In September, Patrick Monahan, vice-president academic & provost, announced the establishment of an Academic Innovation Fund and sought community input. Now he has issued this message to the community about the next step in the process:
Following the endorsement of the White Paper by Senate, I announced the creation of an Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) to provide funding in support of institutional priorities set out in the White Paper and the University Academic Plan (UAP), in order to advance innovation and change at York (see Provost Announces Academic Innovation Fund). We received a good deal of thoughtful and helpful input from the community in the development of the process and criteria, and we are now pleased to issue a Call for Proposals for AIF funding.
In order to maximize the impact of the funds, the AIF will focus on initiatives which support the advancement of White Paper objectives in the areas of Teaching and Learning and the Student Experience, including those which support accessibility, community engagement and the development of academic partnerships. We invite applications that are institutionally- or Faculty-based, and from faculty, staff and students individually or in groups, for support of initiatives that contribute to these White Paper/UAP priority areas. Projects should be innovative new initiatives or significant extensions of current initiatives.
The call sets out in detail the categories of projects and levels of funding available, as well as the process for the awarding of funding and the criteria to be taken into consideration. The deadline for submission of applications for funding is Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, and applications must be submitted electronically to Marla Chodak in the Provost’s Office at mchodak@yorku.ca, using the form provided.
We will be holding an information session for potential applicants on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011 at 2pm in the Senate Chamber, 9th Floor, Ross Building, to address any questions members of the community may have in relation to the fund or the application process. All members of the community are welcome to participate.
I look forward to reviewing proposals for projects and initiatives that will contribute in exciting new ways to the advancement of our institutional objectives, and to working together to implement those initiatives for the benefit of our students and our community.