XII. A-D, pp. 70-81 and Section IV. A-D, p. 112).At the beginning of the fall semester, the Benefits Committee holds a workshop on the application process for all award programs. Attendance is voluntary. The date of the workshop is announced in August through e-mail, Midweek, and circulars distributed by the Professional and Organizational Development Center.
4. What is the department chairperson’s role in the application process?
Answer: The chairperson is responsible for writing a letter of evaluation for the applicant. The letter will reflect the chair’s perception of the quality of the proposal, the applicant’s ability to carry out the project, stewardship of prior awards and eligibility. The chair’s deadline for forwarding the evaluation letter is the second Tuesday in October. The chair forwards electronic copies (preferably PDF form) of the letter to:
a). the Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles (hilesg1@nku.edu);
b). the dean of the applicant’s college;
c). the applicant.
5. How often am I eligible for a fellowship?
Answer: Tenured and tenure track faculty are eligible beginning in their first year of employment. Faculty become eligible for another fellowship in the third summer following the prior fellowship. A faculty member who receives a terminal contract is not eligible.
6. What is the dollar value of the fellowship?
Answer: A fellowship pays $6,000 of summer salary in two installments. Ninety-percent is dispersed at the beginning of the summer sessions (normally, the first week of June) and the remaining 10% is dispersed when the applicant submits the final report which should be no later than September 1st.
7. Can I teach or accept other paid employment during the term of the fellowship?
Answer: No, summer teaching is not permitted during the fellowship period and consulting and other outside professional activities are limited to the equivalent of one day per academic week (see the Faculty Handbook Section XII.B.4.d., p. 77 and Section IV, p.112). Performing other paid University services during the summer is prohibited.
8. What are the final reporting requirements and when is the report due?
Answer: Recipients of an award must submit a final report electronically by September 1. The typical report takes the form of a letter to the Provost which summarizes what the applicant accomplished with the award. Tangible products of the award (e.g., a scholarly manuscript, book or book chapters, etc.) do not have to be submitted with the report; however, the applicant should make them available to administrators upon request.
9. Who receives copies of the final report?
Answer: Final reports must be submitted to:
a). the Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles (hilesg1@nku.edu);
b). the department chair;
c). the dean of the applicant's college;
d). the Provost.
10. Can I apply for a summer fellowship, a project grant, and a sabbatical leave during the same academic year?
Answer: Yes, but be aware that separate applications must be submitted for each award, that there are different eligibility requirements for sabbaticals and summer fellowships, and that there are different final report deadlines for the various awards. Check the Faculty Handbook for eligibility requirements for the different awards (Section XII.A.2, p. 73; XII.B.2, p. 76; XII.C. 2, p. 78) and for deadlines of final reports (XII.A.4, p. 75; XII.B.5, p. 77; XII.C.7, p. 79).
11. What happens if I terminate my employment at NKU and do not return at the end of the fellowship?
Answer: Recipients of a fellowship must agree to return to the University for a minimum of one academic year following the fellowship or repay the full amount of the stipend to the university.
12. Is a chairperson eligible for a fellowship, and if so, who evaluates their application and verifies their eligibility?
Answer: Yes, department chairs are eligible. They submit the application to the Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles and to the college dean who evaluates the application and verifies eligibility.
13. When do I learn if my application is approved?
Answer: The Provost informs applicants of the status of their application no later than December 24.
14. Where can I find an example of a successful application from a prior year?
Answer: A binder of successful applications from a prior year is available at the Steely Library circulation desk.