Faculty Professional Development Council
PURPOSE
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Faculty Professional Development Council was established by a 1985 Board of Governors’ policy “to encourage continuous attention to the professional growth and development of System faculty as teaching scholars.” The Council has addressed a wide range of faculty interests, needs, and talents and provides professional development opportunities for faculty at all levels and in all disciplines and professional fields. The Annual Grants Program is generally intended to provide professional growth opportunities for individual faculty (although some RFPs call for teams or groups of faculty). A general definition of “faculty professional development,” as the Council interprets it is:
"Professional development involves the acquisition of knowledge and/or development of skills related to some aspect of the faculty member’s professional responsibilities. The learning may involve increasing knowledge in one’s discipline or a related discipline or of the inter-relationships among disciplines – or knowledge about how students learn, about issues facing colleagues in business or basic education or another professional field, or about national trends and issues in higher education. A faculty member may develop artistic skills, hone research skills, improve skills in organizing and integrating knowledge, develop pedagogical skills, sharpen performance skills, gain experience in using administrative skills, or learn how to use technology to enhance teaching and learning.
The professional development lies in the learning that occurs in carrying out the project and the relevance of that learning to the faculty member’s ongoing growth and development as a professional teacher-scholar."
The Council establishes an annual schedule for solicitation of proposals from faculty at the 14 member PASSHE universities. Proposals are submitted to the university which narrows the field, if necessary, and then forwards the proposals to the PASSHE office for review by the Council.
ANNUAL GRANT PROGRAM
On April 10, 2009, $221,250.00 was awarded for 41 proposals selected from a field of 117 requests. The complete list of awards can be accessed through this link: 2009 FPDC Awards The categories of research include:
- Joint Faculty-Student Basic or Applied Research
- Scholarly Research: Basic or Applied
- Joint Faculty-Student Public Service
- Creative and Performing Arts
- Individual Faculty Projects in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
- Group Projects (two or more faculty) in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
- Academic Department Projects in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
- Individual Career Enhancement in Off-Site Settings
Additional resources
Previously Funded Proposals
Previously funded proposals from the annual grants program are provided be low as an aide for grant writers to gain a better understanding of the format and content of an acceptable FPDC proposal and the minimum quality expectations of reviewers. The information in each proposal is proprietary.
Grant Writing Mentors from System Universities have agreed to provide guidance and feedback on research proposals and budgets, and will answer general questions regarding the grant writing process.
The Pennsylvania State System Faculty Professional Development Council is convened by the Office of the Chancellor, Division of Academic and Student Affairs. For additional information contact your University’s office of sponsored research or your Faculty Professional Development committee. University faculty professional development links are listed below:
Bloomsburg University
California University
Cheyney University
Clarion University
East Stroudsburg University
Edinboro University
Indiana University
Kutztown University
Lock Haven University
Mansfield University
Millersville University
Shippensburg University
Slippery Rock University
West Chester University