Fitchburg State University is committed to supporting the professional development of our faculty and librarians and celebrating their intellectual and creative achievements. The institution recognizes that these activities spring from and enrich the university’s central teaching mission.
Faculty Development and Recognition
Three times a year, Academic Affairs and the Center for Teaching and Learning organize a Development Day conference to provide resources, build community, and enhance faculty life at Fitchburg State.
September and January Development Days include plenary sessions, resources relevant to faculty at all career stages, and focused explorations of faculty research and creative activity.
Each May, we celebrate faculty accomplishments with an annual spring award celebration that recognizes excellence in four areas of faculty professional activity: teaching, research and scholarship, service, and contributions to graduate programs.
Funding Sources for Faculty Scholarship and Development
The Division of Academic Affairs makes funding available through various sources to support the scholarship and creative activity of our teaching community. In an effort to create and maintain a supportive research environment, the following internal funding programs are available to faculty and librarians each year, with application cycles beginning in the fall and running through late spring. Details and application forms may be found by following the links.
Use the Endowed Funds Request Form (PDF) to apply for any of these four endowed funding sources.
Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Endowment
Established by Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio, class of 1938, the faculty development fund that bears her name was created to support activities and projects that promote her long-held interest in the study of Italian language, culture, and Western civilization. Each year, the fund supports projects that conform to the following guidelines established by the gift agreement:
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: To sponsor faculty scholarly development to perpetuate Italian language and culture through research, academic programming, and publication; funding to support faculty academic research of Italian culture and Western civilization; scholarly publication in Italian Studies and/or Western civilization; visiting professorships and academic programming at Fitchburg State; or supplemental funding for faculty to pursue Italian language instruction.
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: To support foreign travel by faculty to advance their research and publication in areas related to Italian language, culture, history, literature, art, philosophy of Italy and/or Western civilization.
Academic Affairs calls for proposals via email with the application form in September with a due date in October each academic year.
Anne Hyland-Zimmerman Irish Culture Endowment
Established by Ann Hyland Zimmerman, class of 1938, the Ann Hyland Zimmerman Irish Culture Endowment was created with the goal of perpetuating the vibrant Irish culture in Fitchburg in the 1940s and 1950s. This award is intended to foster understanding and the perpetuation of Irish history, arts, and culture and their impact in Fitchburg and surrounding area. The fund supports activities that include, but are not limited to:
- Faculty research on Irish studies;
- Faculty-led short-term study abroad opportunities for students;
- Student/faculty collaborative research on Irish history, immigration, etc.;
- Programming with shared costs in collaboration with other organizations (such as the Irish Consulate in Boston) or institutions (such as other universities with Irish Studies programs);
- Supporting Irish cultural events, with entertainment related to, and not merely influenced by, Irish culture and history;
- Studying the impact of Irish immigrants in the immediate and extended areas of North Central Massachusetts.
Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the potential to have the greatest impact on maintaining and fostering an appreciation of Irish culture in the Fitchburg area.
Academic Affairs calls for proposals via email with the application form in September with a due date in October each academic year.
The Jewish Heritage Endowment
The Jewish Heritage Endowment was created to support programming related to Judaic culture by promoting an understanding and appreciation of Jewish history, culture and heritage at Fitchburg State. Recognizing the important contributions of Judaic culture in this region, this goal can be accomplished, but is not limited to:
Faculty research on Jewish studies;
Student/faculty collaborative research on Jewish history, culture, etc.;
Honoring and celebrating Jewish history, culture and heritage through an annual theme and events that depict that theme;
Supporting Jewish cultural events, with activities related to Jewish culture and history;
Studying the impact of Jewish communities in the immediate and extended area of North Central Massachusetts.
Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the potential to have the greatest impact on maintaining and fostering an appreciation of Jewish culture in the Fitchburg area.
Academic Affairs calls for proposals via email with the application form in September with a due date in October each academic year.
Women in Today’s Society Endowment
The Endowment for Women in Today’s Society (WITS) was created to support the contributions made by women of Fitchburg State University as scholars, as teachers, and as contributors to the world of higher education, politics, and the broader community. The fund can provide support for conference attendance, speakers coming to campus during Women’s History Month and related events. The goal of the fund can also be accomplished, but is not limited to:
- Faculty research on women’s studies;
- Student/faculty collaborative research on women’s history, etc.;
- Honoring and celebrating the contributions of women through events that depict that theme;
- Studying the impact of women’s political contributions in the immediate and extended area of North Central Massachusetts.
Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the potential to have the greatest impact on maintaining and fostering an appreciation of women’s history and culture in the Fitchburg area.
Academic Affairs calls for proposals via email with the application form in September with a due date in October each academic year.
