Presidential Awards

President Jacobs announced the continuation of three initiatives that are providing extraordinary institutional support for faculty and staff development and innovation. The details of each of the initiatives and the submission and selection process are provided below.

Presidential Summer Incentive Award

Submission Deadline: Monday, October 9, 2017, at 5:30 p.m.
Summer Incentive Award [login required]
Approximately eight awards of up to $10,000 each to support faculty in focused and meaningful research, scholarly and creative activities.
Preference will be given to applications that support the mission of the University of North Georgia (UNG) as articulated by the current strategic plan.
Eligibility is limited to tenured or tenure-track faculty with approval of their department chair and dean.
Budget may include requests for a summer stipend (available for academic year faculty only), student assistants, operating supplies, equipment, and/or travel. Please note that financial support is subject to normal withholding considerations. Also all budget requests are subject to UNG and USG policies regarding allowable expenses.

Applicants must submit a dissemination plan to both internal and external audiences. Funding must culminate in an activity during which the faculty member will share the results of his/her work, and meet the scholarship expectations as described in the departmental promotion and tenure guidelines.
Faculty selected for this award may engage in teaching and service during the summer sessions with prior approval of their dean.
Summer grant selectees can be funded for two years in a row; after that, they must skip a year.

Presidential Semester Incentive Awards

Submission Deadline: Monday, October 9, 2017, at 5:30 p.m.
Semester Incentive Award [login required].
Approximately six awards of a full semester course release with up to $12,000 each to support faculty in a focused and meaningful scholarly and significant product upon completion (i.e.: external grant application, research protocol, authored book, intellectual property development, etc.).
Preference will be given to applications that support the mission of the University of North Georgia (UNG) as articulated by the current strategic plan.
Eligibility is limited to tenured or tenure-track faculty who will have been employed a minimum of two years at the completion of the 2017-18 academic year at UNG. Approval by the applicant’s department chair and dean is required.
Those who have receive a previous semester grant are not be eligible for the next three academic years.

Applicants will need to meet with their department heads and deans to determine the best semester to utilize the award and to secure approval of the budget submitted.
Applicants must submit a dissemination plan to both internal and external audiences. Funding must culminate in a substantive and significant product and meet the scholarship expectations as described in the departmental promotion and tenure guidelines.
Faculty selected for this award must specify whether they will focus on their efforts during the fall of 2018 or the spring of 2019.
Faculty selected for this award may not teach any academic courses during the duration of the funded semester. They must also sign an agreement to indicate their return to UNG for a period of at least one year after the completion of the semester scholar leave. (University System of Georgia---Board of Regents Policy Manual--Education and Professional Leave 8.2.7.4)

Presidential Innovation Incentive Award

Submission Deadline: Monday, October 9, 2017, at 5:30 p.m.
Innovation Incentive Award [login required].
Approximately 25 awards of up to $5,000 each to support faculty and staff development.
Eligibility is limited to full-time faculty with approval of their department chair and dean and staff members with approval of their division supervisor.
Funding to support faculty and staff development and provide opportunities for interdisciplinary and/or cross-functional collaborations among colleagues or individual pursuits focused on innovations and partnerships that promote implementation of best practice models. The budget may include requests for student assistants, operating supplies, equipment, and/or travel.

Any topic, as long as it is related to developing and promoting best practices, will be considered for funding. The important focus is that the projects promote innovative institutional practices that support the University of North Georgia mission and the priorities established in the Strategic Plan. General submission areas include, but are not limited to, operational efficiency, improved unit performance, enhanced unit analysis, first-year student programming, learning communities, service learning, student research, global engagement, capstone project development, civic engagement, leadership development, economic development, and other community partnerships.
Funding must culminate in a product or activity for implementation that can be shared through a campus event. Broader dissemination is encouraged. Dissemination activities should meet scholarship expectations as described in the department promotion and tenure guidelines.

Selection Process for all Presidential Awards

It is highly recommended that applicants discuss their intended project with their department head and dean, or in the case of staff, with their division supervisor prior to submitting their application. Disapproval from chair, dean, or supervisor will result in the applicant being notified that their application has been withdrawn from consideration. Applicants will receive notification and will have the opportunity to resubmit one time, provided the resubmission can take place within the application deadline.
Approval by the applicant’s dean or in the case of staff, direct supervisor, serves as the dean/supervisor’s certification that the applicant is eligible to receive the award.
While faculty may apply for both the semester and summer awards, they are only eligible to be awarded one.
If a faculty member elects to apply for a semester/summer award, and an Innovation award, both projects may be funded provided they are significantly different.
Committees will be formed consisting of members of faculty, staff, and administration to review submitted proposals and make funding recommendations.
Applications will be submitted and awards will be announced in the fall.
Funding will be administered by the Office of Research and Engagement and will be provided for activities spanning 2018.
For all awards, the proposals must include a detailed budget and written justification for items listed. The budget will contain a listing of categories of expenses -- i.e., extra compensation (n/a for semester scholar awards), student assistants, supplies, operating expenses, and travel. The detailed budget must include the planned month for the expenditures, so that the work can be budgeted in the appropriate fiscal year. Please note that all funds must be expended in compliance with UNG and USG policies.
Recipients of past Presidential Incentive Awards support must provide a summary as to the type of support, the project(s) supported, project outcomes, and specific examples of how the funding impacted their professional growth.
Recipients will provide a project report at the completion of the funded activity to the Office of Research and Engagement that summarizes the project relative to the goals set forth in the application. These reports will be made available to the internal University of North Georgia community, including the department heads, supervisors, and deans. Future funding is contingent upon receipt of the final report within one month of project completion.
The application deadline Monday, October 9, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.