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To effectively promote faculty research productivity, a comprehensive strategy must include administrative support, policies encouraging external funding, grant support infrastructure, and targeted professional development. Internal seed grants can provide essential administrative backing, while proper incentives like reassigned time and financial assistance for travel and stipends encourage faculty to pursue grants. The UA College of Education's Incentive Plan exemplifies a low-cost approach that rewards faculty through research course reassignments, ultimately fostering a supportive environment for sustainable external funding.
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Promoting Research Productivity Faculty Incentives/Small Grant Investments James E. McLean University of Alabama College of Education
Strategic Plan In order to be effective, any faculty incentives must be part of a larger effort. I suggest that this effort has a minimum of these four critical elements: • Administrative support at all levels • Policies that promote external funding • Grant support infrastructure • Professional development
For Example, Internal Seed Grants Would be Part of Administrative Support • Starts at the top • Must go beyond words • Reassigned time • Financial support (e.g., travel, summer stipend, etc. • Targeted professional development • Internal seed grants ●Internal Seed Grants
Other Faculty Incentives Might be Part of Grant Friendly Policies • Considered in merit decisions • Considered in tenure/promotion decisions • Recognized in travel policies • Faculty incentives -for writing grants -for getting funded
Some Possible Faculty Incentives • Reassigned time to develop grants • Travel support to meet potential funders • Summer stipends • Financial Incentives
The UA College of Education Incentive Plan • Of the eight courses per AY, three are reassigned to research • For each research course a grant buys out, faculty receive a 10% bonus • This incentive plan costs nothing to implement and has numerous advantages
Summary A consistent program of external funding requires administrative support, grant supportive policies, a grant supportive infrastructure, and appropriate professional development.