The purpose of the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program is to involve Rollins College students in original scholarship in a partnership with a member of the faculty of the College. This is achieved by providing a stipend for both the student and the faculty member during the summer months so that they can pursue scholarly work as partners. It is a student-centered program, and is not designed to merely provide faculty with the opportunity to pursue their research with student assistants. Rather, the intent is to provide students the opportunity to pursue genuine scholarship with faculty collaborators.

By participating in the program students will be partners in scholarship and will materially contribute to achieving the stated goals. Students are expected to understand the research or scholarly activity, contribute physically and intellectually to the project, and participate to an extent such that they are truly partners in the project.

The Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program at Rollins College is designed to include student scholars from any subject area including the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Any person enrolled as a full-time Arts and Sciences student for the academic year preceding and following the summer is eligible to participate in the program. Any continuing faculty member is eligible to participate in the program.

The Goals of the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program are:

- every interested and qualified student will be afforded the opportunity to participate in original scholarship with a faculty mentor.

- every project that is supported by the program will result in a peer-reviewed publication, or the professional equivalent for scholarship in the arts, with the student and faculty being listed as coauthors.

- every participating student will be given the opportunity to present the results of their scholarship at a meeting of an appropriate professional society, or to attend a meeting as the co-author of such a presentation. If presentation at a meeting is not the preferred form of public dissemination of scholarship in the field, each student will be given the opportunity to present a concert, show, public reading, or a presentation in a public forum.

- every participating student will apply lessons from the classroom to interesting problems in her/his chosen field.

- every participating student will experience the enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and learn to appreciate the intrinsic value of knowledge.

The ability to achieve these goals is dependent upon the effort of the student, the skills of the faculty member, and the availability of adequate funding.

There are two types of proposals that can be submitted for participation in the program. A Type I proposal requires the student and faculty member to submit a short proposal before March 1, as outlined in subsection A below. A Type II proposal requires the faculty member and student to engage in an independent study for academic credit during the spring semester before the summer of participation, during which time the student will prepare a full proposal, as outlined in section B below. Type II proposals will be reviewed for funding before Type I proposals.

A. Type I Proposals

Prior to March 1 of the year in which the project is to be undertaken all faculty members interested in participating in the Collaborative Scholarship Program will submit a proposal to the Program Administrator. The proposal will contain three parts:

(1) A cover letter, signed by the faculty member, outlining the proposed research, the names of participating students, starting and ending dates, and a review of the current state of the project. The letter must contain a statement about the type and depth of the collaboration, the estimated number of contact hours per week between the student and the faculty member, a concise statement of what the end product will be, and an estimated timeline for completion and publication of the results. If the proposal represents a continuation of a previously funded project, the letter must include the previous timeline as well as a new one. It also must contain a cogent justification of for the number of students involved. If the faculty member has participated in the program in the past the letter must also include a brief explanation of the final outcome of that work and a discussion of how past work relates to the current proposal.

(2) A proposal, written by student, that clearly states the objective of the project and a description of the proposed work. The proposal should be approximately one page in length and each student must submit his or her own proposal unless the students are working in a formal group on the same project.

(3) A copy of a contract between the student and faculty member detailing what will be accomplished during the period of work. This contract will contain a set of objective goals that the student will achieve by the end of the summer barring any unforeseen circumstances (e.g., equipment failure). A sample contract is attached as appendix A.

(4) If the scholarship involves data collection from human participants a statement must be attached from the Institutional Review Board indicating that it has reviewed and approved the methodology.

During the fall semester the student and faculty member will submit the appropriate forms to the Office of Student Records so that the student will receive two hours of academic credit for independent scholarship during the spring semester. This academic credit will be awarded so that the student can prepare a full proposal for consideration. Proposals will be due to the Program Administrator by March 1 and will include:

(1) A cover letter, signed by the faculty member, outlining the proposed research, the names of participating students, starting and ending dates, and a review of the current state of the project. The letter must contain a statement about the type and depth of the collaboration, the estimated number of contact hours per week between the student and the faculty member, and a concise statement of what the end product will be. It also must contain a cogent justification of for the number of students involved if more than one student is working on the same project. If the faculty member has participated in the program in the past the letter must also include a brief explanation of the final outcome of that work, and a discussion of how past work relates to the current proposal.

