Call for nominations: 2024 Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty
- Deadline to express interest: Wednesday, Nov. 8
The UGA Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach (OVPPSO) are pleased to announce the 2024 Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty, a program designed to build momentum for high-quality, community engaged research in rural Georgia communities. The program is sponsored by the Provost’s Office and coordinated by OVPPSO, together with UGA Cooperative Extension, and in partnership with the College of Public Health and the School of Social Work. Past participants have found the workshop of value as they develop new areas of research and/or broaden the impact of their research.
The workshop will consist of six mandatory sessions held on Fridays during spring semester 2024, as well as three optional networking sessions. The sessions will alternate between in-person and online formats and will provide participants a greater understanding of Georgia’s rural demographics and trends, convey key information on developing sustained relationships with communities, and enhance the ability of faculty to engage in successful research focused on rural areas of the state. In addition, the program will include a visit to a rural community to learn from its leaders about effective ways to partner on academic projects.
Purpose
The purpose of this program is to strategically apply knowledge and research generated at UGA to empower communities and organizations across Georgia and improve quality of life. Through interactive sessions led by experienced scholars, academic faculty will recognize the benefits of collaborating with faculty in Public Service and Outreach (PSO) and Cooperative Extension to conduct successful community engaged scholarship in rural Georgia.
Eligibility
The workshop series is limited to 20 full-time academic faculty members. Participants in the workshop can come from any UGA college or school and must be nominated by their respective deans. Nominees may have expertise in a variety of research areas, including but not limited to natural resources and the environment, workforce development, public health, poverty, educational achievement, and quality of life.
Nomination and application process
Each dean may nominate up to four applicants from his or her respective college or school. The deadline for nominations is Monday, Nov. 13. Please express your interest via email to coedean@uga.edu by Wednesday, Nov. 8. After the nomination process, faculty will be sent a separate link to complete the program application. As part of the application process, nominees will be required to include a one-page proposal for a potential project relevant to rural Georgia. The proposal should include general ideas for collaboration with one or more PSO units and/or Cooperative Extension members.
Seed grant
The workshop is designed to help faculty participants develop and hone their collaborative research ideas into a seed grant proposal. At the end of the workshop, each participant is expected to be part of one or more seed grant proposal submissions. Through a competitive review process, the Provost’s Office will provide up to $70,000 to fund a maximum of 10 proposals, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
For more information about this unique opportunity, including the nomination link, please visit the Rural Engagement Faculty Workshop webpage.