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K-State Today

August 4, 2014

Fall 2014 K-State Mentoring Fellowships competition

Submitted by Brian P. Niehoff

To: Deans and Heads of Science-related departments in the colleges of Agriculture, Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Human Ecology, Technology and Aviation, and Veterinary Medicine

From: Brian P. Niehoff, associate provost for institutional effectiveness

Subject: Fall 2014 K-State Mentoring Fellowships competition

This is to announce the fall 2014 competition for the K-State Mentoring Fellowships for tenure-track faculty in the sciences and engineering who have been appointed since Jan. 1. Please pass this information along to the appropriate faculty members in your departments and provide assistance to them in identifying potential mentors. The deadline for submission of applications to the provost's office is Sept. 10. Detailed information about this award also is available on the provost's home page.

Please contact me if you have any questions. We appreciate your help in encouraging faculty to apply for these awards.

Request for proposals for the K-State mentoring program for tenure-track faculty in the sciences and engineering fall 2014

K-State awards fellowships that provide mentoring for tenure-track faculty in the basic sciences, applied sciences and engineering disciplines. The K-State mentoring program will support up to five mentees per year at approximately $6,000 each. Typically, four awards are made in the spring competition and one award is made in the fall competition of each year. The fall competition is open only to new tenure-track faculty in the sciences and engineering appointed at K-State since Jan. 1 of the current calendar year. The funds provided for the fall 2014 award are to be used during the current academic year, 2014-2015. The spring competition is open to all eligible faculty members, and the spring 2015 awards are for the next academic year, 2015-2016. Eligibility for both the fall and spring competitions is limited to those who have not yet received significant external funding.

The goal is to provide faculty scientists and engineers with mentors who will help them secure the external funding usually necessary for achieving tenure in these fields. The award monies can be used for such things as personnel, attendance at short courses, meetings that enhance professional development, seed money for research, or other justifiable uses. Each award recipient submits a report toward the end of the academic year that describes the results of the progress achieved as a result of the fellowship. Individuals who are awarded fellowships graduate from the program upon receipt of substantial external funding. If a fellowship recipient does not receive extramural funding during the year of the award, a request for renewal for a subsequent year may be submitted, but it is important for applicants to show both progress in their research and attempts to obtain extramural funding to be considered for a renewal.

Application requirements

  • A project description, not to exceed two pages, should be informative and understandable to a scientifically literate, but non specialist, reader.The two-page description should include:
  • A detailed budget for the project and budget justification.
  • Description of importance of the project to the professional development of the applicant.
  • A list of previous, current, and pending research support. Include the funding agency, names of other principal investigators, amount of support, start and end dates. Also include this same information about proposals and fellowships applied for, but not funded.
  • A description of the extent of applicant's involvement in obtaining previous and/or current funding and in carrying out any previously and/or currently funded research projects.
  • A detailed description of the role of the mentor and the proposed interactions between the mentor and mentee.

  • Two-page curriculum vitae from both the mentor and mentee.

  • Detailed letter of commitment from the mentor.

Selection criteria

  • Scientific merit of a research project in a basic science, applied science or engineering discipline
  • Importance of the project and specific budget request to the professional development of the applicant
  • Appropriateness and design of the mentor/mentee collaboration
  • Potential for attracting external support

Closing dates
Fall: Sept. 10
Spring: Feb. 12, 2015

Submit one copy electronically in PDF format to Gail Zeak at gaill@k-state.edu. If you do not receive an email confirmation of receipt of your electronic submission, please check back with Gail Zeak to make sure your application was received. For more information contact Brian Niehoff: 532-4797 or niehoff@k-state.edu.