Internal Funding Sources

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences and George Mason University offer several competitive programs in support of faculty research and scholarship.

 

Faculty Research and Development Awards

Faculty Research and Development Awards (FRDA), funded by CHSS, are short-term awards that are designed to help tenured and tenure-track faculty initiate new programs of research and scholarship or enhance existing ones. 

International Conference Travel Supplements

The College recognizes the value of faculty participation at prestigious international conferences.  Given that travel to these conferences may be cost prohibitive, CHSS established a fund to help defray a portion of the travel costs for international overseas conference participation.

Study Leave for Tenured Instructional Faculty

Study Leaves for Tenured Instructional Faculty, funded by the Provost, are intended to provide paid temporary leave for the support of advancing scholarly research, teaching, and/or creative activity, including the development of innovative teaching approaches and methods.  The college encourages its full-time, tenured faculty with six or more years of completed service at George Mason University at the time of application to pursue this opportunity.

Term Faculty Study Leave

Term faculty study leave opportunities were established by Faculty Handbook revisions approved by the Board of Visitors in July 2021 (see Faculty Handbook section 3.6.2 Leave Programs for Instructional Faculty). For Term Faculty in CHSS, study leave activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • Creation and/or revision of pedagogical materials and methods.
  • Scholarly and/or creative activities that draw or reflect on the faculty member’s teaching.
  • Scholarly and/or creative activities that maintain and/or develop knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the faculty member’s teaching.
  • Other activities which support the ongoing missions and/or current initiatives of the department or program, College, University, or other professional communities to which the faculty member belongs.

Further information, including eligibility criteria, application procedures, and conditions of the award are available on the Term Faculty Study Leave link above. 

Term Faculty Development Grants

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is committed to engaging all of its full-time teaching faculty in both curriculum development and professional development related to teaching. Individual faculty members with continuing term appointments may apply. Consultation with your unit head is required prior to applying.