Frequently Asked Questions

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) invited faculty and staff to attend listening sessions to hear thoughts of how the OSP can best serve the campus community. The following FAQs emerged as a result of those sessions. The OSP plans to continue holding periodic listening sessions in an effort to continually improve on the services provided to the campus.

  • Where is the Office of Sponsored Programs located?

    The Office of Sponsored Programs is currently located in the Hitchins Administration Building, rooms 235B and 229.

  • What are the operating hours of the Office of Sponsored Programs?

    The standard operating hours for the Office of Sponsored Programs is Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Office of Sponsored Programs follows the university’s calendar as it relates to holidays and closings. Office staff will make every attempt to respond to inquiries from the campus community in the same business day, and within no later than 24 hours.

  • What services/support does the Office of Sponsored Programs provide?

    The mission of the Office of Sponsored Programs is to support the research and program development effort of faculty, staff, and students by providing the resources, information, and technical assistance required.

    The types of support provided includes, but is not limited to, the following:

    • Identification of funding sources
    • Interpretation of application requirements
    • Assistance with budget requirements and development (Grant Accountant)
    • Proofread proposal; make suggestions related to spelling, grammar, and reading clarity
    • Provide required standard certifications
    • Obtain proper university official(s) signature(s)
    • Coordinate internal review
    • Verify that all “pieces” of the proposal have been included in the final application
    • Final submission of the proposal
    • Receipt and execution of awards
    • Support with post-award administration
    • Development and implementation of policies and procedures related to sponsored programs
    • Compliance requirements associated with sponsored programs
  • What resources are available for the campus community to search for funding opportunities?

    The following resources are recommended to the campus community to search for funding opportunities:

    If you would like the staff of the OSP to search for funding opportunities specific to your area of interest, please submit a completed Funding Opportunity Search.

  • Does the OSP offer grant training to the campus community?

    The OSP is in the process of developing new training offerings for the campus community that cover topics such as the lifecycle of a grant, identifying funding opportunities, procedures for developing and submitting a proposal, grant budgets, post-award administration, and effort reporting. Once in place, the OSP will provide regular and repeat trainings to the campus community.

  • As a project director, how do I know what my role and responsibilities are when accepting an award?

    Once an award has been accepted by Frostburg State University and set up in PeopleSoft, the OSP will schedule a “New Project Meeting” with new project directors and their administrative assistants to go over project reporting requirements, the role of the project director, and the OSP’s role as it relates to project management. This also serves as an opportunity to answer any questions related to carrying out the award.

  • What support is available for faculty course release while working on sponsored programs?

    Many factors must be taken into account when granting release time for faculty to work on a sponsored project, including the needs of the department and students, the availability of qualified adjuncts to teach courses, and funds to support those adjuncts. Course release for faculty is up to the discretion of the department chair and college dean.

    Faculty can apply for an Assigned Time Grant to receive funding for course release. A request may also be made to use departmental Indirect Cost Recovery funds. The Office of Sponsored Programs will work with departments to help identify additional sources of funding to support faculty course release to work on sponsored projects.

  • When can faculty receive additional compensation for work performed on sponsored projects?

    FSU faculty earn an institutional base salary (IBS) over a 21-pay period contract that begins around mid-August and ends shortly after the start of June. The contract covers all work performed for the university under an individual’s appointment including instruction, professional development, and service; and accounts for 100% of the faculty member’s effort. It is expected that faculty will engage in research and/or public service as part of their normal workload. As such, compensation for work on sponsored projects during the contract period is covered under the individual’s IBS.

    Faculty may receive additional compensation for work on sponsored projects during the 10-week “summer” period that is outside the academic year contract. Compensation is only paid for work performed during this period and must be proportionate to the level of effort expended at a rate not in excess of the IBS.

    For example, compensation for a faculty member working on a sponsored project for an entire 10-week “summer” period at 25% effort, whose IBS rate is $2,000 per pay period is calculated as follows;

    • $2,000 (rate per pay period) x 5 (2-week pay periods) x .25 (level of effort) = $2,500
  • Why does the university limit the amount of match proposed to the amount of match specified in the funding opportunity?

    There are 3 primary reasons for FSU’s match policy.

    (1) Funders are not permitted to give favor to applications that submit more than the required level of match.

    (2) When the university commits resources in excess of what is required, it reduces resources that are available to contribute to other projects and increases the burden of tracking and reporting the additional match.

    (3) When a budget is submitted with a level of match higher than what is required, the university is then required to match at that higher level, regardless of what was originally required by the funder.

    There are a few exceptions to this policy. Rarely, a funder will specify that preference will be given to applications that show additional support. These will be handled on a case-by-case basis.