Applications are due Monday, March 9, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Academic Affairs, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Office of Instructional Technology of St. Edward’s University invite proposals for the 2026-2027 Innovation Fellowship to advance the vision of Strategic Plan 2027:
St. Edward’s University, a Holy Cross, Catholic institution, will improve lives and transform communities by providing an education focused on excellence and distinguished quality that prepares students to create a more humane, just, and sustainable world.
These fellowships will support full-time, contracted faculty members who want to be part of a learning community to explore new pedagogical approaches and have dedicated time to design or revise classes to be taught in Fall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027. Fellows will receive a $1,200 stipend (in three installments across the fellowship year), participate in the Summer 2026 Innovation Institute, which will be held May 2026, and join a community of faculty fellows focused on pedagogical innovation with activities throughout the fellowship year.
You may apply for this opportunity, even if you have already applied for and received a Presidential Excellence Award for the summer of 2026.
We encourage applications that indicate one’s interest in course design and/or revision processes and that highlight a desire to create enriching experiences for students. Particular areas of focus for this iteration of Innovation Fellows are within the following areas connected to academic excellence and distinction:
Designing for Adult Learners and Emerging Student Profiles
Fellows are encouraged to rethink curriculum, assignments, and learning experiences to better serve adult learners and other emerging student populations.
Advancing the QEP: Post-Graduation Readiness Across the Curriculum
Priority will be given to projects that intentionally integrate and make visible the development of 21st-century career-readiness skills within disciplinary coursework, including critical thinking, communication, teamwork, equity and inclusion, technology, leadership, professionalism, and career and self-development (https://naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined#competencies).
Thoughtful and Purposeful Use of Artificial Intelligence
Projects should help students understand, critically engage with, or appropriately use AI within a disciplinary context. AI may be addressed as a topic of study, a pedagogical tool, or a professional competency, with an emphasis on student learning rather than automation.
Applications focused on course (re)design for other types of pedagogical innovation will also be considered, but priority will be given to the areas of focus.
Applicants are asked to complete an online form with required responses totaling less than 1,000 words to limit the amount of time required to complete it. The application form is located here: 2026-2027 Innovation Fellowship Application Form. Part of the application process is to communicate your intent to apply to your chairs and deans; please do so in advance of submitting the application and clarify with them where this fellowship counts in your self-evaluation. Decisions will be made by early April. To prepare your application, review the Application Process & Form Preview 2026-2027. Decisions will be made by early April.
Need help? CTE and Instructional Technology will hold a CFP Drop In Workshop in Holy Cross 105 on February 19, 9:00 to 10:00am for faculty preparing applications for the Innovation Fellowship, Zero-Cost Course Materials Grants, TLTR Pilots, and/or the Teaching Symposium.
If you have any questions about the Innovation Fellowship or would like to discuss possible projects individually, please contact:
Kate Lopez, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, kathl@stedwards.edu
Rebecca Frost Davis, Associate Vice President of Digital Learning, rebeccad@stedwards.edu