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Office of Academic Development

Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Press Release Summer 2007
Stonehill Grants Bulletin Vol. 19, No. 1, September 2007

SURE Application Instructions
SURE Application (.doc)  

Proposal Writer's Guide
Useful Links 

Who are we and what is our role?

The Office of Academic Development (OAD) serves the faculty and staff of the College in helping to obtain external funding for scholarly research, academic program and curriculum development, and community service projects. The College requires all applications for external funding for these academically-related projects to be submitted through the Office of Academic Development. We are  Bonnie L. Troupe, Director, and Kathy Conroy, Assistant to the Director. We are located in 119A Duffy; our extension is 1069. We are members of the Academic Division and report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

What services do we offer?

• We offer the following services to members of the Stonehill College community seeking outside grant support:

• We provide information on potential sources of grant funds through the "Stonehill Grants Bulletin," published six times a year, and in response to individual requests.

• We will help you in your own search for funding using the World Wide Web and Grants Search, an electronic database supported by the Grants Resource Center.

• We obtain application materials and information for you from funding agencies.

• We maintain a mini-library of resources on project development and proposal-writing (e.g., books, videotapes, sample proposals).

• We help edit draft proposals.

• We work closely with you on project budget development.

• We process proposals through institutional channels and obtain required institutional signatures.

• We prepare cover sheets and other official forms.

• We duplicate, assemble, and transmit final proposals.

• We help to set up funded projects and monitor them through closeout, insuring compliance with external agency policies.

• We assist you in dealing with other College offices dealing with funded projects, such as the Controller’s Office and Purchasing.

• We serve as the College’s liaison to external funding sources.

How do we work together? 

We encourage you to discuss your ideas about academically-related projects with us, whether they be your individual scholarly research or institutional programs. We can be the most helpful if you begin these discussions in the early stages of grant-seeking, but we are also helpful if these discussions begin when you are ready to write and submit a proposal. It is important to let us know as soon as possible of your plans, so that we can build your project into our office schedule and give it the attention it deserves.

Early in your planning process, you should discuss your project with your Department Chair and the Dean of Faculty, particularly with respect to the commitment of college resources that might be required to carry out your proposed activities (e.g. project director's and other staff member's  time, matching funds, use of campus facilities). Almost all awards take the form of a grant to the College, and most proposals will require the endorsement and signature of a College official, usually the Vice President for Academic Affairs..

What happens when a grant proposal is funded?

If it is an institutional award; that is, if Stonehill College receives the grant (most grants are made to institutions, rather than to individuals.):

• The Office of Academic Development will oversee the administration of the funded project, serving as a liaison among you (the Principal Investigator or Project Director), the College's financial office, and the funding agency.

• Shortly after the award letter and other award documents have been received, the OAD will schedule a meeting of everyone involved in administration of the project, including the Principal Investigator(s), the College Controller, and any departmental personnel who may be affected, e.g. computer personnel or purchasing. This meeting will consist of a review of the project, its origins and purpose, as well as any special conditions of the grant. Fiscal policies and procedures will be covered in detail. All participants will be able to ask questions and clarify any issues about the project or the grant, as well as to make plans for a well-coordinated administration.

• The College Controller will establish a separate account, or Cost Center, for the grant project. He will prepare monthly printout reports showing expenses; copies of these reports go to both the PI and the OAD. All purchase orders and check requests must be processed through the OAD. The PI or Project Director is responsible for incurring expenses as presented in the project budget. Variations from the original budget, unless minor, generally must be cleared with the funding agency. The Controller, together with the OAD, will be responsible for submitting required fiscal reports to the funding agency.

If the award is made directly to you (a fellowship award, for example): In most cases, you alone are responsible for reporting to the funding agency and the College is not involved. You should remember that you will be responsible for taxes on the fellowship/award.

Program reporting: most grant awards require you to provide a follow-up report on your programmatic use of grant funds. In some cases, you will be required to complete several interim reports, as well as a final report; in others, only a final report is requested. Frequently, some format for these reports is furnished. The OAD will help you submit these reports and remind you when they are due.