Travel Grants

Faculty travel grants are available to support professional development, with priority given to proposals focused on teaching and learning.

About Travel Grants

Purpose

Grants to supplement the costs of professional travel to conferences and workshops for faculty development are available through the Committee to Enhance Learning and Teaching. Proposals concerning teaching and learning will have the highest priority. In adjudicating among proposals, the Committee will consider:

The significance and impact on teaching and learning at Valpo;
The originality or freshness of the idea in the proposal;
The purpose of travel (in order of priority):
- Workshops/conferences for pedagogical development (e.g. Lilly Conference on College Teaching and similar),
- Workshop attendance for knowledge/skills/information to bring to the classroom,
- Presentation of papers directly related to teaching and learning,
- Presentation of research papers unrelated to teaching and learning,
- Workshops/conferences for professional development/credentials/accompanying students.
The level of support available for travel within a unit;
Previous awards to an applicant — priority may be given to applicants who have not previously received this award;
The alignment with department and University-wide student learning objectives. University-wide student learning objectives can be found in the undergraduate catalog.

View Catalog

Note: Travel for international service learning trips or for conference attendance related merely to positions held in professional organizations will not be funded by this committee.

Eligibility

All faculty with the rank of lecturer or above are eligible. Visiting faculty are also eligible, as are adjunct faculty who have completed three years of service with the University.

Awards

Three times per year, the Committee will award $7,500 in travel grants, with a limit of $1,000 per grant for travel within the United States and $2,000 per grant for international travel.

If the Committee does not receive enough applications, or if not enough applications are deemed worthy of an award, the full budget will not be spent in that year.

Application Deadlines

For travel November 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025, applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by September 13, 2024, and awards will be announced and funds granted by early October 2024.
For travel March 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025, applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by January 17, 2025, and awards will be announced and funds granted by early February 2025.
For travel July 1, 2025 – October 31, 2025, applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by May 2, 2025*, and awards will be announced and funds granted by late May 2025.

*For academic year 2024-2025, deadline information is currently tentative. Grants may be limited/canceled due to budget restrictions.

Travel Grant Application Process

Application Process

A complete application consists of:

I. Abstract

An abstract of proposed use of funds (not to exceed 100 words).

II. Project Description

The nature of the conference or workshop (regional, local, national, standing in field, etc.) and the applicant’s role in the conference (attendee, presenter of paper, panel member, etc.).
Description of the benefit to the University, such as:
- How does it improve student learning?
- How does it improve pedagogy?
- How does it relate to activity in the classroom?
- How does it meet special needs of the department or the University?
- How will what is learned be used or disseminated?
Any other University-supported conference the applicant is planning this year. Attending more than one conference does not disqualify the applicant from serious consideration but may constitute one factor in the allocation of scarce resources.

III. Statement of Support

A brief letter of recommendation or support from the dean or department chair. This should include the level of travel support available per faculty member, any restricted funds with endowed chairs (if the applicant holds such a chair), and special college-specific awards.

IV. Budget

A brief, but specific statement of how the award will be spent (travel, lodging, food, conference fees, etc.). It will be helpful to provide the total costs even when a portion is being solicited.

All applications must be submitted using the appropriate online submission form.

Online Submission Form