The Provost and Dean of Faculties support faculty research and teaching.听Based on the availability of resources, these programs change from year-to-year.
A limited number of full-year sabbatical leaves at eighty-percent of salary are currently available. Those wishing to apply for these grants should follow the same procedure as described in Sabbatical Leave and check their preference for an eighty-percent sabbatical on the application form. Information on the application procedure in each school is available from the dean. Like the Faculty Fellowship Program, these grants are intended to promote faculty research and scholarly publication. Criteria for awarding grants are:
- Demonstrated competence in the area of projected research
- Value of the research as a contribution to knowledge
- Benefit of the research to the professional development of the applicant
- Effect on the academic vitality of Boston College
- Likelihood of scholarly publication.
Those applying for the grants will be expected to apply for external grants for which they are eligible.
During an eighty-percent full-year sabbatical, retirement plan contributions, which are a percentage of salary received, will be reduced by twenty-percent.
The Faculty Fellowship Program is intended to promote faculty research and scholarly publication by providing full salary and benefits to faculty members who wish to be released from normal duties to pursue research during a given semester.
Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for a Fellowship. Also eligible are other full-time faculty who have been at Boston College for at least five years. Applicants must not have had or be anticipating a Sabbatical Leave within two semesters of the proposed Fellowship. Criteria for awarding Fellowships include:
- Demonstrated competence in the area of projected research
- Value of the research as a contribution to knowledge
- Benefit of the research to the professional development of the applicant
- Effect on the academic vitality of Boston College
- Likelihood of scholarly publication
The Faculty Research Grants program has two components, Research Expense Grants, and Research Incentive Grants. Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply. Proposals for both Research Expense Grants and Research Incentive Grants are reviewed by appropriate committees whose membership is chosen in consultation with the University Research Council.
Research Expense Grants finance the smaller expenses of doing research. These expenses include, but are not limited to, payment for a library card, travel to libraries, library computer services, photocopying at libraries or of journal articles requested through interlibrary loan, and payment to student assistants. The typical award will be for several hundred dollars or less. The maximum for a single research expense grant is $2,000. Faculty should note that research expense grant funds may be used only for expenses related to research and may not be used as income. Funds are not granted retroactively.
Application deadlines:
Fall awards - October
Spring awards - April
Application听forms and guidelines are available on the Internal Grants website.
N.B. For time restrictions placed on the expenditure of research expense grant funds, consult the guidelines issued by the Office for Sponsored Programs.
Research Incentive Grants are designed to support individual faculty members who wish to conduct research beginning with the summer recess and continuing through the subsequent academic year. Applicants are expected to have attempted to obtain extramural support to the extent possible; this effort will be taken into account by the Research Incentive Grants committee. Purposes for which grant funds may be used include, but are not limited to, salary, equipment, travel, supplies, and computer time that directly contribute to the success of the proposal. The research must be performed directly by the faculty member receiving the grant. Nine of the 15 grants are intended primarily to support superior proposals by non-tenured tenure-track faculty, for the purpose of establishing their research programs.
All recipients of Research Incentive Grants must submit a brief report on the results of their research.
Awards are made on a university-wide competitive basis.
Boston College holds memberships in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Museum of Science.
Membership in the MFA entitles the University to 15 permanent passes for faculty visits throughout the year. These passes may be borrowed at the main desk in the O'Neill Library. Students gain admission by showing their BC ID.
Tickets to the Museum of Science may be obtained in the Robsham Theater Box Office. Faculty may escort their classes to special scientific exhibits, lectures, or to a general tour of the Museum.
The Office of The Provost and Dean of Faculties sponsors a number of orientation events for new faculty. In August, prior to the start of classes, the President and the Provost host an orientation event that introduces new faculty to the University's resources.
The Provost鈥檚 Office will occasionally supplement the salaries of faculty members who receive a fellowship or a grant from an outside agency or institution that provides for a semester or year of release time, but does not cover 100% of the faculty member鈥檚 regular salary and benefits for the period. These 鈥渢op-offs鈥� or 鈥渢op-ups鈥� are intended to encourage faculty to apply for and accept prestigious awards that provide recognition to the University.
Faculty are encouraged to time their release from the fellowships or grants with their sabbatical or apply for a faculty fellowship leave in order to maximize the likelihood of maintaining their full salary and benefits over the period. In the event that is not feasible, faculty should discuss with the department chair and dean as soon as possible to determine if they would qualify for top-off.
In general, the following conditions will apply in any salary top-off:
1)听听听 The fellowship or grant must be prestigious, competitive and awarded through a rigorous selection process. A sample of the type of awards that would qualify is provided in the Appendix. If uncertain, the faculty member should ask the department chair and dean if the award would qualify for top-off.
