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UNF Foundation Board Initiatives

Faculty Grants

2023 - 2024

The UNF Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity that provides financial support and counsel to the University and enables it to achieve critical elements of its mission. As such, each year the UNF Foundation Board designates a portion of their budget to fund the Faculty Grants Initiative. This year the Foundation Board will be able to award $100,000 to faculty projects. The Foundation Board welcomes proposals from all UNF teaching faculty (tenured or tenure-earning faculty, lecturers, or instructors). To apply for grant funding, see the criteria and application timeline below.

For questions about the Faculty Board Initiatives, contact Gabe Grass, Director of Corporate Relations and Major Gifts, at 904-620-5377.

Criteria

Successful proposals will describe an academic, research or special project that will enhance the quality of learning and the reputation of the University of North Florida and that will accomplish one or more of the following goals:

Lead to a significant advancement in its field,
Provide a unique transformational learning opportunity,
Merit publication or production,
Advance the strategic priorities of the faculty member’s department,
Significantly involve UNF students,
Positively impact the communities of Northeast Florida, and
Involve collaboration between or among departments and/or colleges and/or community organizations.

All projects should efficiently use the funds awarded and provide a meaningful return on investment.

Please note, funds need to be spent within two years of the award.

Letter of Interest Application

Letter of Interest Applications will be due to your Dean's office by October 25th.

Projects with a PI in the College of Arts & Sciences, please send your completed applications to COASFacultyGrants@unf.edu.

Projects with a PI in the College of Education and Human Services, please send your completed applications to daniel.dinsmore@unf.edu.

2023 - 2024 Timeline

September 29, 2023 at 12:00pm on Zoom – Open House. Faculty are invited to meet a group of Foundation Board Grants Committee members to discuss the proposal process and ask any questions they may have on submitting an application. – Zoom link

October 25, 2023 – Deadline for submission of one-page Letter of Interest Application to the submitting faculty member's respective dean’s office.

November 3, 2023 - Deans send ranked LOIs to Provost's office for approval

November 15, 2023 - Provost sends all approved LOIs to Grants Committee Liasion

December 1, 2023 – The Committee will meet with deans to discuss the Letter of Interest Applications.

January 12, 2024 – The Committee will meet to select faculty to advance in the grant process. Faculty will be notified shortly after.

February 13, 2024 – Deadline for submission of full proposals to faculty member's respective dean’s office. In addition, full proposals should be emailed to the UDAE office.

February 23, 2024 – The Committee will hear presentations from faculty finalists. Visuals and power points may be utilized. The full UNF Foundation Board will vote to approve the Grants Committee’s recommendations for Board Initiative funding.

July-August, 2024 – Funding will be disbursed into accounts and faculty will launch their projects during the new academic year.

