Miller Faculty Fellowships
Guidelines for Preparation of Proposals for Miller Faculty Fellowships
Fellowship Recipients
| 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | 2005-2006 |
| 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | 2002-2003 |
Program Description
The Miller Faculty Development Fund was made possible by the generosity of F. Wendell Miller, who left his entire estate jointly to Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. Mr. Miller, who died in 1995 at age 97, was born in Altoona, Illinois, grew up in Rockwell City, Iowa, graduated from Grinnell College and Harvard Law School, and practiced law in Des Moines and Chicago before returning to Rockwell City to manage his family's farm holdings and to practice law. His bequest helped to establish the F. Wendell Miller Trust, the annual earnings of which, in part, help support faculty development proposals that advance the university's strategic plan. Up to $250,000 is available for allocation each year. Faculty members who receive awards will be designated as Miller Faculty Fellows for the duration of their project. Individual fellowships can vary from $1000 to $35,000, depending on the proposal. The program is administered by the President’s Office and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
For 2008-2009, the Miller Fellowships will provide faculty with opportunities to enhance their scholarly work in the undergraduate academic programs of the university and to develop innovative approaches to enhance student learning. Faculty will have up to eighteen months to complete the goals of their Fellowship project.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Any faculty member at Iowa State University (tenured, tenure-eligible, adjunct, lecturer or clinician) may apply for a fellowship. Faculty may submit proposals as individuals or may join with others to submit a proposal as a faculty team. To increase faculty involvement, preference may be given to first time Miller Fellowship applicants.
What Can You Propose to Do?
Faculty members can propose to develop new approaches to the teaching of existing undergraduate courses or to develop entirely new courses that will enrich the undergraduate experience. These fellowships may provide support in a number of ways: through faculty release time during the academic year (including funds provided to the department for replacement costs); relevant travel; purchase or development of new instructional equipment (or software, CD-ROMs, or other instructional media); graduate assistants; or special assistance from support units on campus, such as the Parks Library, the Instructional Technology Center, or the Academic Information Technology Center. Miller grants can support summer salary for faculty only if the faculty member does not receive other summer salary support through the department or from another grant. Writing textbooks for the national market is not a priority of this initiative. Also, equipment purchases should be identified with improving a specific course and not with the general upgrading of classroom facilities. Computer hardware may not be purchased with Miller funds.
What Must a Miller Fellowship Proposal Include?
Proposals must not exceed five pages (excluding title page, budget worksheet, and department chair endorsement), single-spaced, in a font at least 12 points in size. Each proposal must include the following:
- A title page that clearly indicates the department(s) and college(s) involved. All faculty and collaborators involved must be listed and their position(s) identified. Include address, phone number and e-mail for the primary contact person.
- A project title and short (150 words or fewer) summary suitable for public distribution, should the proposal be funded, and the total amount requested.
- A statement of purpose, describing the specific course(s) and number of students affected; a project plan, including the methods or resources to be used; identification of intended student learning outcomes addressed by the project; an assessment plan designed to measure the desired outcomes of the project; and a dissemination plan designed to share the results of the project.
- A timeline for completion of the project. All development and implementation aspects of the project must be completed between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. It is expected that assessment activities and dissemination of project results will also be completed by June 30, 2009. However, you may request to extend assessment and dissemination activities (and associated costs) until December 15, 2009. This extension must be negotiated and approved by March 31, 2009.
- A statement regarding the project's significance, including its importance for meeting departmental, college, or university strategic goals and learning outcomes.
- A clear definition of any collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts and an indication of the commitment of all constituents involved.
- Provide an itemized budget and budget rationale that clearly specifies all anticipated expenses for the proposed Miller project. Clearly indicate the relevance of each budget item to the project being proposed. The maximum amount awarded is $35,000 including cost of release time. Provide the percentage of any release time requested, along with a signed statement from the college fiscal officer indicating the cost of the release time including benefits and the formula used to arrive at that figure. Attach that signed statement to the proposal. Indicate matching departmental or college funds for the project.
