Call for nominations: 2026 Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty
- Deadline to express interest: Wednesday, Oct. 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 2026 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 Office of the Provost and coordinated by OVPPSO, in partnership with UGA Cooperative Extension. Over the last four years, Rural Engagement Workshop alumni have received more than $14.4 million in subsequent funding to conduct community-engaged research in rural Georgia.
The workshop will consist of six mandatory, in-person sessions held on Fridays during the 2026 spring semester, including a visit to a rural community to learn from its leaders about effective ways to partner on academic projects, plus two networking events with alumni and public service and outreach/extension partners, and one optional proposal brainstorming session. The sessions will provide participants with 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.
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 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 their respective college. The deadline for nominations is Monday, Oct. 20, so if you are interested in being nominated, please email Karen Davis by noon on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Please include 3-5 sentences to answer the below on the nomination form:
Please provide a brief explanation on why this nominee would be a good candidate for the Rural Engagement Faculty Workshop (e.g., the program aligns with the candidate’s background or research interest; the program would help the candidate advance a current research agenda; the candidate would help the college meet a rural engagement goal).
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.
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.