Previously Funded Faculty Projects

FY 2023
- Partnering with K-12 Teachers to Advance Computer Science Learning in Northeast Florida
  - Drs. Terrie Galanti, Brian Zoellner and Sandeep Reedivari, College of Education and Human Services and College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
- Swooping into the SEA of Phages: Viral Discovery at UNF
  - Dr. Denise Monti, Hicks Honors College
- Visualizing the Indigenous History of Northeast Florida
  - Drs. Denise Bossey and Keith Ashley, College of Arts and Sciences
- Biomechanical and Psychosocial Impact of Ride-on Toy Cars for Children with Mobility Issues due to Cerebral Palsy
  - Drs. Guilherme Cesar, Juan Aceros and Debra Depto-Hoffman, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction and Brooks College of Health
FY 2022
- Backward Walking Speed: A Paradigm Shift in Balance and Mobility Assessment
  - Dr. Chitra Balasubramanian, Brooks College of Health
- Integration of “Remote in” of Faculty and Students in BCH using Telerobots
  - Dr. Kristen Hicks-Roof, Brooks College of Health
- Integrating Computational Thinking in Mathematics Education in PK-3
  - Drs. Terrie Galanti and Mai Dahshan, College of Education and Human Services and College of Computing, Construction and Engineering
- Industrial Cutter for Fab Lab
  - Dr. Jennifer Hager, College of Arts & Sciences
FY 2021
- Women Composers and Women Soloists with Wind Band Recording Project
  - Dr. Erin Bodnar, College of Arts and Sciences
- Quality Assurance of Machine Learning Applications Used in Healthcare
  - Drs. Upulee Kanewala and Indika Kahanda, College of Computing, Engineering & Construction
- Material Characterization of MICP-Treated Beach Sand
  - Drs. Raphael Crowley and Brian Wingender, College of Computing, Engineering & Construction, Terri Ellis, College of Arts and Sciences
- Osprey TALON Program
  - Deborah Owen, Brooks College of Health
- Supporting Black Students Persistence in STEM Programs at UNF: Implications for Modeling Diversity and STEM Leadership
  - Dr. Dilek Kayaalp, Dr. Sophie Filibert & Mario Pickens, College of Education and Human Services
FY 2020
- SWOOP: Student Wed-accessed Open Observatory Project
  - Drs. John Hewitt and Brian Zoellner, College of Arts and Sciences
- Protection Against Brain Injuries in Construction Using 3-D Printed Hard Hats
  - Drs. Grant Bevill and Jutima Simsirwong, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
- Boosting STEM Student Success Through Cutting-Edge Instrumentation
  - Drs. Hannah R. Malcolm and Amy Lane, College of Arts and Sciences
- Red Hill Cemetery Project
  - Dr. David Sheffler, College of Arts and Sciences, Chris Baynard, Coggin College of Business, and Dr. Gordon Rakita, College of Arts and Sciences
- Improving Student Retention through Stress Management in High DFW Courses
  - Dr. Kassie Terrell, Brooks College of Health
FY 2019
- Mass Shootings: Types, Causes, and Possible Solutions
  - Dr. Dominik Guess, College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Tes Tuason, Brooks College of Health
- UNF Conductor's Studio
  - Dr. Cara Tasher, College of Arts and Sciences
- Preparing Data Scientists with a Social Conscience
  - Karthikeyan Umapathy, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction and Dr. Dan Richard, College of Arts and Sciences
- Carbon Sequestering Cement
  - Drs. Craig Hargis and Paul Eason, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
FY 2018
- Long-term water quality monitoring program at the William C. Webb Coastal Research Station
  - Dr. James Gelsleichter, College of Arts and Science
- The Sankofa Narrative Project: Oral Histories of Segregation/Integration in NE Florida
  - Chris Janson, Dean Elizabeth Curry, Rudy Jamison, Tru Leverette, Shannon Eaves, College of Education and Human Services
- Agricultural Information Collection Using A Team of Autonomous Drones
  - Drs. Ayan Dutta and Patrick Kriedl, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
- Cold Case Homicides in Jacksonville
  - Drs. Michael Cherbonneau and David Forde, College of Arts and Sciences
- Ospreys: Know the Risks - Peer Education to prevent prescription Drug Misuse
  - Deborah Owen M.S.H. and Richmond Wynn Ph.D., Brooks College of Health
- Developing Anti-Cancer Drugs with UNF Students
  - Dr. Kenneth Laali, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2017
- Collegiate Achievement Mentoring Program
  - Drs. Christian Winterbottom, Matthew Ohlson and Jody S. Nicholson, College of Education and Human Services
- Understanding Writing across the University
  - Dr. Linda Howell, College of Arts and Sciences
- Adaptive Feeding Intervention and Monitoring Program for Infants with Congenital Zika Syndrome
  - Dr. Lauri Wright, Brooks College of Health
- Development and Enhancement of the Biomedical Pre-Professions Program (BPP) Resources for UNF Students
  - Dr. David Wadell, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2016
- Study of Self-Directed Independent Power Mobility
  - Dr. Mary Lundy, Brooks College of Health
- Public Service Leadership Program
  - Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, College of Arts and Sciences
- Clinical Simulation Enhancement
  - Dr. Cynthia Cummings, Brooks College of Health
- Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)
  - Dr. David Lamber, Academic Affairs
- Shark EPT
  - Dr. James Gelsleichter, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2015
- Mill Cove Complex: Downtown Jacksonville AD 1000
  - Dr. Keith Ashley, College of Arts and Sciences
- Eureka! A Scientific Notebook for Online Teaching Education
  - Drs. Stuart Chalk and Brian Zoellner, College of Education and Human Services
- Biology intensive Orientation for Students
  - Dr. David Waddell, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2014
- Public Service Leadership Project
  - Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, College of Arts and Sciences
- Community Based Needs Assessment of Nursing in a Large Urban School District in Florida
  - Dr. Doreen Radjenovic, Brooks College of Health
- Development and Implementation of a Portable Simulator
  - Dr. Juan Aceros, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
FY 2013
- Energy Efficient Vehicles
  - Dr. John Nuszkowski, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
- ExCITE Summer Camp
  - Drs. Judith Poppell, Terrance Cavanaugh and Asai Asaithambi, College of Education and Human Services
- Sculpture on Campus
  - Jenny Hager, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2012
- Jazz Archives
  - Danny Gottlieb, College of Arts and Sciences
- Math Camp
  - Dr. Murat Tiryakioglu, College of Arts and Sciences
- From Oppression to Opportunity
  - Dr. Tess Tuason, Brooks College of Health
FY 2011
- Osprey Engineering Consulting
  - Dr. Chris Brown, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
- Math and Science Camp
  - Dr. Faiz Al-Rubaee, College of Arts and Sciences
- Coastal Biology
  - Dr. Jim Gelsleichter, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2010
- Diabetes/Nutrition Care
  - Dr. Laurie Wright, Brooks College of Health
- Impacting Literacy
  - Dr. Susan Syverud, College of Education and Human Services
- Sculpture on Campus
  - Jenny Hager, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2009
- Success Skills
  - Dr. Fred Pragsam, Coggin College of Business
- Mental Health Research
  - Dr. Gabriel Ybarra, College of Arts and Sciences
- Archeological/Timucua Village
  - Dr. Linda Howell, Colleg of Arts and Sciences
- Student Union Art Work
  - Matt-Clay Robinson, College of Arts and Sciences
FY 2008
- Healthy Habits through Literacy
  - Drs. Cheryl Fountain and Janice Hunter, College of Education and Human Services
- Deaf Senior Citizens and Children
  - Dr. Sherry Shaw, College of Education and Human Services
- Nutrition Research
  - Dr. Sally Weerts, Brooks College of Health

