UND CONNECT
Connecting communities with UND faculty and UND students with hands-on learning.
In line with UND’s vision to “inspire a sense of wonder, a love of discovery, and a commitment to serve,” specifically addressing our desire to “engage in collaborations that serve the evolving needs of our people, tribal nations, and the state of North Dakota,” UND has launched the UND CONNECT program.
The program will provide UND faculty and students with the opportunity to engage in community-based research, development, and outreach projects. UND CONNECT sponsors research and experiential learning teams comprised of faculty, students, and community partners proposing a project that affects some aspect of quality of life in the state. Each project will address a need-inspired problem, with the “need” arising from the community/state partner. UND CONNECT synergizes faculty research, student experiential engagement, and community partner expertise.
UND CONNECT projects must positively and tangibly impact the community and/or the state of North Dakota. This program will provide opportunities for faculty to develop projects in partnership with local and/or state institutions, agencies, and other community groups in ways that provide significant hands-on learning opportunities for students (undergraduate or graduate or a combination thereof) and that offer measurable benefit to communities within North Dakota. Funding for UND CONNECT is provided by the North Dakota Economic Diversification Research Grant Fund.
Open to all faculty members at UND, including special appointment and part-time faculty. Faculty may submit one proposal but participate in multiple UND CONNECT projects submitted by other faculty members. Faculty who had proposals funded in spring 2024 may submit new UND CONNECT proposals in the fall funding cycle for different community-based projects.
Project proposals should articulate how the following objectives will be met:
- Integrate faculty expertise, student learning, and the active participation of at least one North Dakota community organization/partner;
- improve the quality of life in some fashion for communities within North Dakota;
- involve students and provide unique learning opportunities or experiences for these students.
Proposals must include the following:
- Description of the project, including information about how it meets the three criteria outlined above (not to exceed 1500 words). Proposals should identify all faculty members and community partners involved with the proposed project;
- a detailed, projected budget for the UND CONNECT funding request (not to exceed $5,000); the overall project budget could include other funding sources. If applicable, please include other funding sources;
- a timeline for the project from inception to completion. Projects may begin after November 1, 2024, and must be completed by August 31, 2025;
- letter of support from community partner.
Submission
Complete application packets must include:
1. UND CONNECT application form signed by dean
2. Project proposal, including budget and timeline
3. Letter of support from community partner
Please save all materials as one PDF document in the order listed above and upload by September 26, 2024 by 5 p.m.
Funded faculty members must be willing to work with the Office of the Provost and UND Marketing on the development and promotion of stories related to the project. This might include contributing to posts on social media about the project, providing a description of the project and regular updates, interviews about the project, photos of faculty and students in the field working on the project, etc.
Note: UND CONNECT applications do not need to be submitted to Research & Sponsored Program Development through Novelution.
Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated using the evaluation rubric. Applicants should closely review the evaluation rubric as they prepare their project proposals.
Contact
- Randi Tanglen,vice provost for faculty affairs, with questions about project proposals
- Taylor Hanson Wald, academic affairs coordinator, with questions about application submission
- Eric Peterson, financial manager, with question about allowable expenses and/or review university and SBHE policy.
- Up to $5,000 to support project
- Monies must be used for project operating expenses, subject to university policy
- Monies may NOT be used for salary, including student salaries
- Monies cannot be used to provide course buyouts for the sponsoring faculty member
- Monies cannot be recaptured by sponsoring faculty member as salary
- Monies should be spent by August 31, 2025
UND CONNECT funds are not automatically renewable, but faculty members who receive funding may be eligible to apply for renewal in subsequent years. The hope is that successful projects with long-term potential will become self-sustaining after the initial year through other grants or community/partner investment. That may not be possible in all cases, of course. Projects that become self-sustaining are not necessarily subject to all of the stipulations outlined above.
- September 26, 2024: Proposals must be submitted
- Week of October 14: SSAC committee meets to review UND CONNECT proposals and send recommendations to Office of the Provost
- Week of October 21: UND CONNECT proposal applicants notified of award status
- Week of October 28: Budget training sessions. Funds available after successfully completing training session and signing award letter.
Proposals will be received, reviewed, and recommended for selection to the Office of the Provost by the Senate Scholarly Activities Committee (SSAC). Up to eleven (11) proposals for up to $5,000 can be supported.
Within a month of the completion of a project, the funded faculty member must submit a brief (1-2 page) post-project report to the Office of the Provost and the SSAC detailing the activities, successes, challenges, and so forth, of the initiative. These reports will allow the university to refine the program, improve outcomes, and market future initiatives.