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Scholarly activity animates a university community of learners. Faculty frequently best exemplify creativity, innovation and excellence through their scholarly achievements. Eastern Mennonite University, while first and foremost an institution dedicated to superior teaching and learning, recognizes the vital contribution scholarly pursuits make to its educational mission. For this reason, EMU provides opportunities to tenure-track faculty for the purposes of encouraging original scholarship.
For graduate and seminary faculty time for scholarship is included in the workload.
Two Two options are available for undergraduate tenure-track faculty: release-time and mini-grants. For graduate and seminary faculty time for scholarship is included in the workload.
Release-time funds are made available through the undergraduate academic dean’s office operating budget and an endowment. The operating budget supports 24 semester hours annually, and the endowment supports 9 semester hours annually; the latter hours are intended to rotate among the undergraduate departments. Teaching faculty and professional librarians on long-term contracts are eligible to apply for up to six semester hours of release-time from normal teaching assignments for the purposes of pursuing original scholarship (research and publication, performance or creative production). For more information see the To apply for release time use the Faculty Release Time Application or request a Faculty Release Time for Scholarship form from the undergraduate academic dean’s office.Grant proposal.
Mini-grants are awarded to tenure-track undergraduate faculty for scholarly work in a discipline that extends beyond the normal scope of teaching responsibilities. Course revisions, curriculum development, and normal faculty development such as a workshop or conference attendance are excluded. Faculty applying for mini-grants are asked to address the significance of the project to the profession, the institution, the church and the community/public. For more information see To apply use the Mini Grant Application form or request an application form from the undergraduate academic dean’s office.Two kinds of summer grants are available to tenure-track faculty, one for original research and the other for teaching. The summer teaching grants are available to graduate and seminary faculty as well as undergraduate faculty. Summer research grants are available only to undergraduate faculty.
Summer Teaching and Summer Research grants are available to any faculty member or professional educator. EMU encourages faculty to continually refresh their pedagogy and course content, whether the purpose is to include more diversity, use new technology, reach student populations more effectively or develop new courses (just to name some examples.) Faculty and students alike benefit from fresh ideas and approaches. For more information on the summer research grant or teaching grant contact the undergraduate academic dean’s office.
The Faculty Scholarship Committee awards undergraduate release time and grantsRelease-time, Mini Grants, and Summer Teaching and Research Grants. For more information contact the provost's office.