2)听听听 The amount of the top-off is limited to the smaller of (i) $50,000 or (ii) the amount that would top-off the award to equal 100% of the faculty member鈥檚 salary during the period of the grant or fellowship. In exceptional cases, a higher amount may be granted for the most nationally or internationally prestigious fellowship awards.
3)听听听 Faculty may avail of top-offs only once every four years of service.
4)听听听 Faculty are expected to return for at least a year of service following the top-off.
5)听听听 The period of the leave will not count as semesters of service towards a sabbatical.
Operationally, faculty members who request such top-offs are asked to have the fellowship or grant institution remit the award directly to Boston College while the faculty member remains on BC鈥檚 payroll for the semester or year. This ensures that the faculty member retains full benefits, including retirement and medical, even while on leave.
Examples of Prestigious Fellowships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences Visiting Scholar Program
- American Council of Learned Societies
- American Philosophical Society
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New Direction Fellowship
- Ford Foundation
- Getty Foundation Residential Grants
- Guggenheim Fellowship
- Humboldt
- Institute of International Education (Fulbright)
- Institute for Advanced Study
- Max Planck Institutes
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- National Institutes for Health
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard
- Woodrow Wilson Foundation Career Enhancement Fellowships
The Faculty Research Grants program has two components, Research Expense Grants, and Research Incentive Grants. Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply. Proposals for both Research Expense Grants and Research Incentive Grants are reviewed by appropriate committees whose membership is chosen in consultation with the University Research Council.
Research Expense Grants finance the smaller expenses of doing research. These expenses include, but are not limited to, payment for a library card, travel to libraries, library computer services, photocopying at libraries or of journal articles requested through interlibrary loan, and payment to student assistants. The typical award will be for several hundred dollars or less. The maximum for a single research expense grant is $2,000. Faculty should note that research expense grant funds may be used only for expenses related to research and may not be used as income. Funds are not granted retroactively.
Application deadlines:
Fall awards - October
Spring awards - April
Application forms and guidelines are available from department chairpersons in Arts and Sciences and in Management, and deans in the other schools, or from the Center for Centers.
N.B. For time restrictions placed on the expenditure of research expense grant funds, consult the guidelines issued by the Center for Centers.
Research Incentive Grants are designed to support individual faculty members who wish to conduct research beginning with the summer recess and continuing through the subsequent academic year. Applicants are expected to have attempted to obtain extramural support to the extent possible; this effort will be taken into account by the Research Incentive Grants committee. Purposes for which grant funds may be used include, but are not limited to, salary, equipment, travel, supplies, and computer time that directly contribute to the success of the proposal. The research must be performed directly by the faculty member receiving the grant. Nine of the 15 grants are intended primarily to support superior proposals by non-tenured tenure-track faculty, for the purpose of establishing their research programs.
All recipients of Research Incentive Grants must submit a brief report on the results of their research.
Awards are made on a university-wide competitive basis.
Teaching, Advising and Mentoring Grants, each worth up to $15,000, are available annually on a competitive basis. The project must be initiated during the summer months, but the project period may continue through the following academic year. TAM Grants support teaching or advising projects carried out directly by the faculty applicant. Joint applications from more than one faculty member are also encouraged. Except for rare circumstances, TAM grants will not be awarded to a faculty member more than once in three years.
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The University Council on Teaching (UCT) invites creative and innovative proposals for the teaching, advising, and mentoring of students at Boston College. The UCT favors proposals that go beyond the normal preparation of courses expected of faculty. Proposals involving teams of faculty are particularly encouraged, as are assessment-related proposals, which should focus on student learning and curriculum planning with the aim of using outcomes evidence in decisions about program improvement. Requests to develop new courses should be designed so as to have an impact beyond a single course and be sustainable within the curriculum of a given department or school. Almost any expense can be covered by a grant, including up to a total of $5,000 of summer stipend per award (i.e., maximum of $5,000 for one faculty member, $2,500 each for two if split equally, etc.). The maximum amount of a grant is $15,000, although proposals seeking less funding are encouraged and may be more competitive. At the conclusion of the project, a brief summary of the project outcome should be submitted to the Office of the Provost no later than April 13, 2022.
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Travel funds are allocated to encourage faculty to participate in professional activities outside the University. These funds are limited and the degree to which the faculty member will be reimbursed for expenses incurred may vary. Travel will ordinarily be authorized by the department chairperson, if applicable, or by the dean. The level of support will be based on the funding available, the demand for funding, and the potential impact of the professional activity on the faculty member and his or her effectiveness within the University. Faculty should consult the published guidelines in their schools or contact their deans for the more specific travel guidelines applicable in their schools.