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GEC Grants Program

The purpose of the General Education Grant program is to support projects, events, and/or other activities that advance the program goals of General Education at Shippensburg University. The General Education Council (GEC) is committed to supporting proposals that involve as many Shippensburg University students as possible, as well as those that demonstrate (1) collaboration among multiple faculty members leading different sections of the same general education course OR (2) collaboration among multiple faculty members leading sections of different general education courses that support the same program.

Application

All funded projects and events must provide evidence that they will:

help the general education program achieve one or more of its student learning objectives, and
assess the student learning outcomes of the project or event.

Additionally, funded projects and events will fit into one of two categories:

Category One. The program or event will be open to the entire campus community or to a wide segment of that community (e.g., open university-wide, open to all students enrolled in a general education course or open to all students enrolled under a program goal, etc.). Proposals in this category will be prioritized and, all other things being equal, are more likely to be funded.
Category Two. Offer the program or event to a narrow segment of our campus community (e.g., a few sections of one general education course).

ABOUT THE NEW APPLICATION PROCESS

The GEC has streamlined its application and review processes by moving both into InfoReady, the university’s online portal for managing competitions and collaborative workflows. Starting Fall 2022, the GEC will no longer accept grant applications via paper submissions or as email attachments.

The new process is a competitive process with two deadlines (Fall and Spring). Applications should be submitted electronically via InfoReady by 8:00 AM on the 1^st Monday of October (for Winter or Spring events) or by 8:00 AM on the 1^st Monday of March (for Summer or Fall events) for priority consideration. Submissions will be reviewed by the GEC’s Budget Committee so that recommendations can be presented to the GEC. Please direct any questions to the GEC Budget Committee chair.

If you are interested in applying, then please download and submit a completed application form (doc, pdf).

HOW TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Starting Fall 2022, please sign in to InfoReady using your normal @ship.edu credentials and be prepared to provide the following information along with the details of your project:

Applicant and co-applicant names, phone numbers, and email addresses.
1. If multiple co-applicants are involved, then identify the primary contact.
An Abstract that provides a clear description of the project, event, or activity.
The General Education Program Goal(s) that will be supported.
A description of the collaboration among co-applicants.
The number (or estimated number) of students that will be reached.
A clear and complete explanation (or curriculum map) of the proposed project or event and the specific General Education student learning objectives you are trying to accomplish. All the student learning objectives are presented and explained in the General Education Handbook.
A description of how your students’ learning outcomes will be assessed. The rubrics in the General Education Handbook will prove helpful.

HOW GRANT PROPOSALS ARE REVIEWED

The GEC’s Budget Committee is responsible for evaluating the GEC’s grant proposals. The Budget Committee will assess each proposal using its rubric. If a proposal is found lacking, then it will be returned to the primary applicant. If the proposal is complete, then the Budget Committee will move a recommendation to the GEC, where it will be considered. GEC-recommended proposals are forwarded to the Office of the Provost, which has the final authority over how all funds are distributed. Typically, awarded funds are made available via a dedicated cost center.

GRANT PROGRAM REQUIREMENT AND POLICIES

General Education Grant awardees are required to submit -- by the end of the project semester -- a final report that summarizes the completed project AND presents the results of their student learning assessment(s). The General Education Handbook is updated annually, and it is a valuable resource. Also, members of the GEC are eager to support collaborations among faculty members and to provide guidance about assessment.

Unfortunately, General Education Grant awardees who do not submit a complete report are not eligible to apply for future awards until the final report is submitted to and accepted by the GEC.

Other policies also apply:

General Education Grant awards are limited to:
- Category 1: Up to $6,000 per project or event that involves multiple collaborating faculty members and is designed to reach a wide segment of the campus community.
- Category 2: Up to $1,500 per project or event that is designed to reach a narrow segment of the campus community (e.g., a few sections of one general education course).
GEC Grant funds are limited, so first awards are first considered. Partial funding may be awarded as the GEC nears the end of its allotted
All receipts must be retained and submitted for reimbursement to from the allocated cost center.
Retroactive funding can be granted up to 60 days after your project or event occurs, but only with proof that student learning outcomes were assessed.

GRANT EVALUATION RUBRIC FOR THE GEC BUDGET COMMITTEE

Table 1: About the applicants.

List of proposal applicants.
Do any of the applicants have an outstanding final report due for a previously awarded General Education Grant?	If YES, then the current proposal must be denied. If NO, then proceed.
When did the applicant(s) submit the proposal?
Did the applicant(s) submit the proposal before 8:00 AM of the first Monday of October or March?	If YES, then the proposal must be reviewed promptly and the Budget Committee must form a recommendation by the next GEC meeting. If NO, then the proposal will be reviewed if funding remains available. The Budget Committee will form a recommendation for the next available GEC meeting.

Table 2: Proposal metadata.

General Education Program Goal(s)
Proposal title
Proposal ID or tracking number

Table 3: Criteria for evaluating proposals.

Criteria	Ideal (+10)	Not ideal (+4)	Poor (+0)	Rating
General Education Student learning objectives	The proposal provides a clear explanation of the project (or a curriculum map) that incorporates one or more of the applicable General Education student learning objectives, as written.	The proposal provides an explanation (or a curriculum map) that reflects the applicable General Education student learning objectives, as written.	The proposal: 1) does not provide a reasonable explanation or mapping between the proposed project and our General Education learning objectives, or 2) it references modified or interpreted General Education student learning objectives.
Criteria	Ideal (+5)	Not ideal (+2)	Poor (+0)
Plan for assessing student learning outcomes	The proposal (or curriculum map) describes clearly and reasonably how student learning outcomes will be measured and assessed for each objective.	The proposal (or curriculum map) claims student learning outcomes will be assessed, but doesn’t provide enough detail.	The proposal doesn’t outline or explain any assessment plan.
Student reach	The project seeks to reach a wide segment of our student population.	The project seeks to reach a narrow segment of our student population.	The project seeks to reach only those students enrolled in one course lead by one instructor.
Collaboration	The primary applicant is collaborating with others.	The applicant is working alone.	N/A

Goals and Objectives

As part of the grant application process, you will be asked to demonstrate how the project to be funded will advance the goals of the relevant part of general education. You can find these goals and objectives here:

Current Gen Ed Program

Previous Gen Ed Program