Mid-Career Faculty Fellowship Program

The Office of Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (OVPRIED) has established the Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE UL: Vision 2030) as its strategic plan to guide the University’s transition into a stronger Carnegie R1 University, SREB Four-Year-1 University, and nationally prominent university over the next decade.

As part of this strategy, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), OVPRIED is launching a program to boost the national impact of research, scholarship, and external grant activities.

The Mid-Career Faculty Fellowship (MCFF) Program aims to engage mid-career researchers and scholars in research, creative activities, and funding proposals. In alignment with the University’s Strategic Planning and OVPRIED’s RISE UL: Vision 2030, the MCFF program will “enhance funded research and scholarly productivity across all disciplines.”

To be considered for the program, faculty must be tenured associate professor rank, nominated by their unit head/director to the College Dean, who in turn selects two faculty names and forwards to the AVP for Research. Those two faculty (hereafter RISE Fellows) from each college will be selected for the program. An external mentor will be selected by the RISE Fellow and approved by the Department Head and Dean. This mentor will coach them in research productivity, grant activities, national/international recognition, community-engaged scholarship, career success, and networking throughout the year. The year-long program will be starting in the fall of 2024. 

Resources provided to the Fellows

OVPRIED will provide $5,000 in research support to each Fellow, which can be used for any research-related expenditures (for example, research related supplies, student/scientist support, travel, and article processing charges). The $5,000 allocation for research support shall not be used by the RISE Fellow in the form of stipends or salary compensation. OVPRIED will also offer an honorarium of $1,000 to each external mentor.  The academic Department and College may provide a course release or service release for one semester. The academic units may also provide additional support, such as travel funds to the Fellows.

Alignment with Other Campus-wide Programs

The RISE program will provide the following opportunities for the Fellows who wish to participate:

• The Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Office of Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development have recently initiated a Research Travel Grant program for faculty. RISE Fellows are encouraged to apply for this opportunity and will be given priority towards their Research Travel Grant Application. They will be eligible for an additional $500 toward the Research Travel Grant award to support this program.
• The University is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) (https://www.facultydiversity.org/). The Office of VP for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development will partner with the Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Graduate School to ensure the use of the services offered by NCFDD. The RISE Fellows will be given the opportunity to participate in the 14-Day Writing Challenge program offered by NCFDD, if the Fellow is interested.
• The opportunity to work with the James Jackson Community of Scholars program, a joint venture of the Office for Campus Inclusion and the Graduate School. https://diversity.louisiana.edu/engage/james-jackson-community-scholars  
• RISE Fellows will get the chance to meet with the James Jackson Scholars for social and scholarly activities. Moreover, they will be encouraged to mentor at least 1 James Jackson Scholar within two years upon completing this program. 

Application Process

Interested tenured associate professors will send a cover letter and a 7-year CV to their department/unit heads by May 24, 2024. The cover letter should explain why they are most worthy of this opportunity. Each department/unit will forward one application to their respective deans no later than June 7. The Deans will forward two names and their applications to OVPRIED by June 28, 2024. The awardees’ name will be announced during the first week of July.

Deliverables

Fellows will submit at least one grant proposal to any external funding agency as a PI within two years of the completion of the program. Fellows will also submit a final report to OVPRIED by October of the following year. The final report shall include, but is not limited to, the following information: 

• Project summary, implementation details, and findings.
• Budget Accountability
• Fellows must schedule a quarterly meeting with the AVPR to discuss progress. 

Recognition

The program will provide certificates to all Fellows. Their stories, testimonials, or portfolios will be published on websites or newsletters.

Program Evaluation

The MCFF program will use surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather feedback or use metrics, such as attendance, completion, satisfaction, or learning outcomes, to measure the results and use the findings to inform the future planning and decision-making of the program.