Frequently Asked Questions

Can faculty apply for the grant if they have received it in the past?

All faculty members are invited to submit grant applications (see Letter of Interest Application) whether or not they have received funding in the past. The Grants Committee of the Foundation Board will review all applications received.
Over what period and how is funding released?

Faculty are notified of the Grants Committee’s decision after the Q3 Foundation Board meeting, typically held in late-March. A Foundation account is created and funds are deposited into the account at the beginning of the fiscal year (mid-July). Faculty have two years to access these funds for their projects.
May a faculty member who receives a grant apply again during the two-year disbursement period?

If you are currently receiving a grant from the Foundation Board, you may apply again. However, the application should be for either a new project or an expansion of the project that the Board is currently funding.
What is the Foundation Board looking to fund in a project?
The Foundation Board seeks to fund projects that advance the strategic priorities of the university. Specifically, the Board looks for projects that enhance the quality of learning and the reputation of UNF and have a positive impact on the Northeast Florida community. The Foundation Board also places an emphasis on projects that foster student engagement and collaborative efforts across academic disciplines.

Attention is given to projects that accomplish one or more of the following goals:
- lead to a significant advancement in its field,
- provide a unique transformational learning opportunity,
- merit publication or production,
- advances the strategic priorities of the faculty member’s department,
- significantly involve UNF students,
- positively impact the communities of Northeast Florida, and
- involve collaboration between or among departments and/or colleges and/or community organizations.
Should letters of support from outside organizations be included in the Letter of Interest Application?

Mention of collaboration with outside organizations is included in the Letter of Interest Application. However, any letters of support from outside organizations should only be submitted when/if the project advances to the full proposal stage.
Is it possible to see an example of a Letter of Interest or a grant proposal that has received funding from the Foundation Board Grants Committee?

To request a sample Letter of Interest or a sample of a full proposal that was awarded funding, please contact unffoundationboard@unf.edu.
How is the grant money awarded each year – all to one project or broken up to fund various projects?

This decision is made by the Grants Committee of the Foundation Board based on review of the proposals received. Typically the Board divides the funding among multiple projects – either fully or partially funding each project. See ‘Previously Funded Faculty Projects.’
If a faculty member receives a grant but they are unable to complete their project, what happens to the excess funds?

The faculty member has two years to complete their project. After the two-year window, all unused funds are swept by the Foundation Board and funneled back into the awarding pool for future grants. Faculty members are notified before funds are swept.
Do the Deans of the individual colleges have an input in the Grants process?

Yes. The Grants Committee meets with deans whose faculty submit applications to discuss details of each project and its relevance to strategic goals of the college and the university. This input is important but the committee may consider other factors as well in its decision-making.