Even as a northwest native, this winter felt particularly long, cold, and dark yet it flew by in a blink. The longer, lighter, and warmer days bring renewed optimism and cause for celebration - which is exactly what we intend on doing this quarter! First, congratulations to this year's ten Summer Faculty Fellows representing impactful projects across disciplines, addressing important and urgent issues. Second, you are cordially invited to our virtual Celebration of Scholarship in partnership with the Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons on May 20th - showcasing six faculty, nominated by their deans, in our final lightning talks of the year, as well as additional highlights of all your outstanding sponsored projects and scholarly successes over this academic year, as submitted by you. And finally, we hope you’ll take advantage of our learning opportunities this quarter, as well as great offerings hosted by our friends in the Center for Faculty Development including a ‘Planning for an Intentional Summer’ workshop where we will offer tips on utilizing our new subscription to GrantForward. We hope to see you soon!
Cheers,
Jenna Isakson, MPA
Director, Office of Sponsored Projects
isaksonj@seattleu.edu
- Summer 2021 Faculty Fellowships Announced
- Call for Scholarship Updates Upcoming OSP Events
- Recent OSP Events – Materials Available GrantForward Funding Database Now - Available New Limited
- Submission Funding Opportunities New Funds Awarded
- Sponsored Project Highlight SU Policy Updates
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- Other Programming to Support Faculty Research
Congratulations to the ten faculty awarded this year’s Seattle University Summer Faculty Fellowships (SFF)! The SFF program accepts applications every November and offers summer stipend support to faculty across all disciplines in growing their scholarship. Summer 2021 fellows are:
John Armstrong, College of Arts & Sciences | City Adoption of Ambitious Climate Change Policies and the Role of Modest Actions as Steppingstones
Charisse Cowan Pitre, College of Education | Collectivized Teacher-Led Spaces to Empower and Support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Educators
Rob Efird, College of Arts & Sciences | Appreciation or Appropriation?: Indigenous Knowledge as a Resource for Environmental Education
Christie Eppler, School of Theology & Ministry | Meaningful Experiences of Relations Teletherapists during the Coronavirus
Carlyn Ferrari, College of Arts & Sciences | Black Environmental Imaginations
Stephen Luckey, College of Science & Engineering | Impact of Exercise on Mitochondrial Function in Young and Aged Mice
Aditya Mishra, College of Science & Engineering | Does Renewable and Energy Storage Integration Green the Electric Grid?
Alic Shook, College of Nursing | Stigma Power and Sickle Cell Disease
Aakanksha Sinha, College of Arts & Sciences | Examining Inequities to Access to Food during COVID-19
Erin Vernon, Albers School of Business & Economics | Telehealth for Hospice Care: Implications for Racial/Ethnic and Rural Health Disparities
All tenure-track/tenured faculty and full-time librarians are eligible for the SFF. Note that a call for Summer 2022 awards will be released in early Fall 2021. More information is available here.
Please help the OSP and Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons to celebrate your important scholarly achievements of the past year at our upcoming Celebration of Scholarship. As part of this event, we will be highlighting SU faculty’s wide-ranging contributions – including sponsored projects, published books and manuscripts, conference presentations and talks, community-based research, and all other products resulting from the work across all schools and colleges. Please complete this brief form so that we may celebrate your important work! The information you provide will also be compiled on a library webpage dedicated to the Celebration of Scholarship event, and will help OSP to better support your scholarship, foster potential connections with others who may share your research interests, and promote a culture of research across campus.
Thurs, May 20th 12:30-1:30pm via Zoom (link provided in advance)
Please join the OSP and Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons for a celebration of Seattle University faculty’s excellence in research, creative, and other scholarly activities! After opening words from Provost Martin, you will hear from six of your colleagues as they share their recent work in a lighting talk format, as well as learn about SU faculty’s wide-ranging intellectual and scholarly contributions – including sponsored projects, published books and manuscripts, conference presentations, and all other products. Please complete this brief form so that we may celebrate your important achievements!
Please RSVP here by Tues, May 18th and/or direct any questions to osp@seattleu.edu
Tues, April 27th 12:30-1:30pm via Zoom (link provided in advance)
Preparation of the budget is, for many researchers, saved for last as it is often the proposal component that feels most daunting, and its role overlooked in the complete proposal package. This interactive workshop will describe the important role of the budget, breakdown common costs and how to budget for them, and walk through a sample budget development process. Whether you are currently preparing for a grant submission or plan to do so in the future, this workshop will equip you with the tools to confidently develop the budget needed to carry out your project.
