Provost Communication

All Faculty

October 19, 2020

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Adjustment to the Covid-19 pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year has impacted faculty life at UNF. In administration, it has been a balance of priorities with faculty raises regarded as critical but at the cost of other very important programs including the distribution of faculty development funding.

President Szymanski and I share your concern regarding the advancement of your research, scholarship, and creative activity (RSCA) even as you learn to pivot almost daily to face new challenges in your pedagogical practices. The president has asked that I find a way to provide support for your professional development beyond the programs currently offered by the Office of Faculty Enhancement (OFE), the Center for Instruction Research and Technology (CIRT), the Carpenter Library, and other UNF collaborators. I would like to share with you a two-tiered approach to that support outlined below: the Faculty Development Pandemic (FDP) Funding Program. This funding program is for tenure-earning and tenured faculty with research assignments.

Tier-one FDP Funding: College-facilitated

The university has provided funds totaling $50,000 for Fall 2020 and earmarked $50,000 for Spring 2021 allocated across the colleges. We have apportioned these funds based on the number of tenure-track faculty in each unit. Academic Affairs is not putting any restrictions on how the funds are allocated, allowing college deans to determine how best to allocate these funds to advance the mission of their college.

Tier-two FDP Funding: OFE-facilitated

If you as a faculty member have a need directly related to advancement of your RSCA and the tier-one FDP funds in your college have been exhausted, we have identified additional funds totaling $100,000 which can be requested. Tier-two FDP funds will be administered through the OFE. To access these funds, please apply using the Tier-2 FDP form, in which you'll provide basic necessary information and confirmation that tier-one funds in your department have been entirely depleted.

While we have not set a ceiling for tier-two FDP funding requests, we ask that you be attentive to the size of the budget versus the number of faculty competing for these funds.

President Szymanski and I want to do everything possible during these unprecedented times to support your development as scholar-teachers; we hope the FDP Funding Program demonstrates that support. Thank you for all you continue to do for our students.

Warm regards,

Karen Patterson

Interim Provost