Assistant professors invited to apply for research project grants from Butler Center

The Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence is calling for proposals for a research project grant for assistant professors. This grant is made possible through funds from the Ketan and Tanuja Sheth Family Endowment and the Butler Center.

The research project award is for assistant professors (tenure-track/clinical/research). The proposed project may focus on any aspect of the academy and lives of faculty, staff and students. Proposed projects may explore sexism, classism, ethnocentrism and homophobia; privilege; prejudice; strategies for leaders to enable inclusionary workspaces; pedagogical aspects and teaching tools; and the impacts of COVID-19 and lessons learned, particularly as it relates to gender and/or race. Additionally, proposals may include request for support to fund research assistance, obtain secondary data and other similar needs for non-COVID-related projects, especially those related to requests for proposals that are on hold or canceled. Proposed projects may be university-level, unit/department-level, or individual-level programs or initiatives.

While the proposed project may explore aspects in any of the areas mentioned above, it must be aimed at furthering the mission of the Butler Center, in that this award supports the work of an individual (or individuals) interested in advancing inclusion and faculty success broadly.

The principal investigator must be an assistant professor (tenure-track/clinical/research). Additional faculty members, if any, on the proposal may be of any rank. A maximum of $5,000 is available for making one or two awards.

Individual and team submissions are accepted. An application packet must include the following:

• Proposals should be described in a maximum of three pages (excluding title page and references) single-spaced in 12-point font. It must include the following details:
  • Project goals and significance.
  • Plan to gather/obtain and/or analyze data, explanation of need for support of research assistance, design of initiative/tool, as applicable.
  • Budget – Funding needed to conduct the project (as detailed as possible). The funds cannot be used for salary or salary supplements.
  • Timeline for project.
  • Brief explanation of how the project supports the mission of the Butler Center and clear outcomes.
• A two-page CV for the PI and any additional faculty included in the proposal (not needed for research assistants).
• Evidence of RFPs on hold or cancellation if proposed project is non-COVID-related (maybe a website URL, note received).

The Butler Center will receive and review submissions and recommend candidates for selection to the Purdue Research Foundation. PRF will review the Butler Center’s recommendations and have sole decision-making authority with respect to the grant award(s) based on available revenue and the foundation’s assessment of those recommendations.

The grant awardee(s) will receive funding to conduct and complete their projects in one year. A report on the project and findings will have to be submitted to the Butler Center at the end of the one-year project period. Application packets are due by 5 p.m. March 1. The application packet should be submitted online as a single PDF document.

Email butlercenter@purdue.edu for more information. The grant awardee(s) will be recognized at the Butler Center’s end-of-the-year virtual reception on April 27.