Faculty Development Awards

Eligibility

Tenured faculty members in CHESS are eligible to apply for Reassignment of Duties (RD). Applications from tenure-track faculty members in their last probationary year may be considered; if the proposal is approved, the RD will be contingent upon the applicant receiving tenure.

• Faculty members who have previously received an RD and submitted a satisfactory final report are eligible to apply in the sixth academic year after their last reassignment for another RD in the seventh academic year after their last reassignment. Example: If a faculty member was on RD in AY 2019-20, they may apply in AY 2025-26 for a RD in AY 2026-27.
• Faculty hired at the senior faculty level will be eligible to apply in their third full academic year for a RD during their fourth academic year.
• Applicants must have fulfilled all outstanding requirements for any prior UNC Charlotte research support (e.g., Faculty Research Grant, Catalyst Program, CHESS Small Grants Program). 
• Faculty members who received a Junior Faculty Development Award prior to earning tenure and submitted a satisfactory final report will be eligible to apply in the sixth academic year following completion of that award for a RD in their seventh academic year.     

Conditions

1. A RD may be granted for either one semester with full salary or two semesters (one academic year) at one-half salary.
   1. Note: Applicants considering the two-semester option should review retirement benefit implications and required procedures in the UNC Charlotte Academic Policy and Procedure for Reassignment of Duties. Department chairs (and program directors, if applicable) must certify that the unit can accommodate the loss of the faculty member’s teaching and service for the entire academic year.
   2. For further information about supplemental pay and benefits continuation during Reassignment of Duties, see the UNC Charlotte Academic Policy and Procedure for Reassignment of Duties.

2. A RD is neither deferred compensation nor an entitlement based upon length of service but is granted on the merits of the individual proposal upon the recommendation of the Dean.
3. Faculty on a RD are eligible for consideration for merit salary increases, promotion, and one-time payments or any other salary adjustments approved by the General Assembly, the Board of Governors, or UNC Charlotte.
4. For faculty who are on a RD, this period will be considered as an approved leave of absence for educational purposes, but not all educational leaves are considered RDs.
5. Faculty members on RD are expected to devote full-time effort to the approved project. 
6. If circumstances require that a substantial change be made to the project after it has been approved, the faculty member should obtain approval of the changes from the CHESS Dean’s Office.
7. Required approvals from applicable University review committees (e.g., IRB) must be submitted to the CHESS Dean’s Office before the project begins. 

University Obligations and Return to Service

1. Faculty on a RD should take leave or resign from campus obligations such as department, college, and campus committees during the time of the RD. However, faculty may be expected to maintain contact with graduate advisees or to make other arrangements to ensure that students’ progress will not be disrupted. Faculty may also participate in the department faculty evaluation process (for annual reviews or hiring) if department bylaws provide this opportunity. Faculty members with external funding are expected to provide a management plan for how the funded research will be handled during the time on leave.
2. Faculty who receive the RD are required to return to full-time service at UNC Charlotte for the following academic year or to repay the salary received during the period of leave. Example: If a faculty member is on RD in Fall 2025 (the first semester of AY 2025-26), they must return to full-time service in Spring 2026 and through AY 2026-27.
3. The N.C. Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System requires that employees on approved leave of absence for educational purposes return to service as a contributing member for at least three years; otherwise, service credit earned during leave of absence will be cancelled.
4. A faculty member on the RD who accepts a position at another postsecondary institution or any other paid employment that was not included in the proposal or approved through the External Professional Activities for Pay policy will be considered to have abandoned their contract and would be terminated.

Application Process 

Applicants should download the CHESS Tenured Faculty Reassignment of Duties Application (Microsoft Word) and complete all sections: Cover Sheet; Biographical Sketch (maximum 2 pages); and Narrative (maximum 5 double-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1” margins). Narratives should address the following:

• Describe the project in non-technical terms, remembering that committee members are not likely to share the applicant’s area of expertise. Highly technical projects become more competitive if they are described in clear, concise, general statements understandable by the lay public.
• Demonstrate the ability to carry out the project. Indicate how the project relates to one’s previous work or how it represents a new research agenda. 
• Indicate the work to be conducted in the project, providing a specific timetable for all stages of the project and an explanation of how the applicant will complete the various stages of the project within the timeframe of the Reassignment of Duties.  
• Explain the importance of the project, and how it will increase knowledge in the field or have an impact on the field.
• Specify anticipated outcomes of the Reassignment of Duties, e.g., publication outlets, exhibits, performances, or other products. A copy of any existing documentation that supports anticipated outcomes, such as a book contract, should be appended to the end of the proposal document.

Recipients of previous Reassignment of Duties Awards or Junior Faculty Development Awards must append copies of their final reports to the proposal document. If applicable, the proposal should also be accompanied by statements from appropriate review committees, support services, and/or research collaborators.

