Engaged Scholar and Artist Awards

• Undergraduate students. You may submit as an individual or a team of students. If you submit as a team, the team members must select a lead applicant who will be responsible for the application process. Applications, either individual or team, require a statement of support from a supervising faculty mentor.

• Good Academic Standing. All student applicants (individual or team members) must be currently enrolled as undergraduates at UTRGV and in good academic standing. You must remain in good academic standing until project completion.

• IRB Approval. If applicable, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) application must be submitted prior/during awarding process. IRB must be obtained prior to beginning research study.

We encourage you to apply for the Engaged Scholar & Artist Awards (ESAA). If you are interested in applying but need support in finding a mentor and assistance with developing your proposal, contact the Office of Engaged Scholarship & Learning for help! Contact us.

• Notifications. Funding approval will be sent within one month of the deadline.
• Extensions. Absolutely no extensions will be granted beyond the deadlines specified above.

Amount. Awards are capped at $2,000 for an individual student, $3,000 for a team of two students, and $4,000 for a team of 3+ students. Funding may be used for any combination of student wages, student travel, allowable materials (see Allowable Expenditures below), or faculty mentor travel. A maximum of $500 may be used for faculty mentor travel expenses related to the project.

Spending Deadline. The deadline to allocate funds is determined by the project’s timeline. If the project will end in the fall, funds must be allocated by November 30; if a project will end in spring or summer, funds must be allocated by May 31. If you know in advance that more time is needed, please file a request for an extension using the ESAA online portal, or alternatively let us know that you do not plan to use your allotted funds so that they can be redistributed. No funds can be saved for use after August 31. Graduating students must use funds before the end of their last semester.

Allowable Expenditures. The allocation of funding should be appropriate to the project activities. You should develop a budget that best suits the project and goals under the direction of your faculty mentor. All expenditures must comply with state spending regulations. Funds may be used in three ways:

1. Wages. To receive Direct Wage compensation, you must be hired through the student employment process and registered through Handshake. Student Assistants for the project may also receive salaries. Wages start at the University minimum of $12/hour. Faculty mentors are responsible for approving all student assistant timecards in PeopleSoft each month and for verifying that none exceed the number of hours allotted for the award. Please note that receiving funding for wages may affect your financial aid eligibility. Work-study students are encouraged to contact the ES&L office to assist with your budget.

2. Travel. Make travel plans early. You first will need to submit requests to the Office of Engaged Scholarship & Learning, and upon receiving approval, submit a travel request form to the Dean of Students, allowing 2 weeks for processing. (A copy of the approval form must be attached to the iShop requisition.) Faculty travel funds can only be allocated if faculty is attending the same conference to support students.

3. Materials. ESAA funding may only be used to purchase approved supplies and materials. See the list of approved expenses below. If you are unsure whether a supply may be purchased, contact the Office of Engaged Scholarship & Learning before planning the purchase.

   * The University shall retain ownership of any equipment and/or software acquired with Engaged Scholar & Artist Awards funds. All equipment and software purchased will remain with the faculty mentor’s department.

   Funds may be used for:

   • * Travel associated with the project described herein
   • * Supplies and material associated with the project
   • * Computer software required for the project*
   • * Small items of equipment*
   • * Salary for Student Assistants to assist with research (Wages start at the University minimum of $12/hour.)
     
     

   Funds may not be used for:

   • * Textbooks, journal subscriptions, music tapes or CD’s
   • * Services
   • * Food
   • * Student scholarships
   • * Graduate Students
   • * Gift cards
   • * Faculty salaries or fringe benefits
   • * Page charges, reprints, manuscript preparation or publishing costs
   • * Computer hardware
   • * Course/Course credit
   • * Student organizations or clubs
   • * Incentives for research subjects

Procedures. You must consult with your faculty mentor and department administrative assistants to process paperwork for wages, supplies, and/or travel. Requests for supplies, travel, etc. should be submitted to an iShop cart. Revisions to your budget must be submitted by you through the ESAA online portal and will require approval by ES&L.

It is your responsibility to work with your mentor to ensure that all incurred expenditures are in support of your project. If some funds will not be used, you must notify ES&L immediately

If you need assistance with the application process, contact us:
Phone: 956-665-3461
Email: engaged@utrgv.edu

All necessary approvals and paperwork must be submitted prior to using any award funding (such as for wages).

• Welcome Session. Before beginning your project, you must attend a welcome session.
• Service. You will be required to complete two of the following activities: develop and present a workshop to benefit peers, present your project to the community or during a conference, attend ESAA workshops, or volunteer at an ES&L activity or event. For example, presentations may be a tutorial on how to use software, how to apply your skills in practice, etc.
• Engaged Scholar. You agree to serve informally as Engaged Scholar and ambassador by providing photos and updates on your project.
• Progress Report. You must outline your progress by completing the Progress Report survey to update your expenditures and your project’s status.
• Final Report. Upon completion of the project, you must complete the Final Report survey.

