Katie Conboy Award for Faculty Development
The Katie Conboy Award for Faculty Development—established through the generosity of Professor Barbara Estrin in memory of her husband, Mark W. Estrin—provides a course release to support the research of Associate Professors, assisting them in their progress toward promotion to Professor.
We invite Associate Professors to apply directly for this award using the Katie Conboy Award for Faculty Development Application, available in the Applications for Faculty Grants and Internal Funding Sources section of the Academic Affairs myHill page. Applications for the 2027–2028 academic year must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20, 2026.
Eligibility:
A faculty member is eligible to apply for a Conboy award as long as they do not plan to:
- Take another course reduction during the same academic year;
- Go on Sabbatical Leave during the same academic year; and,
- Teach an overload during the same semester as the Conboy award.
Application Requirements:
Applicants must submit the following by Friday, November 20, 2026:
- Last Faculty Review.
- A current CV.
- A one-page proposal outlining the work to be accomplished during the course release and how it will advance their long-term scholarship goals and assist in meeting the scholarship criteria for promotion to Professor.
- A supporting letter from their Department Chair or Graduate Director. The letter must include:
1) A clear recommendation for the award;
2) An assessment of how the research goals align with the faculty member's path to promotion to Full Professor; and,
3) An explanation of how the course release will impact departmental course offerings.
Evaluation Criteria:
Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposed scholarship, the likelihood that the course release will significantly advance or complete the project, and the applicant's history of scholarly work.
The College will grant two course releases for the 2027-2028 academic year—one in each semester, if possible. Proposals should specify the preferred semester of the course release, but timing will not negatively affect applications. Recipients will submit a brief report on the impact of the award on their work after the reduced teaching semester.
Eligible Associate Professors are strongly encouraged to apply for this valuable opportunity to advance their research.
If you have any questions about the award or the application process, please contact Craig Kelley, associate vice president for academic operations.