Tenured Faculty Enhancement Program

This competitive program, funded by the President and Provost, is intended to assist tenured faculty in devoting an entire semester to research and/or creative activity.

The Tenured Faculty Enhancement Program provides the recipients’ department with funds for faculty instructional replacement costs. During the reassignment, recipients will continue to draw with their full salary and fringes for one semester (either fall or spring) in the next academic year. They must devote the entire semester to their research project.  

Proposals must focus on projects that result in scholarly and/or creative activity products at an R2 standard that warrant 100% Research workload and are beyond the expectations of a typical 30% research workload. Examples might include, but are not limited to: conducting pilot research, collecting research data, collaborating off-site with external colleagues from peer or aspirational peer institutions, developing concept proposals for IP consideration, and writing substantial publications like books, or other disciplinary equivalents.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 reassignment cycle is October 2, 2023.

Amount

Faculty member receives a reassignment for one semester. The department will hire part-time instructors to cover the faculty member’s courses. The associated instructional replacement costs will come from the part-time faculty pool.

Proposal Questions and Assistance

Because this is a highly competitive program, we strongly suggest attending one of the CETL workshops on preparing an application (see above). If you have any questions concerning the application process or the suitability of your proposal, contact cetl@kennesaw.edu. 

Please note: USG regulations limit travel abroad for this program to no longer than 90 days. Some countries have even more restrictive time constraints. If you are planning international travel as part of your proposal, please contact Karen McDonnell, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, at kmcdonn1@kennesaw.edu prior to submitting your proposal.

    • Applicants must be tenured at the time of their application.

    • Applicants must be in at least their 7th year of full-time employment at KSU and have completed at least 6 consecutive years as a full- time faculty member at KSU at the time of the application.

    • Faculty are eligible to apply for a subsequent reassignment in the 6th year after the completion of a previous reassignment.

  • Uses and Limitations

    • Awards are available for either fall or spring semester. They are not available during the summer because faculty are not under contract, though the summer may be used to extend the program experience in the narrative of the proposal.

    • Accepting the reassignment means that a faculty member will be reassigned from all KSU responsibilities during the entire semester, except for activities consistent with these guidelines. The intent of this program is to enable faculty to focus on the project described in their application. Accordingly, recipients will normally work exclusively on their research project, and not engage in other teaching, service or research during that time. However, work outside the project may be appropriate if it does not interfere with the project and there are compelling reasons to allow this additional work. For example, a recipient may be advising a graduate student on their research or studies which are closely aligned with the recipient’s expertise, such that it might be disruptive to the student’s progress if they were no longer advised by the recipient. In that case, so long as continuing as the advisor would not interfere with the project, then the faculty member may be allowed to continue in that role during the reassignment. In cases where work outside the project is contemplated during the reassignment, recipients and their chair or dean should consult with CETL on whether that will be consistent with these Guidelines. If necessary, the Provost may make a final ruling on whether the additional work is appropriate.

    • During the reassignment, faculty members should continue to follow KSU and Board of Regents policies on outside activities and conflicts of interest. 

    • Recipients will receive their regular salary and benefits during the reassignment period.

    • Reassignments cannot be used to accept a temporary teaching appointment at another university.

    • Please note: USG regulations limit travel abroad for this program to no longer than 90 days. Some countries have even more restrictive time constraints. If you are planning international travel as part of your proposal, please contact Karen McDonnell, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, at kmcdonn1@kennesaw.edu prior to submitting your proposal.

    Program Requirements

    The recipient is expected to:

    • work on the project full time and suspend KSU-related responsibilities and activities unrelated to the project during the term in which the reassignment is taken, except as allowed by the Enhancement Program Guidelines or by the Executive Director for Faculty Development, Recognition, and CETL;

    • conduct a workshop or seminar for colleagues on the outcomes of the reassignment research project within 6 months of the end of the reassignment;

    • present the results of their research project in a showcase to university leadership;

    • submit a report to the Executive Director for Faculty Development, Recognition, and CETL no later than 6 months after the completion of the reassignment with an update on the status and outcomes of the research project;

    • submit a report with updates on the status and outcomes of the research project every 6 months until completion of the project;

    • credit the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Kennesaw State University in every published work (e.g. papers, posters, book chapters, blogs, websites, event programs, etc.) resulting from their participation in the Tenured Faculty Enhancement Program.

  • The evaluation of the proposals follows a two-step process. In the first step, proposals are reviewed on a competitive basis by the Faculty Development Committee, a standing committee of the Faculty Senate. The committee makes recommendations to Academic Affairs. The following criteria guide the committee’s evaluation of proposals:

    • The quality and significance of the project relative to an R2 institution.

    • The extent to which the proposed reassignment articulates specific measurable outcomes/products.

    • The extent to which the proposal clearly demonstrates how the reassignment will ultimately contribute to departmental, college, and university mission and goals as aligned to KSU’s R2 roadmap.