  You will be asked to:

  1. Describe your project’s outcomes, deliverables, or products
  2. List how your project has been disseminated (publications, presentations, exhibitions, etc.)
  3. Provide an abstract summarizing your project which will be posted on the Engaged Scholar & Artist Awards website.
     
     

• Engaged Scholar Symposium (ES²). You agree to submit a proposal to present at the Engaged Scholar Symposium (ES²) and to participate in and/or attend the conference the academic year you are funded. For dates and further details, visit our ES² webpage.

• Statement of Commitment. Faculty mentors must submit a statement of commitment to serve as a mentor for the student by the application deadline. Applications submitted without a statement of commitment will not be considered.

• Welcome Session. Lead Student and Faculty Mentor attendance at the "ESAA Welcome Session" is mandatory to accept the award. Dates/times of the ESAA Welcome Sessions will be provided upon award notification.

• Service. Faculty mentors who supervise student(s) receiving an Engaged Scholar & Artist Awards agree to become campus Faculty Advisers to serve on occasional committees and review panels for undergraduate experiential learning activities, including the Engaged Scholar Symposium. Advisors also agree to be featured on our website (e.g., photo, scholarly interests, vita, etc.) as possible mentors for future Engaged Scholar Award applicants.

• Travel Expenditures. A maximum of $500 for Faculty Travel may be allocated for mentors traveling to support travel to a conference in which the student(s) is presenting.

• Student Direct Wage Stipends. Faculty mentors are responsible for approving student assistant timecards in Oracle each month and to verify that students do not exceed the number of hours allotted for the award. It is imperative that timecards for student assistants be submitted and approved as soon as possible.

• Ensure that Students have Materials and Travel Needs met. Faculty mentors are responsible for purchasing materials (e.g., using iShop to order or working with departmental administrative assistant to ensure purchases are made), making travel arrangements on behalf of the student (e.g., booking with iTravel or asking department administrative assistant to help) and ensuring that the lead student’s name is included in all expenditure requests. Faculty mentors are encouraged to meet regularly with ESAA lead student to monitor the progression of the project and the project’s milestones are met in a timely manner.

1. Complete pre-application phase (Letter of Intent/Intent to Apply) which includes name of applicant(s), mentor name, and a brief 2-3 sentence abstract.

2. Complete online application. You will need to complete online application (available here) which requires:

   1. Personal Statement (250-word max). Address how this opportunity will forward your academic and professional goals as the lead student.

   2. Choose one of the following tracks (research, creative works, or community engagement).

      1. Research track: Project Proposal Narrative (200-word max, not including references per section). This track is designed for research proposals across all disciplines. This includes humanities, fine arts, business, marketing, STEM, medicine, and health affairs. Describe the following elements:

         * Purpose of Project (e.g., research question, hypothesis, project goal)

         * Relevant literature

         * Proposed research methodology

         * Activities that the award would support, including a timeline of activities (both for award period and beyond)

         * Expected outcomes/results/final products, including plans for dissemination

         * References

      2. Creative works track: Project Proposal Narrative (200-word max, not including references per section). Describe the following elements:

         * Type of project (for example, but not limited to, performance, visual arts, literature-based works)

         * Relevant literature with references, if applicable

         * Activities that the award would support, including a timeline of activities (both for award period and beyond)

         * Expected final products (i.e. – presentation/performance format)

         including references per section). Describe the following elements:

      3. Community engagement track: Project Proposal Narrative (200-word max, not including references per section). Describe the following elements:

         * Type of project (for example, but not limited to, performance, visual arts, literature-based works)

         * Relevant literature with references, if applicable

         * Activities that the award would support, including a timeline of activities (both for award period and beyond)

         * Expected community impact/final products, including plans for dissemination including references per section). Describe the following elements:

   3. Itemized budget with justification (100 words max, per section). Specify amounts and provide justifications (why is the requested item is necessary to complete the project) and documentation (e.g., provide photos of items to purchase with price quotes, attach flight cost estimates) of budget items. You will also need to upload your budget as an excel file, a template will be provided.

   4. Agreement. Indicate that you agree with the terms of the award.

   5. Faculty Mentor Contact Information. Provide the name and email address of your faculty mentor.

3. Statement of commitment from mentor (250-word max). Upon receipt of your application, your faculty mentor will be emailed and asked to write a description on their commitment to mentoring you.

   Note: this statement must be received before deadline (See section entitled "Deadlines" above).

4. Approval from Department Chair. The chair of your faculty mentor’s department must acknowledge and commit to supporting your project. Requests will be sent by our office following the submission of your application.

5. Interview Process. After the initial review process, selected applicants will be interviewed by the Engaged Scholarship & Learning team.