Policies & Procedures

The Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund has been created to encourage faculty members to explore the ways in which technology can enhance their teaching or research. Such technologies can include both computer software and peripheral devices. (Funding for actual computer workstations should be pursued elsewhere.)

The main purpose of the fund is to provide competitive grants to faculty members for the initial acquisition of technologies, and it is expected that ongoing maintenance costs generally will be borne by the individual applicants or the applicants’ departments. Requests made to the fund in the fall semester should only be for initial acquisitions. In the spring semester, requests for funding of ongoing or recurring costs incurred by technologies initially acquired through the Fergusson in previous academic years will be considered if there are remaining monies after all requests for initial technology acquisition for the current year have been reviewed.

The review committee will not consider funding requests for technology that is already being used by the applicant, or for travel expenses. All faculty members are encouraged to apply, regardless of rank or status.

Application Process
Requests for funds will be reviewed by the Committee on Academic Technologies (CAT), with input from the Dean of the Faculty, and the Chief Information Officer (CIO), when appropriate. Applications for the fund will be accepted two times per year.

Please note the deadline for the upcoming call for proposals.
Each applicant is required to consult with the appropriate Academic Computing Services (ACS) liaison before the application is submitted. CAT will not consider applications unless they have a specific ACS liaison listed as consultant. The ACS liaison can help the applicant identify available technologies and help determine the feasibility for continued support, thereby strengthening the merits of the grant application. Priority will be given to applicants who have not received Fergusson grants in the recent past.

Applications should include a brief statement of the need for the technology, how it would be used, the potential impact, the expected cost and how the technology will enhance teaching or research. Applications should be submitted by using the designated application form. A confirmation of receipt will be sent to the applicant.

Considerations
All applications will be considered simultaneously by CAT. Decisions about grants will be based both on the cost of the requested technology and on the potential impact the technology may have on the applicant’s teaching or research. Priority consideration will be given to applications for technology that:

• Is not already available elsewhere on campus;
• Does not have less expensive or more appropriate alternatives;
• Has high impact (in terms of either its relative benefit or the number of people affected);
• Could not be purchased with other funds, such as grant money, start-up funds or departmental funds.

Expectations
Faculty members who receive funding will be expected to provide brief, written summaries of their experience with the technology so that other faculty on campus can benefit from what is learned. (Recipients may also be asked to speak at various campus events on how they have used the technology).

Any equipment or materials that are awarded to an applicant are the property of Vassar College and must be returned to CIS upon the applicant’s end of employment at Vassar. The Committee on Academic Computing will determine any future use or allocation of such equipment and materials.