Paul P. Fidler Research Grant

General information about the 2008-09 Paul P. Fidler Research Grant
The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant is designed to encourage the development and dissemination of knowledge that has the potential to improve the experiences of college students in transition. The grant is named in memory of Dr. Paul P. Fidler, a faculty member at the University of South Carolina, whose pioneering research on student learning and success had a vital impact on work being done to promote the success of all students in transition. To learn about the 2007-08 grant recipient, visit www.sc.edu/fye/research/grant/year/2007.html

Comprehensive Award Package
The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant award includes a cash stipend, travel to two national conferences, a presentation at a national conference, and priority consideration for publication. Specifically, the grant’s comprehensive award package includes:

Stipend of $5,000, payable either directly to individual researchers or through the researcher(s)’ institution(s). The Center will not pay institutional overhead or indirect costs.
Travel to the 15th National Conference on Students in Transition, November 2008, in Columbia, SC, at which the award will be presented
Announcement and recognition at 2008 Students in Transition conference luncheon
Travel to the 16th National Conference on Students in Transition, November 2009, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at which the research findings will be reported
Announcement on The National Resource Center webpage, listservs, and print publications
Priority consideration for publication by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

Eligibility
The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant competition is open to faculty, staff, graduate students who plan to conduct research on issues of college student transitions. Cross-institutional research teams are encouraged to apply for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant. The following individuals are not eligible for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant and may not be included as part of proposed research teams: National Resource Center staff and fellows; current members of the Center’s National Advisory Board; and students, staff, and faculty of the University of South Carolina system.

Deadline
Completed applications must be received by the National Resource Center by 11:59 pm EST, July 1, 2008.

Application Procedures Applicants for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant must complete a research proposal as outlined by the National Resource Center. Only complete proposals will be considered. The application and proposal form may be downloaded at www.sc.edu/fye/research/grant/proposal
Application materials (proposal, proposal for blind review, curriculum vitae) must be submitted in pdf format. Completed proposals must be sent as an e-mail attachment to NRCresearch@gwm.sc.edu by the deadline. Early submissions are welcomed. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the principal investigator within two business days of receipt of a grant application.

Research Requirements & Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the extent to which they:

focus on issue(s) related to college student transitions. Though all issues related to college student transitions will be considered, special consideration will be given to proposals addressing transitions outside of the first year of college.
clearly articulate a strong research design. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies will be considered. Methodology must be appropriate for the research question(s).
include research that can be completed by November 2009. Results must be ready for presentation at the 2009 National Conference on Students in Transition.
explore unique issues, subjects, analysis, participants and/or sample. Research must be original work of the investigators and may not have been reported elsewhere.
have potential to have a national impact on student success initiatives. Results of the research should be relevant to a broad audience.

Grant Decisions
The staff of The National Resource Center will review all completed proposals and will nominate up to five finalists for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant. The finalists’ proposals will then be blind-reviewed and evaluated by a panel of nationally recognized higher education scholars and practitioners. These scholar-judges will be selected from the Center’s current and former National Advisory Board. For a list of current advisory board members, please click here.

Applicants submitting full proposals by July 1 will be notified of their award status by October 13th. Reviewer comments will be made available to interested applicants after the grant recipient is announced at the National Conference on Students in Transition.

2007-08 Award– Eunyoung Kim – “Acculturation Experiences and College Transitions of Minority Immigrant Students”

2006-07 Award – Barbara Hofer – “The Electronic Tether: Parental Regulation, Self-Regulation, and the Role of Technology in College Transitions”

2005-06 Award– Christine and Michael Kirk-Kuwaye – “A Study of Engagement Petterns of Lateral and Vertical Transfer Students During Their First Semester at a Public Research University."