    • The extent to which the proposal includes an explicit action plan and timeline for completion of the project.

    • The extent to which the applicant has an established record of excellence in research and/or creative activity relative to the years of academic experience presented in the applicant’s CV.

    • The extent to which there are departmental and college support and resources to sustain resulting initiatives of the applicant after the reassignment.

    In the second step, proposals are reviewed by the Provost, the Vice President for Research, and the Assistant Vice President for Faculty Affairs in an interactive process which might include consultation with the applicants to maximize the alignment of the proposals with the university R2 goals.

  • The program runs by fiscal year. Applications are accepted each fall for reassignments the following fiscal year (fall or spring). Decisions are then announced by early December.

    • For Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 reassignment, apply in Fall 2022. 
    • For Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 reassignment, apply in Fall 2023.
    • For Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 reassignment, apply in Fall 2024. 

  • Proposal Submission Guidelines

    1. Compile all the required information from the Proposal Format section below, including the signed program cover sheet and LOU into a single PDF. Please make sure all required signatures are included. The selection committee will not consider late or incomplete applications.
    2. Complete the webform below, attach your combined PDF, and click submit. 

    You will receive an e-mail confirmation upon successful submission. If you do not receive the confirmation e-mail, please contact CETL. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the proposal was received by the deadline.

    Proposal Format

    In order to facilitate and expedite the review of proposals, proposals must be submitted in the following format (i.e., order of content) and explicitly address all specified proposal elements listed below. Proposals that are not consistent with the following formatting instructions or missing required content (e.g., cover sheet signatures, budget statement of understanding signatures) are not considered.

    1. Completed Cover Sheet and LOU with all required signatures
      (Please use DocuSign to obtain electronic signatures on university documents.)

    2. Abstract (No more than 100 words).

    3. Narrative (No more than 5 (five) double-spaced pages, 12 point font in Times New Roman or LaTeX, 1 inch margins)

      NOTE: reference/citation pages do not count as part of the 5 page limit.) – Describe in detail your proposed reassignment using the following framework and specifically addressing all the items listed. The reviewing panel is composed of one representative per college and does not likely include experts in your specialized field of scholarship. Therefore, it is important to write the narrative in clear, direct language. Make it "reader friendly" by eliminating jargon and clichés and avoiding acronyms whenever possible. 

      1. Project Description Provide a clear and documented overview of the rationale, purpose, and outcomes of the proposed project. Your overview must include: 

        • a clear description of the project itself, including rationale and methodology;

        • measurable outcomes/products for the research project; 

        • how the project relates to your contribution to department, college or university strategic R2 goals; 

        • a description of any other funds or resources that you will have available during the reassignment (e.g., travel and accommodations). Also, address whether you are collaborating or working with others and what you expect to gain from the collaboration. 

      2. Sustainability - Most projects will continue beyond the semester of reassignment. Provide an action plan and timeline for the completion of the research project. Identify departmental and/or college support and resources where applicable. 

      3. Dissemination - Provide a plan for disseminating the results of your project through presentations, exhibitions, publications, or other disciplinary equivalents. 

    4. Timeline (1 page)
      Delineate a realistic and achievable project schedule that indicates how you will accomplish the desired outcomes/products and the specific activities both during the reassignment and beyond it. 

    5. Current Condensed Curriculum Vitae (Maximum of 5 pages including highlighting 5 of the most relevant publications to the proposal)

    6. Letters of Support
      1. A letter from the Department Chair / Director specifically addressing:

        • impact of the reassignment on the faculty member's research or creative activity and their qualifications and expertise vis-à-vis the research project; 

        • applicant’s ability to successfully complete the project's goals and outcomes; 

        • department or college support and resources are available after the reassignment to sustain the faculty member’s activities and initiatives that were started during the reassignment; and

        • impact act of the reassignment for achieving department/college/university R2 goals. 

      2. Two additional letters of support from those familiar with the proposed activities. If the applicant’s plan includes a partnership with colleagues at a research lab, educational institution, or professional organization, provide at least one support letter from someone at that setting. 

    7. Previous Kennesaw State University Funding (No more than 1 page)
      A list of all Kennesaw State University internal funding received in the last 6 academic years (e.g., CETL funding, College funding, OVPR funding) and the status of the research projects (e.g., ongoing, completed, abandoned). You must include this page even if previous funding awards are listed on the CV.

    8. Replacement Budget Funding Statement of Understanding
      The completed coversheet with the chair justification financial request, only if part-time replacements are deemed inadequate.

    Application

    Applications are currently closed. Applications for 2024-2025 will open in August 2024.  

  • Decisions are announced and the faculty member, as well as their chair and dean notified, in early December

    Upon notification of being accepted for the reassignment, recipients must work with their chair to change the faculty member’s Faculty Performance Agreement (FPA) in the system to reflect their reassigned duties. The revised FPA should be: Teaching, 0%; Research: 100%; Service, 0%.

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