Eligibility

Full-time faculty who hold a tenure-track appointment in an academic department at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø are eligible to submit a Faculty International Fund Activity Proposal. Applications from non-tenure track faculty will be considered by the FIF committee if the proposed activity has been endorsed and supported financially by both the department and the college, and if the proposal has an exceptional benefit for the University and the community.

The Fund will support, based on project's merit and FIF Committee approval, up to one award per academic (fiscal) year per faculty member, subject to availability of funds. The Committee will require additional information and/or justification in cases when more than one application per department is submitted.

Application Procedure

A faculty member can apply for FIF funding by completing a Faculty Internationalization Fund Application, available for download at the bottom of this page, or at the CIP Office. Faculty members are encouraged to discuss their proposals and the application process with Dr. Ivan Nikolov, Director of CIP, before submitting their proposals. An e-mail with the text of the Application and supporting documentation sent to Dr. Nikolov at inikolov@valdosta.edu speeds up the process.

The hard copy of the Application needs to be signed by the department head and the appropriate Dean's Office. The completed and signed Application Form need to be submitted to the Center for International Programs (CIP) along with all supporting documentation, i.e. conference presentation acceptance, concert programs, etc

A  (now only Travel Expense Reports are done via PeopleSoft ) is required.

Deadlines

Proposals should be submitted at least three months prior to the time of the proposed activity. The deadline may be waived for special circumstances by the FIF Committee.

Priorities and Criteria for Awards

Proposals are reviewed based on their institutional and unit internationalization impact potential. Funded activities ranked by priority include:

  • Participation in academic exchange programs with Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø partner institutions that help to strengthen programmatically collaborative teaching and research cooperation; Special consideration will be given to projects endorsed by the respective academic units as part of their strategic plan(s) in the international dimension;
  • Short-term visits and projects with a significant institutional impact and/or potential for development of joint collaborative externally funded projects and grants; 
  • Participation in international conferences (presenting a paper, chairing conference sessions, organizing conference activities);  Note: International conferences in the USA and its territories  are not eligible for FIF funding;
  • Additional faculty support for external grants and awards that support an international activity.

Special consideration will be given to proposals for international activities that have received partial funding support from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø departments and/or colleges as part of the institutional and unit's strategic plan activities. Consideration is given also to proposals of merit by faculty members who have never been abroad. A written letter of support from the department char endorsed by the respective Dean’s Office is required in both cases. 

Each proposal must provide measurable evidence of the expected benefits of the sponsored activity (s) for the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø students: integration of new material or perspectives into existing courses, creation of new courses, encouragement of students to participate in international opportunities via curricular and extra-curricular opportunities, students' involvement in research projects related to an international activity that the faculty member is proposing. Department and College endorsement of the proposal is of critical import for FIF committee decision.

Support for international student recruitment and academic exchange activities is expected from all Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø faculty members.

Range of FIF Awards

While the FIF Committee has the discretion over the annual fund award distribution, the following amounts of support are customarily endorsed for proposals in three main groups:

  1. Support for international conferences abroad (U.S. territories excluded) with accepted presentation, participation in joint or individual exhibit or art performance is in the range of $500 to $600; ( generally, these awards are 75 percent of total FIF funding)
  2. Exchange visit to a partner university abroad with a mutually agreed on and approved academic program for joint teaching and research, concerts, art performances, exhibits. These awards are up to $1,000 and require financial commitment from the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø academic unit (department and/or college). The limit for this awards is up to 15 percent of the total FIF funding.
  3. Other important international discretionary projects that support the international mission and recognition of the university (support is limited to 10 percent of FIF)

Reports

Faculty who receive awards through the Faculty Internationalization Fund will be expected to provide a report of their travel and activities to the FIF Committee via the Center for International Programs within 30 days after their return to the University. They should also provide a report at the end of the following quarter or at the end of the academic year to explain special activities, such as conferences or workshops, that they have provided for the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø community in order to share the experience of their international travel.

The awardees are also expected to provide a post-event report a year after the event to inform about project-related special activities, such as attended conferences, organized workshops, seminars, lectures etc. that they personally have provided to the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø and Valdosta community as a result of the international project completion.

For more information, contact Dr. Ivan Nikolov , telephone 333-7410.

  • FIF Application (Fillable PDF)  

  • Request for Authority to Travel ( instructions)

  • FIF Final Report (Fillable PDF - Save first to your computer)

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