- Discussion of sustainability and future direction of the project beyond the duration of the award. Give evidence of departmental and college support, and indicate possibilities of future internal and external support.
- A brief, relevant biographical summary of the person(s) who will be responsible for carrying out the proposed work.
- In addition, but not included in the five pages, attach a statement of endorsement, signed by the relevant departmental chair(s). Contact Allan Schmidt, CELT (294-6087) for information or assistance in planning the instructional technology component of your grant request. Do not attach other endorsements or supplementary materials.
How Do I Apply?
Submit sixteen (16) copies of the proposal to your college dean and one electronic copy of the proposal to Steve Freeman, CELT Assistant Director, at sfreeman@iastate.edu by Friday, February 1, 2008. If more than one proposal is submitted from a single department, they are to be prioritized by the department chair. The dean will forward the proposals from the college, in priority order, to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching by Monday, February 18, 2008.
What Are the Expectations of a Miller Fellow?
Projects are to be completed by June 30, 2009 (unless an extension is negotiated to extend assessment and dissemination activities until December 15, 2009). A final report must be submitted within 30 days of the completion of the project or by January 9, 2009, to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. CELT will provide you with a format for the final report during spring semester, 2009. Failure to submit the final report may adversely affect future funding opportunities as part of the Miller Fellowship program.
Miller Fellows will be invited to present informational sessions and/or posters about their projects at university functions throughout the year. The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching strongly encourages all Miller Fellows to publicly share the findings of their Miller project with colleagues and peers in their respective departments and colleges, across campus through university forums, and beyond campus through conference presentations and journal publications.
How Will Proposals Be Reviewed?
All proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the Advisory Board for the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, which will make recommendations to the Provost. The final selection of Miller Faculty Fellows will be made by the Provost and announced by April 11, 2008. Questions may be directed to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (294-2906).
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria. Items 1 through 4 are given double weight in the evaluation of proposals.
- Significance for the undergraduate program at Iowa State University. Successful proposals will affect relatively large numbers of students and will improve the quality of the undergraduate curriculum for students both inside and outside the major. For example, the project could improve students’ communication skills or critical thinking abilities, or students’ learning within or across disciplines. Proposals should indicate the impact on curriculum, instructional delivery, and the students served. The proposal should directly support departmental, college, and/or university strategic planning goals.
- Enhancement of student learning outcomes and students’ learning experiences through improvement of pedagogy and instructional delivery. Successful proposals will clearly identify intended outcomes and will demonstrate a clear connection between pedagogy and specific outcomes.
- Enhancement of the understanding of teaching and student learning in the discipline. Successful proposals will include an in-depth plan to assess whether the project has achieved its desired outcomes and a concrete plan to disseminate what is learned by the project to others locally, regionally, and/or nationally.
- Sustainability of the project (future direction). Successful proposals will demonstrate a high likelihood that the project’s activities will continue after the Miller Fellowship has ended. Proposals should also indicate the likelihood of continued support from department, college, or outside funding sources.
- Originality and innovation of the project. Successful proposals are usually highly innovative and original, with potential for enhancing scholarship; they explain clearly how the proposal is new and different. Successful proposals will not merely duplicate existing successes.
- Clarity, appropriateness, and relevance of the proposed budget. Successful proposals will include a detailed budget with clear rationale for each expenditure. Funds are budgeted appropriately and in accordance with the project’s overall plan and desired outcomes. Matching funds should be identified where possible.
- Clarity of overall plan, including motivation and commitment of the proposer(s), level of departmental/college support, and adequacy of resources for carrying out the proposed project. Successful proposals will have a clear design, a strong link between design and intended outcomes, and a high likelihood of being completed within the timeline provided.
Please see the Miller Faculty Fellowships Proposal Evaluation Rubric used by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Advisory Board for complete details on how the proposals will be evaluated.
