Purpose and Amount of Grant
Initially funded in September 2006 by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Lehigh Sloan research grants are available to untenured tenure-track faculty who take an approved Family and Medical Leave (FML) for the care of a newborn or adopted child, or other family member. Research grants of $6000 each are intended to help untenured faculty members sustain research productivity while caring for the child, or other family member. Faculty are able to use these grants in ways they determine to be most useful: travel for research or conferences; computer equipment; research assistance; photocopies, microfilm, and other research materials; daycare; or housekeeping. Because of tax law and insurance requirements, specific guidelines will govern the use of funds for specific purposes: see the link below for the Lehigh Sloan Research Grant Reimbursement Guidelines.
Eligible faculty: Untenured tenure-track faculty who take an approved Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for the care of a newborn or adopted child, or other family member. Faculty are ineligible if they began the tenure review process prior to November 15, 2006, when the Lehigh program began.
Request Process
Eligible faculty will complete a request form indicating the dates of their FMLA leave for the care of a newborn or adopted child, or other family member. While a specific budget is unnecessary, the faculty member may find it useful to discuss his or her plans for the grant and the reimbursement process with the Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs. The faculty member will forward the request form to the Department Chair and College Dean for their signatures. The Dean will send the signed form to the Provost's Office.
Report
For the purpose of reporting to the Sloan Foundation, faculty members will submit a brief report to the Provost's Office, with a copy to the Dean, on the ways in which they used the grant and how it benefited their professional career.