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Purpose

The Distinguished Professors Fund was created by generous donors dedicated to advancing graduate education and scholarship at SUNY Brockport. This competitive, merit-based award is for matriculated graduate students enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program at SUNY Brockport. The award supports student efforts to produce a substantial and original scholarly project—research and/or creative endeavor— that fulfills program requirements. Preference is given to students working on their Master’s thesis or capstone research/creative projects. (Unused funds expire one year from receipt of award.)

Eligibility

  • Any student who is matriculated and enrolled (full-time or part-time) in a Master’s or Doctoral program at SUNY Brockport is eligible.
  • Students can only win this award once.

Funding

  • Awards up to $1,000 are available to cover eligible expenses that directly support students’ scholarly projects:
    • Travel for research (archive, field study site, etc.; award does not support conference presentation/performance.)
    • Laboratory supplies, materials, or performance equipment
    • Essential software, printing expenses, publication costs, books (those not available from library or inter-library loan).
    • Research assistants (Assistants must be currently enrolled Brockport students).

Post Award Requirements:

  • A Post-Grant Summary must be submitted.
  • Awardees are expected to present their completed work at Brockport’s Scholars Day, and/or an off-campus academic conference.

Application Deadlines

The application portal is open. There are two deadlines for applications: The third Monday in October and the third week in February each academic year.

Apply Now

Application Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff representatives from each of the Academic Schools and the Center for Graduate Studies, with staff support provided by the Scholarship, Research & Sponsored Programs Office.

Contact

Laura Merkl, Director of Scholarship, Research & Sponsored Programs , lmerkl@brockport.edu, (585) 395-2444

Need to revise your accepted application?

Submit an Internal Grants Revision-Extension Request

This form is for those with currently active awards who are seeking approval for an extension or revision to the original, committee-reviewed application for the Distinguished Professor Award. No-cost extensions must be applied for 30 days prior to the award term date and be requested for one year only. A detailed justification must be included.

Guidelines for Application Materials:

Scholarly Activity Overview

(Submitted as part of the MachForm)

  • Applicant Information:
    • Name
    • Brockport Email
    • Phone
    • Banner ID
    • Local Address
    • Major
    • GPA in Major
    • Expected Graduation
  • Scholarly Activity Introduction:
    • Project Title
    • Project Start Date
    • Project End Date
    • Single Sentence Summary of Project
    • Does your project involve conducting research with human subjects?
      • If yes, have you already received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval?
  • Faculty Advisor:
    • Faculty Advisor Name
    • Faculty Advisor Email
    • Faculty Advisor Phone
    • Sponsoring Department

Budget Form

(Submitted as part of the MachForm)

Provide details of anticipated costs up to $1,000 directly associated with your scholarly project. Note - If planning to hire research assistants, they must be students currently enrolled at Brockport. The pay rates are a minimum of $13.20/hour, plus 6% fringe benefits, for undergraduate students and $15/hour, plus 13% fringe benefits for graduate students.

Project Narrative

(Submitted as a document upload to the MachForm)

Maximum of two pages. Be clear and compelling to reviewers who are not necessarily specialists in your discipline. Describe a rigorous scholarly project (independent or group research and/or creative endeavor) in your own words:

  • Identify the current stage of the project and how it fits into your graduate Plan of Study (preference given to students working on Master’s thesis or capstone research or creative projects).
  • Identify other sources of funding for this project (if there are any), and explain how this award would enable you to complete the project.
  • Include a timeline for completion of the scholarly project.

Reference List

(Submitted as a document upload to the MachForm)

Include reference list for your scholarly activity. Maximum of two pages.

Academic Resume

(Submitted as a document upload to the MachForm)

Provide a 1-2 page academic resume (including your undergraduate degree and GPA, graduate program, coursework completed, and cumulative GPA; research and/or creative academic endeavors; scholarly presentations; related work experience).

Letters(s) of Recommendation

(Submitted as a document upload to the MachForm)

Provide at least one letter of recommendation from a Brockport faculty member who is overseeing your scholarly project. This letter must be submitted as part of your completed application.

Graduate Transcript

(Submitted as a document upload to the MachForm)

Please provide a copy of your unofficial Brockport Graduate transcript. Copies may be downloaded from Banner.