College Receives Portion of $2.5 Million Mellon Foundation Grant

Author: Edward Pickering

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Middlebury College and eight other schools a $2.5 million grant to support faculty career enhancement. According to a College press release, the four-year grant will be used to "address concerns about time, intellectual growth and professional development among faculty members."
The grant, shared with DePauw University, Denison University, Furman College, Harvey Mudd College, Rhodes College, Scripps College and Vassar College, will fund three categories that fall under the heading of faculty enhancement.
The chief academic officer at each institution will oversee a "career enhancement fund" that will finance colleague visits, continued professional education and related activities.
A committee composed of deans and faculty representatives from the eight participating schools will grant awards to individual faculty members for specific projects. Eight to 12 awards of $10,000 to $25,000 will be given annually. Faculty members may seek funding for sabbaticals, the development of faculty-taught seminars and similar endeavors.
Funding will be given for inter-institutional initiatives, such as the convening of inter-institutional faculty seminars and inter-institutional faculty study abroad.
Middlebury College Executive Vice President and Provost Ron Liebowitz expressed his hope "that many colleagues will take the initiative to seek funding from this grant as the specific programs are defined and communicated across the eight institutions."