After completing all sections of the application, applicants should save the document as a single PDF file with the following name: Lastname_Firstname_RDapplication. Applications should be uploaded by the deadline using the CHESS RD/JFDA Submission Form. The deadline for applications for reassignments during AY 2026-27 is Monday, November 3, 2025, at 5 p.m.

A support letter should be sent directly from the Department Chair to Associate Dean for Research and Interdisciplinary Collaboration Beth Whitaker (bwhitaker@charlotte.edu). The Chair’s letter should:

• Indicate departmental approval of the RD and the endorsement of the Chair;
• Explain the significance and merit of the project and why the investigator is suited to perform the project;
• Provide an assessment of the effect of the award on the candidate’s progress toward promotion, if applicable; and 
• Indicate whether part-time replacement funds are required and, if so, the amount requested. 
• In the case of the two-semester option, the Chair (and interdisciplinary program director, if applicable) must certify that the unit can absorb the loss of the faculty member’s teaching and service for the entire academic year.   

Review Criteria 

Proposals may be designed to advance ongoing projects or start new projects.

• Ongoing projects: Proposals should clearly describe the work that has already been completed and how the RD will help advance the project.
• New projects: Proposals should indicate how the project relates to the applicant’s previous work or marks a transition in their research agenda.

Decisions will be based strictly on the merit of the proposal submitted. Priority will be given to proposals for projects that have not previously been supported with a Reassignment of Duties Leave or a Junior Faculty Development Award. No effort will be made to rotate awards among the faculty of the units within the College. 

The elected CHESS Faculty Development Awards Committee will evaluate each proposal with respect to the following criteria: project design, feasibility, significance, and dissemination plans. After reviewing all proposals, the committee will recommend funding priorities to the Dean. 

Final Report

After completing the RD and prior to the end of the semester of return to full-time duty at UNC Charlotte, the recipient must present results and accomplishments to department colleagues and submit a written report to their department chair and the CHESS Dean’s Office. An information copy will be forwarded to the Provost. If a faculty member fails to submit the required report, they will not be considered for a subsequent RD.

The final report should provide the following information:

• Faculty name, department, and semester(s) of RD
• Project description: What was the project on which you worked during the RD? What is its significance in your field of study? Explain the project in terms that non-experts can understand.
• Progress: What did you accomplish with the time available to you during the RD? Where did you spend most of your time (e.g., library, lab, fieldwork)? What specific tasks did you complete?
• Outcomes: List full citations for any articles, books, manuscripts, grant proposals, exhibitions, or other materials that were submitted or completed as a result of the RD. Please update the College office at a later date if work resulting from the RD is subsequently published or funded.

Eligibility

CHESS tenure-track faculty members in their third or fourth academic year are eligible to apply for a Junior Faculty Development Award (JFDA) for the following academic year. For faculty who apply in the year in which they are being reviewed for reappointment, the JFDA, if approved, will be contingent upon successful reappointment. Awards may not be taken in the year that a faculty member is being reviewed for permanent tenure and promotion.

• Applicants must have fulfilled all outstanding requirements for any prior UNC Charlotte research support (e.g., Faculty Research Grant, Catalyst Program, CHESS Small Grants Program). 
• A tenure-track faculty member who has not yet been reappointed but is the recipient of a prestigious award or grant that reflects great credit upon the individual and the institution may also be considered for a JFDA if:
• the individual has indicated in writing in advance to the Department Chair and to the Dean their intention to apply for the award or grant; and
• the individual has received prior approval from the Chair and the Dean for a JFDA in the event that the award or grant is received. 

Conditions

1. The specific terms of a JFDA are negotiated among the faculty member, the Chair, and the Dean, and may include reductions in teaching load and/or service expectations. Typically, a JFDA is granted for one semester with full pay. 
   • For information about benefits continuation during a JFDA, see the UNC Charlotte Academic Policy and Procedure for Reassignment of Duties

2. A JFDA is neither deferred compensation nor an entitlement but is granted on the merits of the individual proposal upon the recommendation of the Dean.
3. Faculty on a JFDA are eligible for consideration for merit salary increases and one-time payments or any other salary adjustments approved by the General Assembly, the Board of Governors, or UNC Charlotte.
4. For faculty who are on a JFDA, this period will be considered as an approved leave of absence for educational purposes, but not all educational leaves are considered JFDAs.
5. Recipients of JFDAs are expected to devote full-time effort to the approved project. 
6. If circumstances require that a substantial change be made to the project after it has been approved, the faculty member should obtain approval of the changes from the CHESS Dean’s Office.
7. Required approvals from applicable University review committees (e.g., IRB) must be submitted to the CHESS Dean’s Office before the project begins. 