Annually, the MSCA Professional Development Committee calls for proposals from faculty for professional development funds and makes recommendations to the President for awards. These recommendations are based on the criteria as outlined in Article XIV of the MSCA collective bargaining agreement. The MSCA agreement notes that the professional development activity is designed:
- To improve teaching and student advising and to relate those to a changing curriculum that is itself responsive to the larger needs of society
- To develop new teaching skills and an appropriate facility in the use of media, teaching aids and other supportive techniques where those are appropriate
- To improve student advising techniques and the faculty member’s command of relevant bodies of knowledge in this area
- To increase the faculty member’s command of the body of knowledge that constitutes his/her own discipline
- Where appropriate, to enable a faculty member to develop a command over a body of knowledge in a related discipline
- In the case of any librarian, to improve such librarian’s professional skills and techniques and to relate those to a changing curriculum that is itself responsive to the larger needs of society and to develop new professional skills and techniques to the same end
- To provide retraining to members of the bargaining unit who have been or may be given notice of retirement.
The Deans’ Anti-Racism Fund supports anti-racism and anti-bias initiatives by Fitchburg State University faculty and librarians with the aim of ending systemic and institutional racism. It is a coordinated activity among the five Schools (Arts and Sciences; Business and Technology; Education, Health and Natural Sciences; Graduate, Online and Continuing Education) and the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, to support initiatives that may impact anything from individual courses to the greater community. The Fund will support activities including but not limited to symposia, training, library resources, curriculum development, and educational programming aimed toward students, faculty, staff and/or the greater community.
Collaboration between faculty across departments and schools are strongly encouraged, as are projects with community partners, student organizations, and university staff. Matching funds from other sources will be favorably viewed.
Targeted Outcomes
- The number of faculty and librarians who engage with students on anti-racism topics including, but not limited to, systemic oppression, institutional discrimination, and violence against people of color, will increase.
- Students will appreciate the contributions and needs of diverse individuals and groups and understand themselves in solidarity with others locally, nationally, and globally.
Eligibility: All full-time faculty and librarians are eligible to apply. Faculty teaching in the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education, whether full-time or part-time, are eligible to apply.
Amounts: We anticipate making five (5) to seven (7) awards ranging from $500 to $3000.
Application Deadline: Late October each academic year
Additional Information:
Awardees will be expected to be part of an event (in person or remote TBD) in late Spring to discuss their project and its impact on students and Fitchburg State University. If the faculty member is unable to attend the event, a final report may be substituted. (See final report model)
To learn more about funded past projects, click on AY21 Projects and AY22 Projects.
Applicants are encouraged to review the scoring rubric which details the criteria for selection.
Per the MSCA contract, with effect on September 1 of each academic year, monies shall be allocated to each full-time member of the bargaining unit who is employed as such during the fall semester of such year, an amount equal to the amount calculated for the nine, state universities.
On or before December 31, he/she shall first submit to the Vice President a description of the purpose for which such monies (or any portion thereof) are to be expended and, on or before January 31, the Vice President shall thereafter approve the same unless he/she shall have determined that the intended expenditure does not constitute support of continuing scholarship.
Whenever the Vice President shall have approved the purpose for which an expenditure is intended to be made, the Vice President shall thereupon authorize the payment of the amount required (but not more than the amount computed under the preceding subsection) to the bargaining unit member as a stipend for continuing scholarship.
The total sum of the monies whose expenditure has not been authorized (those faculty who did not apply) shall be divided by the number of members of the bargaining unit to whom an allocation of monies was approved.
The Vice President calls for proposals via email in October providing the link to the online form.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides funds to support pedagogical innovation, teaching resources, educational technologies, professional development, and teaching and learning scholarship (SoTL) for faculty and librarians through Teaching, Learning, and Innovation grants. With an application deadline in late January each year, applicants may request up to $750.
With a mission to affirm, enhance, and maintain collaboration between the University and its surrounding community, the Crocker Center for Civic Engagement makes funding available to increase student learning and success by facilitating high-impact educational practices and learning opportunities through community-based projects.
Civic or community engagement concepts must involve a community partner and one or more of our students in a high-impact educational practice, including but not limited to:
- An internship
- Community-based research
- The achievement of some other academic learning outcome through civic or community engagement
Crocker Center Civic or Communication Engagement Project Request Form (PDF)
The Faculty/Librarian Special Projects Grants are supported with funds from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. They are designed to support faculty/librarian scholarly impact aimed at contributing to faculty professional development, including:
Category 1: Major grants (up to $2,500) for Faculty/Librarian Research and/or Creative Activity.
Category 2: Reassignment of Teaching or Work Duties to allow faculty time to start, advance, or complete research projects.
Category 3: Falcon Scholars Undergraduate Research Assistance.
The Provost and Executive Vice President calls for proposals via email with detailed instructions on applying for funding in mid March with a due date of late April.
- Grants and Community Partnerships
- Community of Scholars
- Harrod Lecture Proposal Form (PDF)
- Research Compliance
See additional resources on our Faculty and Chair Resources page.