(2) A proposal, written by student, that clearly states the objective of the project and a detailed description of the proposed work. The proposal should not exceed 15 pages in length (double-spaced 12 point type with one-inch margins) and each student must submit his or her individual, original proposal even if more than one student is involved in the project. The proposal must contain:

i. A one-page summary of the proposal

ii. A full proposal that includes:

1. A comprehensive literature review

2. A clear and concise description of the proposed work and the expected outcome

3. A timeline that ends with the submission of a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal or equivalent. If the proposal represents a continuation of a previously funded project it must include the previous timeline as well as a new one.

4. A budget that includes an explanation of the sources of funding that will provide support in excess of the amount provided by the program if applicable.

iii. A reference page (not included in the 15 page maximum).

(3) A copy of a contract between the student and faculty member detailing what will be accomplished during the period of work. This contract will contain a set of objective goals that the student will achieve by the end of the summer barring any unforeseen circumstances (e.g., equipment failure). A sample contract is attached as Appendix A.

(4) If the scholarship involves data collection from human participants a statement must be attached from the Institutional Review Board indicating that it has reviewed and approved the methodology.

Proposals that do not deeply involve the student in a collaborative process of scholarship with a faculty member are not appropriate for funding under this program. Each student must have a specific project with a clearly stated goal, and collaboration between students is encouraged where appropriate.

In some cases it may be appropriate for students to undertake small pieces of larger, ongoing projects provided that the participation of the student is significant enough to be included as a coauthor on the final published work. However, it is inappropriate for students to undertake projects that do not involve a significant scholarly experience, or projects that are not significant enough to result in a public display, performance, or peer-reviewed publication coauthored by the student.

The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for the student and faculty member to spend a significant amount of time together in collaborative scholarship. Any project that could be accomplished as guided study during the academic year should be approached within that context and not within the context of this program. Therefore, it is normally not appropriate for a student to perform a literature review in preparation for future work as part of this program; however, an exception may be made if a significant part of the scholarship involves analyzing the literature, as may be appropriate in the humanities. Regardless of the details of the project, the work must involve a significant collaborative experience for the student as measured in terms of the total time spent with the faculty member.

Pedagogical scholarship will not normally be funded under this program unless the intention of the work is that it result in publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Proposals that request support for the design of a new teaching technique, collecting or preparing materials for classes, or training of students will not be funded.

Dramaturgical scholarship is acceptable, but only if the work is intended to result in a publication in a peer-reviewed journal or public performance with the student recognized as a major contributor. Proposals to make collaborative art are acceptable provided the work is planned for public display outside of the College.

In rare circumstances it may be acceptable to fund support for a student and faculty member to collaboratively write a manuscript for publication during the summer. This may happen when a significant amount of time must be set aside to write about scholarship that was previously performed; however, it must be clear that both the student and the faculty member will be primarily consumed with writing the manuscript during the period in which they are supported by the program, and that the manuscript will be submitted for publication prior to the end of the summer period.

A project may be funded annually for up to three consecutive years; however, a new proposal must be submitted each year for consideration and multi-year funding will never be guaranteed.

D. Review Procedures

As soon as practical after March 1, a committee of faculty members chaired by the Associate Dean of the Faculty will review all of the Type II proposals and prepare an order of merit list for awarding funding. The committee will then review all Type I proposals and prepare an order of merit list for awarding funding. Proposals of either type that are deemed unsuitable will be excluded from funding and will not be included on the priority list.

After all proposals have been reviewed, the Dean of the Faculty will award funding to all qualified Type II proposals based on the order of merit list compiled by the review committee. Following the awarding of Type II proposals, the students who have submitted Type I proposals that have been deemed appropriate for funding will meet with a panel of faculty and administrators to defend their proposal. Following these meetings the panel will prepare an order of merit list, which will be used to disperse the remaining funds.

