Faculty Research Fellowships: Navigating the Updates

By: Harriet Lindsay  

If you have been reading through the guidelines for Eastern Michigan University’s Faculty Research Fellowship (FRF) award, or just hearing the scuttlebutt on campus, you have likely noticed some substantive updates. I want to provide you all with a clear, candid look at what has changed and how you can make the most of these changes to support your scholarly or creative work.

What Changed: Baseline hours and distribution of the reassigned time

First, let’s compare where we were with where we are now:

• The Old Model: The FRF was previously awarded as a baseline of 12 credit hours of reassigned time, which could be spread across two semesters.

• The New Model: The FRF award is now concentrated into a single semester, with a baseline of 6 credit hours of reassigned time.

Because the base award is now 6 credit hours in a single semester, reaching a full 12 credit hours of reassigned time requires utilizing the new engagement options (see below) and/or combining your FRF with other existing university research support such as RCAR.

The Paths to 12 Credit Hours of Reassigned Time

Keep in mind that a limited number of full (12 hour) reassigned time awards may be given for exceptional projects that require sustained full release from teaching, regardless of their designs to engage students or involve an industry/community partner. However, the paths below represent more likely scenarios by which you can achieve more reassigned time to total up to a full semester off from teaching. 

Path 1: The Core FRF Extensions (+3 to +6 Hours)

The updated FRF model directly recognizes that deep student mentorship and formal external partnerships demand significant time and energy. You can earn additional reassigned time on your FRF by adding one or both of these structured plans:

1. Meaningful Student Engagement (+3 Hours): Projects that directly involve EMU students in structured research, creative activity, or professional skill development can request 3 additional credit hours. You simply complete the fillable PDF Student Engagement Plan, outlining student roles, mentoring structure, skill development, and tangible outcomes.  Be sure to take a look at the rubric so you can see how your plan will be evaluated. 

2. Industry or Community Partnerships (+3 Hours): Projects that formally collaborate with external partners such as non-profits, local businesses, government agencies, schools, or community networks can request 3 additional credit hours to support partnership building or outreach. This requires a fillable PDF Partnership Plan covering partner identification, joint engagement activities, and mutual benefit. The rubric for this plan is also available.

If you incorporate both student engagement and an industry or community partnership, your FRF expands from 6 to 12 credit hours for that semester.

Path 2: Combining FRF with RCAR (+3 Hours)

Under the new structure, RCAR stacks with the FRF to provide two options:

• Base FRF (6 hrs) + RCAR (3 hrs) = 9 Credit Hours of release time.

• Base FRF (6 hrs) + RCAR (3 hrs) + EITHER Student Engagement (3 hrs) OR Community/Industry Partnership (3 hrs) = 12 Credit Hours of total release time in a single semester.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to common questions we are hearing regarding how these changes impact workload, planning, and applications:

Q1: Is student engagement or a community partnership mandatory to get an FRF?

No. The foundational FRF award remains 6 hours of reassigned time. If your research project is a solitary book manuscript, a solo artistic endeavor, or foundational theoretical work that does not naturally involve students or external partners, you can still apply for and receive the standard 6 credit hours. The additional hours are an optional mechanism to compensate you for the significant workload involved in formal mentorship or partnership development.

Q2: If I already have 3 hours of RCAR, how do I hit 12 hours of release time?

You only need to add one of the additional 3-hour FRF options: either the Student Engagement Plan or the Industry/Community Partnership Plan. Combined with your 6-hour base FRF and 3-hour RCAR release, you will reach the maximum cap of 12 credit hours for that semester.

Q3: Does "community partnership" mean I have to secure external corporate sponsorship?

Not at all. The definition of industry and community partners is deliberately broad. It includes non-profit organizations, local grassroots groups, municipal or government agencies, public cultural institutions, regional small businesses, and professional networks. The goal is to support collaborative work that bridges EMU and the broader community, regardless of sector.

Q4: What does "meaningful" student engagement look like? Does bringing in a lab assistant count?

"Meaningful" means students are active participants in the scholarly or creative process, rather than handling purely administrative or clerical chores. Whether they are conducting literature reviews, co-designing survey tools, analyzing data, or assisting in studio production, the key is structured mentorship.

Q5: Can I request BOTH additional student engagement AND partnership hours?

Yes. If your project involves both a meaningful student engagement plan (3 hours) and a formal industry/community partnership plan (3 hours), you can request both on top of your baseline 6 hours to reach 12 hours.  Keep in mind that the award is capped at 12 hours. So, if you have RCAR, you may not carry the additional hours forward to another semester.

Q6: Are these new application plans complicated to fill out?

No. Both the Student Engagement Plan and the Industry/Community Partnership Plan are streamlined, fillable PDFs. They are structured around a few straightforward prompts (such as mentoring frequency, student tasks, partner roles, and expected outcomes) to help you outline your structure clearly without adding a large amount of work to the application process.

Looking Ahead

If you are planning an application, consult the fillable plan templates and be sure to reach out to your colleagues at the FDC to explore how these options can best complement your scholarly or creative goals.  You probably want to join the Faculty Development Center for workshops, held to support you in writing FRF applications, as well as sabbaticals and Summer Research Award applications.  These workshops will be held on the following dates and times:

Wednesday, November 4, 2:00-3:30 PM

Thursday, November 5, 2:00-3:30 PM

Monday, November 9, 3:30-5:00 PM

Thursday, November 12, 3:30-5:00 PM

Participants in these workshops will have the opportunity to get feedback from the facilitators (Natalie Dove, Alexis Braun Marks, and Jeff Bernstein), and from each other.  This feedback has typically proved very helpful to applicants.  For more information on the FDC Workshops, click here.  Questions about the application process can be directed to Graduate Education, Research, and Innovation (200 Boone, 734-487-3090, emu_internalresearchawards@emich.edu)