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Towsley Research Scholars

Each Towsley Research Scholar holds the fellowship for four years. 

Application Deadline: October 1 at 5 p.m.

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

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 scholarly/creative 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 in this order:

• Lay Abstract (up to 250 words): Provide a brief summary of the proposed project in everyday language. Avoid jargon specific to your field. Highlight the purpose, methods and potential impact of your work within your field, Hope College and beyond. 
• Background (up to 1 page, single spaced): 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 (up to 4 pages, single spaced): 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. 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). . Please also include in your text and in your template any specifics of off-campus locations and facilities required to perform the proposed research. Include any relevant licenses, permits, security clearances, access agreements, etc. required in order to utilize the facilities or locations. 
• Long-term professional goals (up to 1 page, single spaced): Briefly describe your scholarly goals for the next five years and explain how the activities described in the previous sections are connected to those goals.
• Outcomes, Impact & Significance (up to 2 pages, single spaced): Indicate your intended outcome(s), including scholarly deliverable. Specifically address how the project will benefit Hope students and the extent to which students will be involved in your proposed project. If students will not be involved, provide a rationale. Finally, discuss the significance of this work within your field.
• Teaching Effectiveness (up to 2 pages, single spaced): Provide teaching evaluations from at least the past two semesters and a written statement of previous teaching successes and future goals. Include a discussion of how you utilize feedback from students, colleagues and others to inform your teaching.
• Supplemental Materials (optional): Some faculty may find it useful to include links to other media files (e.g., sound, visuals graphs, charts).
• Letter of Support from External Collaborators (if applicable): Include letters of support from any external collaborators essential to the success of your project.
• Letter of Support from Departmental Chair (up to 2 pages, single spaced): Provide a letter from your chair that (a) agrees to the conditions of the grant, including the pre-tenure sabbatical, and (b) describes your teaching effectiveness, including examples and a review of course evaluations.

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. We encourage all eligible faculty to apply, as everyone can benefit from writing a strong proposal. 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.

Awards & Conditions

Award: A one-semester sabbatical during the fourth year. During this sabbatical the awardee will be free of teaching and all service duties. The college will provide up to $12,000 for hiring a sabbatical replacement. 

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

Towsley Scholars will present an on-campus lecture (the Towsley Lecture) following the pre-tenure sabbatical. This lecture will highlight the scholar's contributions and work in progress, as well as set benchmarks for early career faculty who are interested in applying.

Submission and Review

Submission

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

Submission Deadline

October 1 at 5 p.m.

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.