Although Type II proposals will take precedence over Type I proposals, it is recognized that a Type II proposal may not be appropriate for some scholarship (e.g., some instances within the expressive arts). Therefore, faculty can argue in the cover letter they attach to the proposal that a Type II proposal is inappropriate for the scholarship being proposed. If an effective case can be made by the faculty member that a Type II proposal is inappropriate, a Type I proposal will be considered with the Type II proposals. Should the review committee not accept the argument that a Type II proposal was inappropriate, the proposal will be considered with the other Type I proposals.

Both types of proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1) The degree of collaboration between the student and faculty member. The student will be expected to meet with the faculty member daily unless the project demands long periods of independent study, such as may be required by scholarship in the humanities. As an absolute minimum the student must meet with the faculty member at least eight hours per week and spend approximately 30 to 40 hours per week on the project. Since the project is to be collaborative work, and not guided independent study, it should be evident in the proposal that the faculty member will also dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to the project during the summer.

2) The quality of the thought process and writing in the proposal

3) The expertise of the faculty member in the area of scholarship

4) The feasibility of the timeline and milestones

5) The results of previous participation in the program. If a faculty member has participated in the past, all required reports must have been submitted in a timely manner. It is also expected that within three years of the first funding of any proposal a manuscript with student coauthors will be submitted for publication, or there will be a public performance or display of art. If this has not occurred, the cover letter must justify why the proposal should be funded within the context of this lack of success. As a general rule, any faculty member who has participated in the program for three years but has not published an article in a professional peer-reviewed journal or held a public display of art will not be considered for funding for the following three years. However, since high-quality research sometimes results in a high-quality failure, the faculty member who has not met this standard can argue in their cover letter why they should not be penalized under this provision.

Formal announcement of the students and faculty who will receive funding will be made as soon after the proposals are received as is practical. On the recommendation of the faculty review committee, the Dean of the Faculty may deny funding for a variety of reasons, even if adequate funds exist. Should the faculty review committee determine that a student or faculty member has exhibited a poor record of performance in the past, clearly not striven to attain the programmatic goals, or exhibited poor scholarship, then funding may be denied.

The period of scholarship may be from six to eight weeks in length and may begin as soon as the first weekday after commencement. The summer work period for which a stipend is awarded must be completed prior to the beginning of the following academic year, but it is expected that the collaboration will continue throughout the year until results from the work are published, displayed, or performed.

Students participating in the program are expected to contribute materially to their chosen project on a level commensurate with their individual skill level. Should the faculty member decide the student is not performing at a level commensurate with their expectations, the faculty member will counsel the student and suggest how the student may achieve his or her potential. If the student’s performance does not improve after counseling, the faculty member may recommend to the Dean of the Faculty that the student’s involvement in the program be terminated. Normally, this action will only be taken if the student is not present for work at the times and places that the faculty member expects.

To terminate a student’s involvement the faculty member must submit a letter to the Dean of the Faculty detailing the reasons for severing the student from the program. The student must also be supplied with a copy of this letter. After reviewing the case the Dean may agree to terminate the student’s involvement in the program by informing the student in writing, or the Dean may reassign the student to another faculty member who is willing to accept the student. If any action is taken the Dean will advise the program administrator of the appropriate financial actions to be taken.

Only the Dean of the Faculty may sever a student from the program once he or she is enrolled; however, no faculty member will be required to keep a student if the student does not perform to expectation.

Sometime during the summer each student will give a presentation describing his or her proposed work to the participants and guests of the program. If several students work on a single project every student will participate in the presentation. The program administrator will schedule these presentations in such a manner that a majority of the participants of the program can attend. The presentations will be scheduled near the beginning of the summer and will provide an opportunity to describe the work that is proposed, not to report on work that has been completed.

On the last day of the summer work period all students and faculty will complete an evaluation form that will be used to assess the program. Additionally, by October 1 each participating faculty member will provide the program administrator with a final report on the project. The report will be less than five pages in length and will be authored by the student, with the faculty mentor listed as a coauthor. This report should be written on a level commensurate with that expected for the published proceedings of a professional conference. The Program Administrator will compile these reports into a book for distribution to the participants in the program, faculty, alumni, visitors, and potential funding agencies. Since the final reports are intended for external distribution, they are expected to be extremely well-written and describe the project and final results in detail. Responsibility for the quality of the final report rests with the individual faculty mentor.