Please RSVP here by Mon, April 26th and/or direct any questions to osp@seattleu.edu.
Thursday, June 10th 10:00-11:00am via Zoom (link provided in advance)
In collaboration with the Associate Controller, this quarter’s session will discuss sponsored project budget tracking best practices and provide an overview of the tools available to you in post-award budget management. Bring your experiences, tips, and questions to share and discuss with your peers of budget and grant managers.
Please RSVP and/or direct any specific questions on this topic to osp@seattleu.edu.
On February 4th, OSP hosted seven faculty members from across campus to share their work around the theme of anti-racist scholarships. Many thanks to presenters Lisa Abel (Nursing), Robert Chang (Law), Charisse Cowan Pitre (Education), Anne Farina (Arts & Sciences), Jasmine Mahmoud (Arts & Sciences), McLean Sloughter (Science & Engineering), and Erin Vernon (Albers). Recordings and slides from each talk are available here on Seattle University’s ScholarWorks.
The OSP was pleased to host a panel of four SU faculty who recently served as reviewers for internal and external sponsors including the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Foundation, and SU Summer Faculty Fellowship. Thank you to faculty panelists John Carter (Science & Engineering), Kathleen Cook (Arts & Sciences), Yen-Lin Han (Science & Engineering), and Matt Isaac (Albers) who shared insights into what happens behind closed doors in the elusive grant review process, as well as observations on how serving as a reviewer has informed their own scholarship. The program also featured a ‘mini’-workshop providing an overview of the typical review process and tips for being an effective reviewer. A recording of the session is available here. Additional materials – including slides, resource sheet, and information on how to become a reviewer for common sponsors – are available here.
Budget managers and staff supporting grants were welcomed to the winter Peer Learning Group, in which OSP Director Jenna Isakson and Associate Controller Jennifer Riester provided an overview of the new process for reviewing compensation charges for publicly-funded grants. The new process replaces the traditional effort reporting in order to reduce administrative burden and confusion. As always, the session also provided an opportunity to share OSP quarterly updates and connect with colleagues. Slides from the session are available here. More information about the new review of compensation charges process is available here.
SU was fortunate to host National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Senior Program Officer Mary Macklem who provided an overview of NEH programs, answered questions from faculty, and provided application tips and tricks. Two funded NEH proposals were also discussed. A recording of the session is here. Slides are available here, along with examples of funded NEH proposals, here.
Hosted by the Data Science Working Group with support from the OSP and the Center for Faculty Development
This workshop, hosted by faculty in the SU Data Science Working Group provided a thorough overview of the principles underlying what makes for effective data visualizations, as well as how to create visualizations in SPSS. After exploring several standard types of graphs, participants learned how to use SPSS to create them through both demonstrations and hands-on experience. An outline of the information presented is available here.
OSP is excited to announce that GrantForward, a funding opportunity database and recommendation service designed specifically for academic research, will become available to the SU community as of April 1st! GrantForward has many helpful features, including a dynamic search engine with customizable filters and mechanisms for developing regular funding alerts that are sent directly to you on a regular basis of your choosing. An overview about GrantForward with instructions for getting started is available here, with additional step-by-step guides available here. Look for an announcement with more training resources and opportunities later in spring quarter. In the meantime, please feel free to contact your Sponsored Research Officer with any questions.
Seattle University requires an internal review and selection process for any funding opportunity that limits the number of applications, nominations, or proposals that an institution is eligible to submit to a sponsor (referred to as “limited submissions”). Please review the Limited Submission Process for full details and find upcoming limited submission opportunities.
New Limited Submission Opportunity – National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Stipend:
All tenure-track or tenured faculty in humanistic fields are eligible to be nominated by SU for the NEH Summer Stipend Program, which provides $6,000 stipends to support faculty in developing scholarly products over the summer. Two nominees are allowed per institution. Prospective nominees must notify OSP of their intent to apply by May 30, 2021, with an internal application deadline of June 15, 2021. More details about SU’s nomination process for the NEH summer stipends is available on the Limited Submission Opportunities webpage. Note that non-tenure track faculty are also eligible to submit to the NEH Summer Stipend program as independent scholars outside of SU’s limited submission process (see eligibility criteria here for more details).
Congratulations to the below investigators who were recently awarded funding to support Seattle University research and initiatives*!
