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2007-08 IU Northwest Center for Regional Excellence
Call for Proposals In Sustainable Regional Vitality, December 2006

Contacts: Don Coffin, Chair of Sustainable Regional Vitality Board, 980-6913 ; TaShena Lollis, Interim Assistant Director of Center for Regional Excellence, 981-5629, . Lindenwood Hall 420

The IU Northwest Center for Regional Excellence announces its 2007-08 round of funding in the area of Sustainable Regional Vitality. Since 2003, the Center is pleased to have been able to fund IU Northwest faculty and their student interns, community partners and project staff in Cultural Discovery and Learning for $112,108, and in Sustainable Regional Vitality with $154,655, for a total of $266,763 in research and creativity grants, through a Lilly Opportunity Grant (2004-06) and Trustees Commitment to Excellence funds . The broad purposes of the Sustainable Regional Vitality area of excellence and its focus on Business Excellence and Health and Human Services within IU Northwest's Unique Identity goals are defined at the Center for Regional Excellence website, www.iun.edu/~cre.

Eligibility : Tenure-Track and Tenured IU Northwest Faculty and IU Northwest Lecturers (and their IU Northwest collaborators and/or external partners).

Period of Fellowship and Project : Fiscal Year 2007-08: July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008

Deadline for Application : on or before 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Electronic Submissions Only to , (not to exceed 4 pages in length, plus a one-page line-item budget detailing personnel, student in/externships, external partners, materials, supplies, etc.). Also include a CV for the Faculty Project Director and co-directors, and a short disclosure if you have applied for or been granted funding from any other source for this project.

Funds Available: In FY 2007-08, approximately $20,000 is available for scholarly projects/activities to be completed by May 15, 2008. Funding is from Trustees' Commitment to Excellence Funds, which requires that the Center only fund projects that benefit undergraduate student learning. Because of limited funding, no faculty stipends will be awarded.

Pre-Proposal Review: The Sustainable Regional Vitality Board strongly encourages applicants to submit one to two page draft pre-proposals and budgets and to present the pre-proposal at an open Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday February 20, 2007, from 8:00 am to 9:30 am, in the Centers Space located outside of Rooms 201-203 on the 2 nd floor of the Library Conference Center . Applicants who have presented their draft proposals at the town halls have been more successful in securing funding. This is an opportunity for applicants to share ideas, get feedback and advice from Sustainable Regional Vitality members, and take advantage of the opportunity to hear other proposals and discuss whether grouping proposals might be beneficial, before writing the final proposal. To schedule a time for a 5-minute presentation contact Torie Brockett at 980-6978 or . Pre-Proposals should be submitted by Wednesday February 18, 2007 electronically only to .

Fellowship Requirements :

1. The Sustainable Regional Vitality Fellow(s) will conduct research/creative activities in a university and community partnership that promotes quality of life in the regions we serve. [These are meant to be broad rather than narrow, inclusive rather than exclusive: the project may arise out of any discipline(s) as viewed through the lens of sustainable regional vitality.] As Trustees Commitment to Excellence Funds are intended to benefit undergraduate student learning, proposals with direct benefits to undergraduate students have priority. (Examples: For direct benefits, you might design a service-learning activity, or organize an on-campus presentation related to your project. Indirect benefits to students might include enhancement of the campus environment, or integration of your project into course materials.) Priority is given to new proposals over continuation of previously funded projects and that include plans for additional external funding in the future.
   
2. Applicants may propose any project that meets the guiding principles of Sustainable Regional Vitality. See http://www.iun.edu/~cre/srv . Consult any member of the Sustainable Regional Vitality Board before the deadline March 21, 2007, if you have questions.
   
3. Proposals with Service-Learning components have priority. Please visit http://www.iun.edu/~cetl/servicelearning/index.shtml for an understanding of service-learning and other forms of experiential learning. For assistance contact Ju Park, Coordinator of Service-Learning at 980-6642, or
4. Applicants' proposals will be evaluated by the Sustainable Regional Vitality Board, using the scoring criteria below. The approved projects and appointment of Fellows will be announced no later than April 27, 2007.
   
5. The selected Fellow(s) must be able to complete the project(s) by June 30, 2008. If, however, the project is to develop a major program or seek a major grant proposal for a longer-term project deliverable only after June 30, 2008, the program plan or grant proposal must be complete and ready to submit to the Board or funding agency no later than June 30, 2008. Funds must be spent by May 15, 2008.
   
6. A written report detailing the work of the fellowship is due to the Sustainable Regional Vitality Board no later than July 15, 2008, submitted electronically only to .
   
7. Awarded Faculty Fellows are required to present the results/findings/work in progress of their projects at an on-campus research and creativity conference sponsored by the Center for Regional Excellence during spring semester 2008, with date to be determined.

Special Notes: If your project involves undergraduate student research, you may also be eligible for funding through the Undergraduate Research Fund, http://www.research.iu.edu/funding/internal_s.html . Once at the site scroll down to “Regional Campus Research Program,” then click IU Northwest.

Proposal Scoring Criteria

1. Quality of Proposal Idea. A maximum of 50 points (50%) if the scholarly project/activity is creative, concise, well conceived, well-written, has excellent content, and is in line with the following: Priority is given to new proposals over continuations of previously-funded projects and to those with plans for additional external funding in the future. Proposals must address issues related to sustainable regional development, with priority given for those in health and human services, economic development, cultural development, environment, and urban issues. Priority is given to programs addressing issues or problems of distressed areas in Northwest Indiana . Preference will also be given to proposals that involve collaboration and external partnerships.

2 . Diversity/Equity Component. A maximum of 15 points (15%) if the project/activity contains a component that promotes diversity, achieves equity, or explores opportunities for all persons in Northwest Indiana . Examples of individuals or groups that might benefit from a diversity component in the project/activity are African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, women, persons with a disability, etc.

3. Service-Learning Curriculum. A maximum of 15 points (15%) if the project/activity is coordinated with an IU Northwest service–learning (S-L) course, and/or seeks to create/develop new applied learning S-L opportunities for IU Northwest students in the future.

4. Scholarly Product. A maximum of 20 points (20%) if the project/activity has a plan for a scholarly/creative product at the end of the experience. Examples of such a product would be a presentation at a conference, report or document beneficial to a Northwest Indiana constituency, and/or an academic publication describing the activity/product or results.