On or about the first week in October, the students and faculty involved in the program will be expected to participate in a Celebration of Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship. This celebration will occur in the evening and will involve each participant presenting a poster for view by faculty, staff, students, and the community. Funds will be provided for printing of professional posters.

Since the purpose of the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program is to provide students the opportunity to participate in original scholarship, it is assumed that the results of the scholarship will be of such quality that they should be presented at professional conferences, publicly displayed, and/or published in peer-reviewed journals. Therefore, the Dean of the Faculty shall provide funds for participants to travel to one professional conference to present the results of their efforts. Since the quality of work is assumed to be high, it is expected that the presentation will be in the professional section of the conference and not a student section. Presentation at a student conference or a student-session at a professional conference will not be funded. Allocation of these funds is dependent upon the student being an author or co-author of a paper, presentation, or performance. The supervising faculty member will also be allocated funds for travel to one conference with the students. The maximum funding will be in accordance with the guidelines in the faculty handbook and will not be counted as part of the annual allocation for professional travel that is provided to every member of the faculty. All funding for travel will be conditional on the availability of funds within the program.

The ultimate outcome of the student-faculty collaboration is dependent upon the area of scholarship. Research in the sciences and social sciences should result in the publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal or a governmental report with the students as coauthors. Research in the computer sciences should result in either a software product supplied to an end-user or an article in a scholarly journal. Scholarship in the arts and humanities should result in a scholarly publication, an exhibition, or a performance in the public domain. Regardless of the subject matter, the research should be commensurate with the highest standards of scholarship, and be reviewed by outside experts in the field. If work completed by students results in publication of an article in a scholarly journal, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty will provide funding for page charges if needed.

The Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program is funded by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, using both internal and external sources. The period of research may be between six and eight weeks in length beginning on any date after commencement and ending on any date prior to the beginning of the academic year. Students will be paid $2,000 for eight weeks of work and $1,500 for six weeks if they submit a Type I proposal. If a Type II proposal is submitted the students will receive a stipend of $2,500 for eight weeks of work and $1,875 for six weeks. In addition to the stipend, the College will provide funds to pay for housing in a residence hall for each student desiring to live on campus during the period of the research.

Faculty stipends will be $1,200 per student under their supervision for eight weeks of work and $900 per student for six-week projects. If the faculty member is not teaching during the summer and has only one student working with them they will be awarded a minimum stipend of $2,200 for eight weeks and $1,650 for six weeks. If a Type II proposal is submitted, the faculty member will receive a stipend of $1,700 per student under their supervision for eight weeks of work and $1,275 per student for six-week projects. If the faculty member is not teaching during the summer and has only one student working with them they will be awarded a minimum stipend of $2,700 for eight weeks and $2,025 for six weeks. The maximum faculty stipend is $5,000 for eight weeks and $3,750 for six weeks.

Should a faculty member desire to apply for external funding for research during the summer, the stipend from the Collaborative Scholarship Program may be used as matching funds from the institution. In these cases the faculty stipend will be at a level awarded by the granting agency, with the level of funding from the College not to exceed that specified above.

In addition to student and faculty stipends, the Dean of the Faculty will provide up to $500 per student for supplies and materials necessary for the student to complete his/her scholarship. If the proposed scholarship cannot be performed with the support of $500 per student the faculty member may request additional funds at the time the proposals are submitted. This request for additional financial support must be included in the faculty member’s cover letter and must explicitly state the amount and justification for the additional funding necessary to complete the research.

Request for additional funding will automatically reduce the funding priority given to the proposed research. The research will not be funded unless the entire requested amount can be supplied within the budget; therefore, it is not in the interest of the faculty member to request additional funds unless the project cannot be completed without them.

