What is the difference between the Mellon Innovation Fund and the Faculty Development Fund? 

Clearly, there is overlap between the two sets of funds.

The Faculty Development Fund consists of several pots of money that have been assembled into the FDF to be available for a broad range of projects pursued by faculty at all different stages of their careers.  It supports research and scholarly initiatives, and fewer focused specifically on curricular and pedagogical projects.  The Mellon Innovation Fund, in contrast, differs from other grants because it aims to make space among ongoing commitments for creativity, experimentation, and inventive combinations in the academic program and in faculty interactions with each other as scholars and as teachers.  The Mellon Innovation Fund (Mellon IF) is designed to support fresh approaches to advancing faculty development of curricula, pedagogy, and scholarship. This captures the intent of the grant sought by the college and funded by the Mellon Foundation.

The Mellon Innovation Fund has the potential for nurturing institutional change at Bates, encouraging collaborations among instructors, especially in supporting projects focused on enriching curricula and pedagogy.  Unlike Bates Faculty Development Fund grants, which encourage faculty research and scholarship without asking that the scholarly project make any direct change to Bates, the MIF focuses on three areas of faculty activity:

• General Education, specifically the development and enhancement of GECs;
• faculty initiatives to enhance and support diversity across the Bates community, curricula, and co-curricula; and,
• scholarship by tenured faculty and senior lecturers, principally new directions in research and scholarly production.

Mellon IF awards, in particular, support projects that extend GEC development, foster attention to "diversity topics" in the curriculum, or enable faculty members’ to boost their knowledge of strategies for creating innovative and inclusive classrooms.  Individual research projects, as well, are expected to include activities which encourage interaction with colleagues.  A proposal that begins with an individual’s scholarship could be considered appropriate for a Mellon Innovation award if it, for example, includes a plan for how s/he might disseminate their work, share project ideas, research experiences, or pivotal moments in the research or production process. Consultations or collaborations among Bates faculty and campus colleagues or dissemination of scholarly ideas, campus activities, or works-in-progress could be included as activities in such a project and, thus, would also connect Bates to the researcher’s interest. 

Mellon Innovation Fund grants, thus, offer opportunities to take the college in new directions, and to enliven and enrich our intellectual interactions. In addition, summer stipends are available under Mellon Innovation Fund.

Can we apply to the Mellon IF for the same project?

In the case of scholarship, it seems possible as long as the research or scholarly production is not an extension of the faculty member’s existing work on her/his long-standing scholarly focus. If the proposed work takes one’s interest in a subject in a new direction, or proposes a plan to develop a new platform or audience for one’s research then it seems appropriate for the intended purposes of this portion of the grant.  As with Faculty Development Funds, if a large number of applications are made, priority will be given to those projects which are not already funded.

Is this the resource to give faculty on sabbatical a full year off? 

No, it is not.

To get funding for the fall (and winter) semester of one academic year, should I apply for funds in a previous academic year (i.e. apply in February for activities planned to commence in September)?

Yes; grants will be awarded for up to an eighteen month period (with opportunity to apply for extension). Projects that involve multiple faculty members will likely take substantial planning and discussion before an application is made and may require considerable time to organize once funding is received. Because of this, faculty members are encouraged to prepare and apply well in advance in case you need funds to begin planning the activity.

What steps do I need to take to get funding for a course reduction or a course replacement?

Faculty seeking course reductions and replacements for Winter of the following academic year (e.g. 2010) must apply for a Mellon Innovation Fund grant by the October (e.g. 2008) deadline or the February (e.g. 2009) deadline in order to comply with the leave and course reduction review schedule of the Division Chairs, who review all such requests in the year preceding their use. (Consult the Dean of Faculty office for leave and course reduction request deadlines.)  In addition, faculty seeking course reductions and replacements must get a written endorsement of their plan by the chair of each department and program in which their courses are listed, to ensure that discussions take place about covering courses, and must also submit the appropriate application and letter of support to the Division Chairs, citing their Mellon Innovation Fund application as possible support.

If I plan to work on a project over the summer, can I apply for summer stipend?

Yes, you can. Stipends may be given for work for which stipends have not already been funded through other means.

Can I use MIF grant money to support a conference that I plan to convene off campus?

Such a proposal would be considered eligible for a MIF award if it can be demonstrated concretely that substantive results would be disseminated at Bates.  If the materials or interactions with experts on the topic of the off-campus activity are not immediately accessible to Bates students, faculty, and staff or administrators, then, the proposal must identify how the value of such an undertaking will be made available to members of the Bates community. 

Also, is the group reviewing the projects the same as the Faculty Scholarship Committee that reviews Faculty Development Fund applications?

No, the "Committee on Faculty Innovation," as it is called, includes two members of the Committee on Faculty Scholarship with two to four other faculty members added to ensure participation from all academic divisions and the interdisciplinary programs.  The Dean of the Faculty (ex-officio) and the Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion also are members of the committee. The Special Assistant to the President and the Director of Faculty Research (who also sits on the Committee on Faculty Scholarship) co-chair the Committee on Faculty Innovation.

More information on the grant is available at http://www.bates.edu/mellon-innovation-fund.xml.

To apply: complete 1) the Application Cover Sheet, 2) a 2-4 page narrative description of the project, and 3) a detailed budget. See the request-for-proposals for more detailed information about the application and supporting materials http://www.bates.edu/mellon-innovation-fund.xml.

8/2009