Faculty Awards

Junior Faculty Development Awards - Application Process for 2025-2026 Awards

JUNIOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AWARDS FOR 2025-2026 Academic Year

Are you an untenured assistant or associate professor looking for support for a research or scholarly project? Each year, theOffice of the Executive Vice Chancellor andProvost acceptsapplicationsforcompetitive$10,000 Junior Faculty Development Awards,with funds provided by IBM and R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. These awards are to be utilizedduring the period beginningJuly 1, 2025,and endingJune 30, 2026. 

• All applicants must be permanent, full-time (1.0 FTE), salaried faculty members without tenure and must not have been proposed for tenure prior to the application deadline,Friday, November 1, 2024. They must hold the rank of assistant professor or associate professor (fixed-term or tenure-track).  
• Preference will be given first toindividualsholding the rank of assistant professor and then toindividualsholding the rank of associate professor.  
• Preference will be given to applicants in their second, third, or fourth year of service at the time of their application. 
• Noindividualwho has previously received a Junior Faculty Development Award may receive a second award. 
• Funds from the award may not be used to provide release time from regular employment. Forindividualson nine-month contracts, the award may be used to provide summer salary (plus associated fringe benefits); in this case,the award will count toward the normal limit for summer salary (one-third of base salary). Since the fringe benefit costs will be charged to the same fund and source as the salary, the entire amount of the award cannot be paid as summer salary. 
• Nine-month faculty who use the Junior Faculty Development Award for summer salary may not teach or serve as an administrator in the Summer School during the Summer 2025sessions. 
• Funds from the award may also be used for supplies, equipment, salaries of assistants (plus associated fringe benefits), travel, or toassistwith any other dimension of faculty development. 

Application Materials
Pleasesubmitthe following four items in your application packetas a single pdf file: 

• A brief narrative description of the project to be undertaken,no longer than two pages(if you choose to include references, a third page may be added if necessary).Be sure to givethe project atitleanddescribe how this funding will add to yourcapacityto complete the project. 
• A brief proposed budget which cannot exceed $10,000. The budget should list the kinds of expenditures proposed (e.g., salary, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, etc.), and, in addition, should alsoindicateany other funds (e.g., NEH Summer Fellowships, University Research Council awards, etc.) which will be used to support the project. 
• A curriculum vitae. 
• A signed letter of endorsement from the applicant’s department or curriculum chair (or, in the case of non- departmentalized schools, the dean of the school). If the chair or dean prefers, this letter may be emailed directly to theOffice of the Executive Vice Chancellor andProvost at facultyaffairs@unc.edu. 

All applications should be submitted online at thislink.The complete application packet, including the letter of endorsement, must be received no later than 5:00 PM onFriday, November 1, 2024. 

All applications will be reviewed by the Committee on Faculty Leaves and Awards, which willbe convened by the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. Due to the number of applications received each year, no oral or written feedback on applications can be provided to individual applicants. 

Please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs atfacultyaffairs@unc.eduif you have any questions about the application process. 

2023 Junior Faculty Development Award Recipients

Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leaves - Application Process for 2024-2025

SENIOR FACULTY RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY LEAVES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025

The Provost’s Office accepts applications each fall for competitive Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leaves funded by Kenan, Pogue, William R. Kenan, Jr., William N. Reynolds, and R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc.

• The deadline to apply for Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leaves to be taken during Academic Year 2024-2025 has passed. Information about applying for leaves to be taken during Academic Year 2025-2026 will be posted here in Fall 2024.
• Please contact facultyaffairs@unc.edu with questions or problems regarding the application process.

2023 Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leave Award Recipients

ELEVATE Fixed-Term Faculty Development Awards for 2025-2026

ELEVATE FIXED-TERM FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AWARDS FOR 2025-2026

As part of the ELEVATE Faculty Support Programs, theOffice of the Executive Vice Chancellor andProvost, is pleased to announce a set of awards designed specifically for fixed-term faculty members, offering $25,000 each to support research or scholarly endeavors. These awards are to be utilized during the period beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026. 

These awards provide recipients with the flexibility to choose between using the funds as a workload buyout or as research funds to catalyze innovative projects. Aimed at fostering excellence in research, scholarship, and pedagogical innovation, ELEVATE provides recognition and tangible support to elevate the impact and success of fixed-term faculty members within the academic community. 

