- Academic Programs & Support
- Office of the Provost
- Research at WCU
- Sponsored Research
- University Research Awards
University Research Awards
Each year Western Carolina University presents internal awards to recognize the outstanding work being done by our faculty. The purposes for these awards are described below. The university community is invited to attend the 2025 Faculty Scholarship Celebration to be held Thursday, March 20, in the University Center Grand Room.
Please click the links below for full application instructions, and contact the Office of Research Administration for assistance with the application process.
Deadline: January 24, 2025
The University Scholar Award is designed to recognize research and creative activities. This award is given to a faculty member who has achieved a position of prominence in his or her discipline through creative research activities. Examples of distinguished achievements include art exhibitions, works of art, fine arts performances, literary works, research, publications, and grant receipts.
Deadline: January 24, 2025
This award is jointly provided by Hunter Library, Graduate School and Research, Educational Outreach, and the Office of the Provost. The Hunter Scholar Award provides release time and other resources to support research primarily using library collections.
Deadline: February 9, 2025
PROVOST'S SCHOLARSHIP DEVELOPMENT AWARD (PSDA)
PURPOSE: Provide monetary support for research and scholarship development. Funds are intended to
- Generate preliminary data or activity that leads to external funding or expand the scope of a currently funded project
- Enhance the competitiveness for resubmission of proposals considered highly meritorious but previously unfunded
- Support junior faculty and established investigators in the pursuit of new research or creative scholarly inquiry
- Support cross-disciplinary teams of faculty in their efforts to prepare competitive proposals for multi-investigator grants
- Positively impact teaching or student learning
Grant recipients must articulate where and how this seed money will be directed in pursuit of external funding.
Provost Scholarship Development Award Overview (Spring 2025)
Provost Scholarship Development Award Guidelines, Terms, and Conditions (Spring 2025)
Provost Scholarship Development Award Proposal Template (Spring 2025)
FACULTY RESEARCH MENTORING PROGRAM (FRM)
PURPOSE: Incentivize faculty collegiality and mentorship by supporting faculty-to-faculty mentoring, pairing a faculty mentor* with a faculty mentee*. The focus should be on proposal and budget development, ultimately leading to a proposal submission.
The mentee must submit a competitive extramural grant application for a minimum of $40,000 (in direct costs over the life of the award).
Faculty Research Mentoring Program Guidelines
The establishment of the Million Dollar Circle Award is to recognize the accomplishments of WCU faculty and staff that have received a cumulative total of $1 million or more in competitive grant funding and contracts through the University, as Principal Investigators.