Towsley Research Scholars

Application Deadline: October 1

Award

• $4,500 each summer following years three through six of the tenure-track probationary period
• A one-semester sabbatical during the fourth year of the tenure-track probationary period
• $12,000 maximum to the recipient's department for the hiring of a sabbatical-leave replacement

Eligibility

Application is by invitation from the provost to eligible faculty.

Eligible Faculty

• Tenure-track faculty
• Assistant professor rank
• In the third year of their probationary period, including those with zero or one year prior credit

Ineligible Faculty

• Those with two or more years of prior credit on tenure-track

Please contact the Provost's Office (provost@hope.edu) if you are unsure of your eligibility in this regard.

Proposal Guidelines

Provide a brief but comprehensive, clear description of the proposed work without jargon. It is most important that you present a coherent proposal in which you lay out a vision for your scholarly development over the next four years and that you help us as non-specialist readers to understand the significance of what you propose to do, its relation to your previous work (if any) and its relevance to Hope College students.

The proposal must include the following sections:

• Background: Describe the work that you have done on this topic and show how it is related to or different from that of other scholars.
• Description of the project: Describe what you intend to do, your research methodology, the resources that will be required, the location of the research and anything else that is relevant to our understanding of it. Do not use a project description from a recent grant proposal. Write a description that is both detailed and understandable by a reader who is not an expert in the field.
• Timetable: Indicate what you will do during each of the four summers, during the intervening academic years and during the two sabbaticals (i.e., not only the sabbatical during the fourth year, but also during the first regular sabbatical following the awarding of tenure).
• Long-term professional goals: Briefly describe your scholarly goals for the next decade or so and explain how the activities described in the previous sections fit into those long-term goals. In this section it will be important to demonstrate the long-term sustainability of the proposed project and how you intend to sustain your professional vitality during your career.
• Outcome or product: Indicate your intended outcome(s). Your goal may be to produce a number of essays which will be combined into a publishable book-length manuscript, or you may intend to present a number of papers or poster sessions at professional meetings and to publish one or more papers. Alternatively, your goal may be to produce an artistic work, whether in a series of performances, or in a professional artist show in a national or international setting. In either case, specifically address how your work will bring benefit to Hope students. Just as professional publications are subject to the peer-review process, artistic work is subject to jury and/or adjudication.
• Assessment: If there are assessable outcomes beyond those listed in the previous section, please describe them.

It is not necessary for you to write your proposal in isolation. You are encouraged to seek advice from colleagues, including your chairperson and your dean. Even though only one person can receive appointment as the Towsley Research Scholar, everyone can benefit from writing a strong proposal, for it will not only help you to clarify your scholarly goals, but it will also provide a solid foundation for submitting grant proposals for both internal and external funding.

Conditions

Conditions include releasing the faculty member for a one-semester sabbatical during her/his fourth year and a limitation of $12,000 for the hiring of a sabbatical replacement. 

Your department chairperson must write a letter of endorsement agreeing to the conditions of the grant and addressing your teaching effectiveness.

Submission and Review

Submission

Electronically submit your proposal, a current curriculum vitae and your chairperson's letter of support in PDF format (not scanned) to the Provost's Office (provost@hope.edu).

Submission Deadline

October 1

Late proposals will not be accepted.

Review Process

Proposals will be read by members of the Deans' Council. Proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria and ranked by each evaluator. The final selection will be based on the ranking and by consensus of the Deans' Council.

Selection/Evaluation Criteria

• Demonstrated competence in the faculty member's field of study
• Demonstrated teaching excellence at an appropriate level for a new faculty member
• Presentation of a promising plan for the development of a long-term research program
• The degree to which the proposed plan is likely to bring benefit to Hope students

Notification

Proposal outcome notifications will be sent by late-November.

View previous Towsley Research Scholars 

The Towsley Research Scholars Program is made possible by a grant from the Towsley Foundation of Midland, Michigan. Income from this endowment allows us to appoint a Towsley Research Scholar each year. The first Towsley Research Scholar was named in 1997.