 Why ELEVATE Faculty Development Awards? 

• Providing Choice:Faculty decide how to utilize the funds based on their priorities – whether to enhance their research output or to innovate in teaching and learning.
• Catalyze Excellence:ELEVATE Faculty Development Awards are a catalyst for scholarly excellence, aimed at accelerating research and fostering pedagogical advancements among fixed-term faculty. 
• Recognition and Support:By receiving an ELEVATE Faculty Development Award, faculty gain recognition for their contributions and dedicated support to pursue their scholarly passions. 

Eligibility 

Full-time (1.0 FTE) permanent members of the fixed-term faculty who have at least one year of service at the university.  

Faculty on fixed-term contracts must have an active employment contract with the university that extends at least through June 30, 2026, in order to be eligible to apply for this award. Applicants whose contracts do not meet this requirement at the time of submission will not be considered. 

Other Provisions 

• Preference will be given to applicants in their third year or later of service at the time of their application. 
• Funds from the award may be used to provide release time from regular employment. However, fringe benefits cost will need to be considered which will reduce the amount of the award that is actually payable as salary.
• For individuals on nine-month contracts, the award may be used to provide summer salary (plus associated fringe benefits); in this case the award will count toward the normal limit for summer salary (one-third of base salary). Since the fringe benefit costs will be charged to the same fund and source as the salary, the entire amount of the award cannot be paid as summer salary.
• Funds from the award may also be used for supplies, equipment, salaries of assistants (plus associated fringe benefits), travel, or to assist with any other dimension of faculty development. 

Request Process 

All applications should be submitted online at this link.The complete application packet, including the letter of endorsement, must be received no later than 5:00 PM onFriday, November 1, 2024. Please submit the following four items in your application packetas a single pdf file: 

1. A brief narrative description of the project to be undertaken,no longer than two pages(if you choose to include references, a third page may be added if necessary).Be sure to give the project a titleand describe how this funding will add to your capacity to complete the project. 
2. A brief proposed budget which cannot exceed $25,000. The budget should list the kinds of expenditures proposed (e.g., salary, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, etc.), and, in addition, should also indicate any other funds (e.g., NEH Summer Fellowships, University Research Council awards, etc.) which will be used to support the project.
3. A curriculum vitae.
4. A signed letter of endorsement from the applicant’s department or curriculum chair (or, in the case of non- departmentalized schools, the dean of the school). If the chair or dean prefers, this letter may be emailed directly to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, atfacultyaffairs@unc.edu.  

All applications should be submitted online. All applications will be reviewed by the Committee on Faculty Leaves and Awards, which will be convened by the Provost. Due to the number of applications received each year, no oral or written feedback on applications can be provided to individual applicants. 

University Distinguished Professorships

UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIPS

We are pleased to announce that the Office of the Provost will be awarding several distinguished professorships to be effective July 1, 2025. We are seeking nominations for exceptionally distinguished faculty members to be considered for the following professorships: 

• Cary C. Boshamer Professorship
• Kenan Professorship
• William R. Kenan, Jr. Professorship
• Burton Craige Professorship
• Alumni Professorship 

Eligibility: 

• All professorships are open to faculty members throughout the University, except for the Burton Craige Professorship, which is limited to faculty in the School of Law and the Department of Political Science.
• Nominees must betenured full professorswith a record of scholarly and educational distinction.
• Faculty members who currently hold school-based distinguished or term professorships are eligible for nomination. If awarded a University Distinguished Professorship, they would vacate their current professorship.
• Previous award of a school-based or term professorship will not influence consideration for a University Distinguished Professorship.
• No self-nominations will be accepted. 

Nomination Process 

Please submit the following materials as a single PDF attachment at thislinkno later than5:00 PM on Thursday, October 31, 2024: 

1. Your nomination letter 
2. The nominee’s current curriculum vitae 
3. A letter of support from the nominee’s Dean 
4. For schools with departments: A second letter of support from the Department Chair 
5. A list offivereferences for your nominee, including complete contact information and email addresses 

Selection Process 

A faculty committee composed of current distinguished professors will review the nominations. The committee will recommend individuals for the available professorships, suggesting appropriate matches between candidates and specific professorships. 

Please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs atfacultyaffairs@unc.eduif you have any questions about the nomination process.