University Obligations and Return to Service

1. Recipients of a JFDA should take leave or resign from campus obligations such as department, college, and campus committees during the time of the award. However, faculty may be expected to maintain contact with graduate advisees or to make other arrangements to ensure that students’ progress will not be disrupted. Faculty may also participate in the department faculty evaluation process (for annual reviews or hiring) if department bylaws permit. Faculty members with external funding are expected to provide a management plan for how the funded research will be handled during the time on leave.
2. Faculty who receive the JFDA are required to return to full-time service at UNC Charlotte for the following academic year or to repay the salary received during the period of leave. Example: If a faculty member is on JFDA in Fall 2025 (the first semester of AY 2025-26), they must return to full-time service in Spring 2026 and through AY 2026-27. 
3. The N.C. Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System requires that employees on approved leave of absence for educational purposes return to service as a contributing member for at least three years; otherwise, service credit earned during leave of absence will be cancelled. 
4. A JFDA recipient who accepts a position at another postsecondary institution or any other paid employment that was not included in the proposal or approved through the External Professional Activities for Pay policy will be considered to have abandoned their contract and would be terminated.

Application Process 

Applicants should download the CHESS Junior Faculty Development Award Application (Microsoft Word) and complete all sections: Cover Sheet; Biographical Sketch (maximum 2 pages); and Narrative (maximum 5 double-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1” margins). Narratives should address the following:

• Describe the project in non-technical terms, remembering that committee members are not likely to share the applicant’s area of expertise. Highly technical projects become more competitive if they are described in clear, concise, general statements understandable by the lay public.
• Demonstrate the ability to carry out the project. Indicate how the project relates to one’s previous work or how it represents a new research agenda. 
• Indicate the work to be conducted in the project, providing a specific timetable for all stages of the project and an explanation of how the applicant will complete the various stages of the project within the timeframe of the JFDA.  
• Explain the importance of the project, and how it will increase knowledge in the field or have an impact on the field.
• Specify anticipated outcomes of the JFDA, e.g., publication outlets, exhibits, performances, or other products. A copy of any existing documentation that supports anticipated outcomes, such as a book contract, should be appended to the end of the proposal document.
• If applicable, the proposal should also be accompanied by statements from appropriate review committees, support services, and/or research collaborators.

After completing all sections of the application, applicants should save the document as a single PDF file with the following name: Lastname_Firstname_JFDAapplication. Applications should be uploaded by the deadline using the CHESS RD/JFDA Submission Form. The deadline for applications for Junior Faculty Development Awards to be taken during AY 2026-27 is Monday, November 3, 2025, at 5 p.m.

A support letter should be sent directly from the Department Chair to Associate Dean for Research and Interdisciplinary Collaboration Beth Whitaker (bwhitaker@charlotte.edu). The Chair’s letter should:

• Indicate departmental approval of the JFDA and the endorsement of the Chair;
• Explain the significance and merit of the project and why the investigator is suited to perform the project;
• Provide an assessment of the effect of the award on the candidate’s progress toward tenure; 
• Detail the applicant’s teaching load each semester since being hired; and
• Indicate whether part-time replacement funds are required and, if so, the amount requested.   

Review Criteria

Proposals may be designed to advance ongoing projects or start new projects.

• Ongoing projects: Proposals should clearly describe the work that has already been completed and how the JFDA will help advance the project.
• New projects: Proposals should indicate how the project relates to the applicant’s previous work or marks a transition in their research agenda.

Decisions will be based strictly on the merit of the proposal submitted. No effort will be made to rotate awards among the faculty of the units within the College.

The elected CHESS Faculty Development Awards Committee will evaluate each proposal with respect to the following criteria: project design, feasibility, significance, and dissemination plans. After reviewing all proposals, the committee will recommend funding priorities to the Dean. 

Final Report

After completing the JFDA and prior to the end of the semester of return to full-time duty at UNC Charlotte, the recipient must present results and accomplishments to department colleagues and submit a written report to their Department Chair and the Dean. An information copy will be forwarded to the Provost. If a faculty member fails to submit the required report, they will not be considered for a subsequent Reassignment of Duties.

The final report should provide the following information:

• Faculty name, department, and semester of JFDA
• Project description: What was the project on which you worked during the JFDA? What is its significance in your field of study? Explain the project in terms that non-experts can understand.
• Progress: What did you accomplish with the time available to you during the JFDA? Where did you spend most of your time (e.g., library, lab, fieldwork)? What specific tasks did you complete?
• Outcomes: List full citations for any articles, books, manuscripts, grant proposals, exhibitions, or other materials that were submitted or completed as a result of the JFDA. Please update the College office at a later date if work resulting from the JFDA is subsequently published or funded.