FSUF Opportunity Grants
Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund provide competitive awards each year to fund the following priorities:
- Focus Learning on Both the Acquisition and Application of Knowledge
- Provide Engaging Experiences that Challenge Our Students to Excel
- Expand Regional Outreach and Engagement
- Align University Resources - Human, Fiscal, and Physical - with Strategic Priorities
- And more...
Additional awards are made available through these restricted funds:
- Bowling Family Global Citizen Fund
The purpose of the Fund shall be to support the global competence of Frostburg State University students. Applications submitted by an FSU student, faculty/staff, and/or registered FSU student organization will support a program or series of programs, project, research, and/or educational/service opportunity that enhances the global competence of FSU students. Such projects may be international or domestic.
Proposals should emphasize at least one of the following four dimensions of global competence:
- Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment: Framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and appropriate research.
- Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own: Articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.
- Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences: Bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological and cultural barriers.
- Take action to improve conditions: Viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively.
Source: Educating for Global Competence: 6 Reasons, 7 Competencies, 8 Strategies, 9 Innovations
Note: The committee, to define global competence in the future, may use present-day resources.
- Al and Dale Boxley Faculty Award/Student Research Award
The purpose of this fund is to support faculty or student awards. The faculty awards are to be used to cover travel and registration fees for a disciplinary conference at which the faculty member will give a formal paper that will result in a publication either in a refereed journal or in the conference proceedings, or the faculty member will give a presentation, poster session, or other appropriate activity resulting in formal recognition. The student awards are to be used for travel and registration fees for a disciplinary conference at which the student will have an opportunity to present his or her work in conjunction with the faculty member, for a student research stipend, or for equipment and or supplies for a specific undergraduate or graduate research project connected to the research program of a faculty member.
- J. Frederick Gibralter Regional and Cultural Arts Funds
The purpose of the Fund shall be to support regional and cultural arts programs at FSU. The fund will be used to benefit the Cultural Events Series, Friends of Music, and other performing arts programs (theatre, dance, music). Applications will be made through the FSU Foundation Opportunity Grant process. The Annual Spending Committee will review all the applications and recommend to the FSU Foundation Board of Directors project(s) for final approval.
- Jonathan Gibralter Presidential Leadership Fund for Alcohol Awareness and Education
The purpose of this fund is to support educational programs, social programs, and/or community service related programs geared toward alcohol awareness and the importance of responsible behaviors and decision making. Applicants should demonstrate the potential impact of the proposed program by providing information on how the program's success will be measured and estimating the numbers of participants the program is intended to involve. Consideration will be provided to those programs whose intent is to foster a broader awareness of alcohol related issues beyond the immediate campus community. Programs that include the community of Frostburg or relationships between the University and community, for example, can be given consideration.
- Catherine R. Gira Campus to Community Awards
The purpose of the fund shall be to support students who demonstrate a desire and an ability to engage in real-life experiences that complement traditional classroom instruction. Ultimately, these experiences will help students prepare for their careers and for their roles as productive members of society.
Award amounts may vary but can range from $500 to $2,000 depending upon the project and scope.
Proposals for awards should fall into one or more of the following general categories.
- LEADERSHIP: To support student leadership projects and programs. To include but not be limited to training programs, workshops, conferences, retreats, undergraduate research and other opportunities of a similar nature.
- ALUMNI CONNECTIONS: To support students or groups of students in alumni mentoring or other programs of a similar nature.
- COMMUNITY SERVICE: To promote, encourage and assist in the FSU community and volunteer services program. Funding may assist students and/or groups of students with off-campus housing, transportation, supplies, materials, and/or other costs associated with an approved FSU community service project. Examples include, but are not limited to, spring or summer recess projects, emergency disaster relief projects and other projects as deemed acceptable by the committee.
- INTERNSHIPS: To support FSU-sponsored internship programs, including but not limited to placement of interns in Annapolis or Washington, DC. Funding is intended to help student interns meet off-campus housing and transportation costs, thereby helping to ensure that students accepted as interns have the resources needed to participate in the program. Other academic programs may qualify for application as determined by the committee, such as education, social work, recreation, business and other academic areas.
- STUDY ABROAD: To support students in the FSU Study Abroad program or other programs approved and recognized by the University for similar study. Funding will assist students and/or groups of students to meet off-campus housing and transportation costs associated with approved FSU study abroad programs.
- Kim and Marion Leonard Mindful Leadership of Self & Others Experiential Learning Fund
The purpose of the Fund shall be to support FSU faculty, staff, and students to understand the value we place on mindfulness, authenticity, awareness, vulnerability, openness, trust, listening, and respect. These components of emotional intelligence, and their importance for success in both higher education and in their professional lives, will receive greater attention through the activities supported by the Fund that build self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion. Furthermore, the fund hopes to empower educators to design learning experiences for mindful leadership of self and others. Faculty, staff, and students may apply for funding for related external training programs such as Dr. James Gordon’s Center for Mind Body & Medicine (CMBM) program or Jon Kabat Zinn, PhD’s Mindfulness Stress Reduction Program (MBSR).
This award will be available for professional development for faculty, staff and students who have demonstrated an interest in integrative mind-body-spirit wellness and who desire to further develop mind-body skills that stress personal awareness, with focus on self-acceptance, compassion, authenticity, and self-responsibility. Examples of relevant training topics are listed in the National Institutes for Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCAM) web site. (Some examples may include: various meditation techniques, yoga styles, mindfulness based stress reduction programs, deep-breathing exercises, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, progressive relaxation, qi gong, and tai chi, etc.)
Student applicants shall provide an essay addressing experiences or training he/she has had in this field, as well as how taking a leadership role will further the integration of mind-body-spirit wellness skills in a professional career.
- Woodward and Virginia Pealer Award
The purpose of the fund is to support student scholarships and faculty development initiatives. Foundation Opportunity Grants can utilize up to 40% in support of University faculty development programs for the following uses.
- Stipends/funding and travel expenses for visiting scholars, lecturers, artists, performers and programs
- Recognition and promotion of these activities
- Equipment purchases in conjunction with these activities
- Outreach/professional development programs for Allegany County, MD
- Martha T. and Ralph M. Race Western History Lecture Funds
The purpose of the fund is to support an annual lecture series on the topic of Western History which is defined as the history of Western Europe, the history of cultures and political systems that arose around the Mediterranean Sea, inclusive of the Near East, Africa north of the Sahara Desert, and the Western, American hemisphere.
- Marlene Weimer Memorial Scholarly Endeavors Fund
The purpose of this fund is to support scholarly endeavors in the area of innovative mathematics faculty development initiatives and/or scholarship support for outstanding mathematics students, dependent upon the area of greatest need as determined by the Mathematics Department on an annual basis.
Those interested in applying for a grant should complete an application. Award recipients will be notified in June and must spend all money between July 1 and June 30 of the following fiscal year. Awards will be based upon the amount available from the Annual Fund and as determined by the spending policy of each endowed fund.
A list of prior funded projects is available on the Publications page.
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