Non-Tenure Track Faculty Professional Development Fellowship Pilot Program

Young woman leading a discussion

The Professional Development Fellowship Pilot Program will provide funds to help support colleges to provide a one-semester teaching release (full or partial) for selected non-tenure track faculty at the rank of Senior Lecturer, Senior Instructor, Clinical or Teaching Associate or full Professor with six or more years of full-time equivalent service. Fellowships will be granted to increase the faculty member's value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional renewal, educational travel, study, formal training, or other experiences of professional value.

The application period for Spring 2025 consideration closed March 29, 2024. Heading link

Please check back regularly for updates.

Introducing the 2024-2025 Recipients Heading link

Sahar Alrayyes

Sahar Alrayyes

Department of Pediatric Dentistry
College of Dentistry

Virginia Costello

Virginia Costello

Department of English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Anthony Felder

Anthony Felder

Department of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering

Robert Gould

Robert Gould

Department of Disability and Human Development
College of Applied Health Sciences

Jordan Kamps

Jordan Kamps

Department of Music
College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts

Charitianne Williams

Charitianne Williams

Department of English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Felicia Ferrone

Felicia Ferrone

School of Design
College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts

Matthew Liotine

Matthew Liotine

Department of Information and Decision Sciences
College of Business Administration

Julie Peters

Julie Peters

Department of History
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Kelly Quinn

Kelly Quinn

Department of Communication
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Arthi Rao

Arthi Rao

Department of Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education

Guidelines Heading link

Eligibility

  • Non-tenure track faculty who have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Senior Instructor, Clinical or Teaching Associate or full Professor with six or more years of full-time equivalent service.
  • Faculty who are funded entirely on grants or contracts are not eligible.

Monetary Support

  • The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will provide up to $20,000 to the college.
  • It will be at the discretion at the college how to best utilize awarded funds to cover teaching release or other duties for the fellow.
  • The college will be responsible for costs exceeding $20,000 associated with the full or partial release of duties.

Conditions

  • Within 30 days after completion of the Fellowship, a concise, written report articulating the accomplishments during the Fellowship must be submitted to the unit executive officer for routing and endorsement of the college dean, and final submission to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
  • This report shall include information regarding the activities undertaken during the fellowship period, the results accomplished as they affect the employee and the college, and research or other scholarly work produced or expected to be produced as a result of the Fellowship.
  • Awarded, non-tenure track faculty will not be eligible for consideration within six years of Fellowship.
  • Fellowships are limited. Application submission does not guarantee a faculty member will be awarded.
  • Travel expenses incurred for purposes of the fellowship are not reimbursable through the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Responsible college/department may approve official university travel as part of the application for the Fellowship.
  • Fellowship recipients in some cases may be required to defer the fellowship period to avoid undue hardship or disruption to their department.

Application Process

Proposals may be submitted online below to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Proposals should include:

  • A one-to-two sentence summary of your proposal.
  • A proposal (maximum 1,000 words) that describes, in detail, how the fellowship will be used to fund a full or partial release of duties that will develop and expand the applicant’s expertise and future contributions to UIC or their respective college/department. Proposals should explicitly describe how the contributions align with the priorities or the faculty members academic unit and will increase the faculty member’s ability to fulfill their primary duties in the unit.
  • A current CV

Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Office of Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs for assistance in preparing their submission. A workshop to prepare faculty for successful submission will be offered prior to the application deadline.

Review Process

  • Applicants will submit form with completed materials and will move on to the unit executive officer for review.
  • The unit executive officer will provide a recommendation and justification (300-word justification) and will be forwarded to the college dean.
    • For colleges with schools, the director will also provide a recommendation and brief justification prior to completed materials being forwarded to the college dean.
  • The college dean will review and provide a final recommendation to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs. The dean may consult with the relevant unit executive officer/director and the college executive committee in connection with their review.
  • The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs will select up to five (5) fellowships for funding based on the merits of each application and the recommendations of the unit executive officer/director and college dean.

Frequently Asked Questions Heading link

As we engage with interested applicants throughout this process, we will collect questions that may be helpful for others to consider and post here.

A proposal (as developed by the faculty member) and current CV. The application period is strictly for non-tenure track faculty to submit these materials.

Unit executive officers, directors, and college deans do not submit any materials prior to the deadline. 

This fellowship is strictly for the release of teaching duties for one (1) semester.

Faculty need not justify use of funding in proposal.

There will be five fellowships offered for Fall 2024 and five fellowships offered for Spring 2025.

Feedback will not be provided to applicants during the pilot phase of the project.

Yes, you can submit an application if you will complete six years or more by August 2024.

Questions? Contact Us