C. Responsibilities of the Faculty Mentor

As stated above, the purpose of the program is not to provide faculty with student assistants, but rather to provide students the opportunity to pursue original scholarship with faculty mentors. It is incumbent upon the faculty member to select qualified students for participation, and to provide the necessary leadership and guidance to ensure that their experience is beneficial.

The faculty member is responsible for providing original and challenging problems that the students can make a material contribution toward solving. The faculty member is also responsible for guiding the student in the preparation of the proposal and providing the contract that outlines the student’s goals and responsibilities. Once all of the student proposals and contracts have been prepared, the faculty mentor is responsible for collecting them, writing the cover letters as specified in section III above, and forwarding the packet to the Program Administrator prior to March 1. The faculty mentor is also responsible for ensuring that the final report is submitted to the Program Administrator prior to October 1 as specified above.

Additionally, the faculty member is responsible for the supervision of the students. The faculty member is to ensure that the scholarship is genuinely collaborative, and that the summer is not spent in a directed study of the student. The faculty member is expected to meet regularly with the student, and generally will be expected to spend a significant amount of time with the student each day. In some cases, such as when performing scholarship in the humanities, meeting daily may not be an efficient use of time. These cases will be rare, but when they do occur the student and faculty member must spend at least eight hours per week together as a minimum. It will be difficult to justify the scholarship as collaborative otherwise.

Should the work of the student be of the type that requires long periods of individual reading or contemplation, the faculty member will ensure that the student has adequate space in the vicinity of the faculty member for such endeavors. Similarly, if equipment is required the faculty member will ensure that the student is provided the appropriate equipment, is trained in its use, and is adequately supervised.

The student is responsible for understanding the project, writing the research proposal, performing the scholarship in collaboration with the faculty member, and being the primary author of the final report. The student is also responsible for coordinating with the Human Resources Department and ensuring that the College has all of the paperwork necessary for them to be on payroll, and for making the appropriate arrangements with the Residential Life Office for summer lodging in accordance with guidance from the program administrator.

All students participating in the Collaborative Scholarship Program will be treated as students, not employees, and therefore will fall under the student guidelines for behavior. Students will be subject to the student judicial process in the event of an infraction. Additionally, any student found in violation of the College's non-toleration policy for drug abuse and paraphernalia will be immediately severed from the program.

The overall administration of the Collaborative Scholarship Program is the responsibility of the Program Administrator. The Administrator is appointed by the Dean of the Faculty and is responsible for ensuring fiscal accountability and timely execution of administrative tasks. He or she will maintain accountability of the funds, will ensure that the Personnel Action Forms (PAFs) are submitted to the Human Resources Department in a timely manner, will coordinate with the student housing office for adequate facilities, will provide a final report to the Dean of the Faculty summarizing the administrative and fiscal aspects of the Collaborative Scholarship Program prior to October 1, and will perform other duties as assigned.

It is not the responsibility of the program administrator to supervise students outside of those involved in his or her personal scholarship, or to ensure that students have filled out the necessary paperwork; these responsibilities lie with the student and the individual faculty member.

Ultimate responsibility for the Collaborative Scholarship Program lies with the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. The Dean is responsible for procuring funding for the program, appointing a Program Administrator, selecting a faculty committee to review proposals, and providing the appropriate administrative guidance and oversight.

Appendix A- Sample student contract

As a participant in the 2008 Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program I, _______________________, will contribute intellectually and physically to my chosen scholarly work to the greatest extent possible. I agree to be present for work at the times and places specified by my faculty mentor, and I understand that I will be paid___________ as a stipend for working between ____________ and ____________, 2008. I understand that the purpose of the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program is to allow me to participate in original scholarship, and that the success of the program depends upon my dedication to it. With this in mind, under the guidance of my faculty mentor I will accomplish the following goals prior to the final date listed above.

I understand that while participating in the program I will be subject to the student rules of conduct, and that infractions of these rules will be dealt with by the existing student judicial process. I further understand that violation of the College's non-toleration policy for drug use and paraphernalia will result in immediate expulsion from the program.

_______________________________________

student signature and date

_______________________________________

faculty member signature and date