Sarah Bee | Internal Audit Education Partnership 2021 | Institute of Internal Auditors, Internal Audit Foundation
Gillian Dutton | Transitional Justice Legal Exchange Program | Stevens Initiative (sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute)
In addition to the above awardees, we would like to congratulate the 11 investigators – two in Albers, five in Arts & Sciences and four in Nursing – who submitted 12 proposals this quarter! We commend SU investigators’ commitment in these most challenging times.
*Note: This list comprises all new and renewed sponsored projects awarded in the third quarter of the current fiscal year (Jan 1-Mar 31, 2021). For a complete list of funds awarded in previous fiscal quarters, please see past OSP Observers, here.
Gillian Dutton, Director, Externship Program and Associate Professor, Lawyering Skills | School of Law
Transitional Justice Legal Exchange Program | Stevens Initiative (sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute)
A pioneering partnership between Seattle University School of Law and Moulay Ismail University in Morocco will teach law students about transitional justice, or how countries confront their own histories of human rights violations and move toward national healing. The three-credit course – titled Transitional Justice Legal Exchange - is supported by a $50,000 grant from the Stevens Initiative.
Gillian Dutton, Director of Seattle U Law’s Externship Program and facilitator of the new course, serves as the Principal Investigator of the grant. The proposal was developed by Prof. Dutton and Courtney Erwin, a 2005 graduate of Seattle U Law based in Morocco who focuses on international law and religion. Professor Ronald Slye, who specializes in international human rights, will co-teach the course. All believe it will allow students to further develop critical multi-cultural skills for their future work as lawyers. The grant also supports a community legal service project with a community-based organization.
“Both American and Moroccan law students will have a unique view of how each group can learn from the other, and from both country’s histories, in order to solve modern legal problems,” said Professor Dutton. “They will also learn effective skills in community lawyering, with the emphasis on the priorities of Black and brown communities.”
Transitional Justice Legal Exchange is supported in part by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
In an effort to provide additional clarity and transparency around SU’s internal 5-business day sponsored project proposal deadline for investigators and their college leaders, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) has developed guidance, available on our website, outlining the required review, institutional approvals, and document deadlines. The OSP is committed to assisting investigators in maximizing the competitiveness of proposals to the greatest extent possible. Adhering to the 5-day deadline provides your Sponsored Research Officer (SRO) sufficient time to thoroughly review all proposal components to ensure consistency, fluency, compliance with RFP and sponsor requirements, and alignment across all proposal documents (i.e. the budget accurately reflects the activities described in the proposal), and provide copy editing and time for feedback and corrections, if necessary.
It is important to realize that last-minute submissions have a wide range of negative consequences:
1) The OSP cannot ensure that proposal components submitted closer to the deadline than is required by SU policy will be reviewed for compliance with sponsor formatting requirements, or for basic proofreading. Proposals with typographical and grammatical errors, errant cut-and-paste sections, and inconsistencies are likely to be reviewed as sloppy science and may be scored poorly by reviewers. Proposals not in compliance with sponsor requirements may also be returned without review. Without the required review period, the OSP is not able to support investigators in avoiding these outcomes.
2) Submission errors may result in grants not making it to the review process. Last-minute submissions do not allow OSP adequate time to conduct a quality assurance check prior to submission or to identify and address these errors and resubmit a corrected proposal, especially during times when submission portals (such as grants.gov) are slower due to deadlines.
3) Finally, last-minute submissions punish your faculty colleagues who are working within the required deadlines. A last-minute proposal requires an SRO, who is likely juggling multiple other proposals and/or responsibilities, to drop everything to attend to an overdue proposal. Adhering to this policy ensures that your colleagues receive the comprehensive review they have afforded to their SRO by respecting internal deadlines.
In short, our Proposal Review and Deadline Policy states:
• The completed and signed Proposal Transmittal Forms (PTF) and most proposal components are due to the OSP 5-business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
• Proposals not submitted to federal sponsors and not including cost share or subawards may be considered for a 3-business day deadline at the discretion of the Director of OSP.
Please review the full policy for more details and/or direct any questions to OSP Director Jenna Isakson.
OSP and the Controller’s Office have worked jointly to develop a more streamlined process for reviewing compensation charges for publicly-funded grants. The new process replaces the traditional effort reporting, thus reducing administrative burden and confusion for investigators and budget managers, and is incorporated into our existing quarterly financial reports. More information about the new review of compensation charges process is available here.
