Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grants

"The diversity internship allowed me to explore a new and different dimension of faculty and instructional development by focusing on multicultural teaching and observing expert faculty developers in action."

- Grant Recipient, University of Michigan

The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD) Diversity Committee enthusiastically invites proposals for the 2009 Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Program. The purpose of this grant is to provide a POD member institution with funding up to $5,000. The goals for the Internship Program are:

1. To provide a person of color with career exploration opportunities in Faculty/TA instructional development;

2. To support the intern’s attendance either at the beginning of the grant at the 2009 POD Conference in Houston, Texas (October 28-November 1, 2009) or at the end of the grant (at the 2010 POD Conference).

The grant award will be allocated in two ways:

1. Up to $4,000 will be awarded to the institution to fund the internship;

2. Up to $1,000 will be available to the intern for attendance at the 2009 or 2010 POD Conference.

Institution applicants must have joined POD on or before the application deadline to be eligible for this grant. For POD membership details, please visit http://podnetwork.org/membership.htm.

Submission Process

1.   Components of the Proposals – All proposals should include the following elements:

• Contact information

• Description of services provided by Faculty Development unit

• Institutional goals for the proposed internship

• Process for recruiting the intern

• Plan for establishing the internship, including institutional support (e.g., financial match, logistical support, course release, travel stipend)

• Experiences and activities in which intern would be engaged (e.g., practical opportunities for career exploration; activities to create & sustain interest in field of faculty development)

• Strategic Plan for sustaining the internship, including institutional support

• Plans for assisting the intern to continue work in faculty, TA or instructional development after the internship is completed  (e.g., acquiring a position in a teaching and learning center, office of diversity/multicultural affairs, or academic administration)

• Timeline for internship, which includes recruitment and proposed schedule of activities

2.   Timeline for Proposal Submission and Funding:

• Deadline for submission – 5:00 p.m. CDT, May 10, 2009

• Notification of funding – July 1, 2009

• Internship timeframe – Academic Year 2009-2010

• POD Conference – October 28 – November 1, 2009 or attend the 2010 POD Conference 

3.   Intern Expectations:

• The Grant recipient is expected to attend the 2009 POD Conference in Houston, Texas or attend the 2010 POD Conference.

• The Grant recipient is expected to share the outcomes of the internship experience in a final report to the Diversity Committee, along with either a presentation at the 2010 POD Conference or in a POD publication.

Additional information on application process, including expectations of grant recipient, review criteria, and FAQs can be found on the POD Diversity Committee eFolio site: http://poddc.project.mnscu.edu. Contact Lori Schroeder, Chair – Diversity Grants, at lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu or, Patricia Lawler, Vice Chair – Internship Grant Program, at palawler@widener.edu.

All proposals are to be submitted through email to Lori Schroeder, Chair of Diversity Grants, lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu by 5:00 p.m. CDT on or before May 10, 2009.

We look forward to receiving your proposal! And we invite your questions and requests for additional information.

Best Regards,

Lori Schroeder
Chair of Diversity Grants
Metropolitan State University
E: lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu
Ofc: 651.649.5780

Patricia Lawler
POD Internship Grant Vice Chair
Widener University
E: palawler@widener.edu
Ofc: 610.499.4252

2007 RECIPIENTS of Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grants

• TEAM Center (Teaching Excellence, Advancement, and Mentoring) University of Texas - San Antonio

Past RECIPIENTS of Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grants

• University of Michigan

• University of Southern Colorado

• University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Ohio University

• Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning

• Kennesaw State University

• University of Minnesota/Twin Cities

"The major benefits of the POD intern program were the internship's impact on the grant awardee, Rita Williams. The internship allowed her to make professional connections at the host institution (Kennesaw State University and its Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)), teaching centers at nearby colleges and universities, and with POD members nationwide. Her major project during the grant, a practical instructional module on multicultural teaching presented at the 2005 POD conference, fit well with her graduate school focus and her passions. A faculty and POD member at a midwestern university used the intern's module in a course during spring of 2006, and Rita did an online lecture for the course. The internship had specific goals of what the intern would accomplish and that plan was followed. A great benefit for the hosting institution was the fresh perspective that the intern brought to discussions at CETL."

-Valerie Whittlesey, Kennesaw State University