The Faculty Development Committee was established as part of the collective bargaining agreement between WOUFT and Western Oregon University. The purpose of the committee is to provide a peer review process for the allocation of funds for scholarly and creative faculty activities. The committee consists of faculty representatives from all divisions. Ex-officio members include the Provost and the Vice President for University Advancement or their designees.

Online Forms

General Submission Guidelines

• All completed proposals must be submitted online by 11:59pm on the due date.

• Faculty should feel free to consult with their Division representatives before submitting an application for an award.

Application Evaluation Guidelines

• General Notes

  • The committee will consider other campus resources and the possibility of establishing precedents before making awards.

  • Funding will be contingent upon a specific outcome that demonstrates faculty development.

  • Requests for which the primary purpose is to develop curriculum will be of lower priority for the committee.

  • Technology Requests

    • Requests for general use computer hardware and software sought to improve the overall productivity of a faculty member will be of lower priority for the committee.

    • Specific use computer hardware or software may be funded if the technology is linked to a specific outcome that demonstrates faculty development.

    • The committee may require that computer hardware linked to a specific project revert to the faculty member's division following completion of the project.

  • Budget

    • Include the total expected project expenditures. Applicants should not structure their proposal to fit within the historical maximum funding amounts because these can fluctuate.

    • Applications should clearly indicate funds expected from other sources, including funds from outside sources and other sources at WOU.

• Eligible faculty members will be considered for awards every other year. However, priority will be given to individuals who most recently did not receive a Workload Reassignment award.

  • Preference in both categories will be given to:

    • First time applicants (tenure track / tenured)

    • Tenure track / tenured faculty members

    • And then according to last award date, with last preference to those who most recently received an award

  • The division or department chair must approve the request via Portal.

Eligibility Guidelines

• Eligible faculty include:

  • All tenured and tenure track faculty covered under the Collective Bargaining Agreement are generally eligible to apply for all award categories.

  • Fixed-term faculty with a teaching appointment of 1.0 FTE for more than one year may apply for awards.

• Each eligible faculty member is allowed a maximum of two applications (More info.)

• Eligible faculty members will be considered for a Workload Reassignment award every other year in addition to the two Major Project.

  • Preference will be given to:

    • First time applicants (tenure track / tenured)

    • Tenure track / tenured faculty members

    • And then according to last award date, with last preference to those who most recently received an award

Guidance for Reports

• All deadlines for submitting reports will be strictly enforced.

• The committee will not consider applications in any category from faculty members with past due reports.

• Please submit reports in a timely manner to avoid delays and potential ineligibility for future rounds of funding until reports are submitted.

• Major Projects

  • Faculty receiving awards in will be required to submit a report to the Faculty Development Committee by the last Friday in January of the year following the initial award date.

  • Reports will be submitted online through Portal and will follow formatting requirements and contain the following information:

    • Describe the progress on the project. This report should follow the same format as the original award request, addressing how specific goals, methods, and results were achieved.

    • Reports should not exceed 1,500 words in length.

  • To request a no-cost extension for expending funds from an award, a formal request to the chair of the Faculty Development Committee by the appropriate deadline date (see deadline chart at top of page)

    • When submitting the formal request, please include the following:

      • the purpose for the original funding,

      • an explanation for why an extension is necessary, and

      • a revised timeline for when the funds will be spent.

• Workload Reassignment o

  • Reports are due online 90 days after the completion of the term during which the reassignment time was utilized.

  • Faculty can access the reporting form via their Faculty Development requests in Portal.

Expending & Reimbursement of Funds

• All deadlines for expending funds will be strictly enforced. If award funds are not expended by the deadline dates, the awards will be returned to the general Faculty Development fund.

• Travel reimbursement forms must be submitted within 30 days of the last date of travel OR within 30 days of receipt of funding, if the travel has already taken place. WOU travel policies, requirements, pre-travel and reimbursement forms may be found on the WOU Business Office website.

• If you receive a travel advance and do not submit the reimbursement form within 30 days of the last day of travel, the amount of the advance will be deducted from your paycheck.