For all research personnel – students, staff and faculty – please ensure your research team is up-to-date on their Responsible Conduct of Research Training. This is required for all NSF and NIH personnel and strongly encouraged for all other researchers to uphold SU's commitment to responsible and ethical research. This training should be completed at least every four years. More information and to access the CITI Training Modules is available here.
Research.gov Updates: NSF has announced that several proposal types may now be submitted via NSF’s new proposal submittal portal, Research.gov. These include proposals submitted to the Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) solicitation (here), as well as Equipment, Travel, and Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals. NSF has also posted additional training resources for submitting to Research.gov, including short video tutorials about setting up proposals, uploading documents, and checking for compliance with NSF formatting requirements.
Changes to Biographical Sketch (‘Biosketch’) requirements: Effective May 25th 2021, NIH will require that all investigators submit their biosketches in a slightly revised format. Details about these changes are outlined in this notice; A template that follows the new required format is here.
NEH Summer Stipends April 14th Webinar: All faculty interested in pursuing a NEH Summer Stipend are encouraged to participate in NEH’s upcoming Wed, April 14th (11:00-12:00pm) webinar which will provide an overview of the program and offer suggestions for successful proposals. The webinar can ve viewed at this link on April 14th. Note that the NEH Summer Stipend requires that applicants (tenure-track or tenured faculty in humanistic fields) be nominated by their institution, with two nominees allowed per institution. For more information on SU’s nomination process, please see the Limited Submission Opportunities webpage.
NEH Fellowships: Advice from Liberal Arts Faculty: OSP highly recommends any SU faculty interested in pursuing funding through the NEH fellowship program take advantage of this recorded panel of previous awardees and reviewers from Carleton College, Colorado College, Connecticut College, and Willamette University who shared their advice for faculty at peer institutions (recording here; transcript here).
The Center for Faculty Development is hosting several virtual workshops in Spring quarter as part of their regular series, all of which offer excellent opportunities for professional and personal growth. The following are particularly helpful in supporting faculty research and scholarship:
The Personal Intellectual Project: Capturing, Focusing, and (Re)inventing your Scholarly Agenda
Thurs, April 15th (2:00-3:30pm) with optional follow-up session Tues, May 6th (2:00-3:00pm). Information, registration, and Zoom link here.
Affinity Group for Faculty Parents
Wednesdays: April 7th, April 21st, and May 5th (2:30-3:30pm)
Embodied Practices in Teaching and Research
Thurs, April 29th (12:30-2:30pm)
Planning an Intentional Summer
Wed, May 19th (2:15-3:30pm)
Full descriptions of these events can be found on the CFD website. Registration for all events is here.
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity – Upcoming Curriculum
The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) – an organization dedicated to advancing diversity in academia and supporting faculty in successfully navigating academic careers – provides many excellent resources, all of which are available to faculty through SU’s institutional membership. Instructions for activating your NCFDD membership are provided by the SU Center for Faculty Development here. Four upcoming programs that may be of interest to SU faculty are:
Mastering Academic Time Management – Led by Dr. Lisa Hanasono, Assoc. Prof. of Communications at Bowling Green State University | Thurs, April 8th (11:00-12:00pm) – More information and registration here.
Summer 2021 Faculty Success “Bootcamp” Program – Registration is now open for the summer session of this popular, and by many accounts exceedingly helpful, 12-week online program designed to guide and coach tenure-track and tenured faculty in developing skills to maximize productivity while maintaining a healthy relationship to work. Session runs from May 16th – August 7th 2021. More information and registration (closes April 21st) here; Information about program costs and approaches to covering them is here.
The Office of Sponsored Projects is here to help!
We are here to support the full life-cycle of your research and scholarship – from identifying funding opportunities and creating a research plan, developing and submitting competitive proposals, and managing awards. Please reach out to us to request a consultation, notify us of your intent to apply for a funding opportunity, or for help with managing your award!
Your OSP support team:
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Sarah Bricknell, MBA Sponsored Research Officer Supports CAS, CCE, COE, |
Kara Luckey, PhD Sponsored Research Officer Supports ALB, CSE (not Bio), CON & Institutional Efforts |
Gabrielle Mitrak Senior Administrative Assistant |
Jenna Isakson, MPA Director |
Please direct any suggestions about how we can make the quarterly OSP Observer most useful to Kara Luckey – we welcome your thoughts!
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