The Office of the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Effectiveness is pleased to announce that proposals are being accepted for the UNLV Accreditation Award and the Mission Fulfillment Grant. The dual purpose of the Accreditation Award and the Mission Fulfillment Grant is to:

• • Encourage Campus-wide participation in the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation process. Broad participation in this process is the foundation of UNLV's NWCCU accreditation self-study reports.

  • Recognize, reward, and encourage the development of innovative projects that focus on mission fulfillment at the course, program, or institutional level. 

2025 APPLICATION DUE MARCH 17th

• This award is up to $2,500, is not renewable, and will be deposited into a research account. 

• Accreditation Awards are for previously completed projects that focused on mission fulfillment related to the Top Tier 2.0 Strategic Plan. The projects may have assessed program learning outcomes, or other institutional goals that support fulfillment of Top Tier goal metrics. 

• Projects awarded will be incorporated into UNLV’s NWCCU accreditation self-study reports. 

• Project leaders should be prepared to discuss the project with NWCCU evaluators at any time.

• Possible example(s):

  • • A regular, organized event was held, in which students, faculty, alumni, employers, and community members gathered together to discuss student learning outcomes and to set goals for the program.

• This grant is up to $1,500, and is renewable up to two times. Funds will be awarded to the academic unit. 

• Proposals for the Mission Fulfillment Grant should be projects or ideas that will assess course, program, or institutional core theme goals, and be specifically geared toward mission fulfillment of some aspect of the Top Tier 2.0 Strategic Plan. 

• Projects may be planned for the next one to three years, but must be fully implemented within four years. Proposals awarded will be incorporated into UNLV’s NWCCU accreditation self-study reports.

• Project leaders may be asked to discuss the project with NWCCU evaluators at any time.

• Possible examples:

  • •   Implementation of an intervention designed to address retention issues within a unit.

    •   Purchase of exams/other instruments to assess factors related to student success.

    •   Scoring of student work samples to address program outcomes/UULOs.

All new applications should include the following:

1. Proposal summary that addresses the criteria below.

2. Detailed description of the proposed or completed project (as applicable) not to exceed 5 pages, uploaded as a Word document or PDF.

3. For Mission Fulfillment Grant: Detailed budget that includes all sources of funding, including proposed funds from the Mission Fulfillment Grant, uploaded as a separate file.

Renewal applications for the Mission Fulfillment Grant should include the following:

1. Brief summary of the project.

2. Description of the progress made to the project since the previous submission not to exceed 5 pages, uploaded as a Word document or PDF.

3. Detailed updated budget that includes all sources of funding, uploaded as a separate file. 

• Project Leaders/Principal Investigators must be a full-time UNLV faculty/staff member. Participants in the project can be at any level within the UNLV community (Part-time instructors, graduate students, etc.).

• Members of the evaluation committee will evaluate applications based on:

  • (a) Scope of the proposal as it relates to mission fulfillment at UNLV. 

  • (b) Innovation. Does the project fill a need at the program/university level?

  • (c) Use of data. Is there a focus on using findings to inform decisions that drive mission fulfillment at any level (course, program, institution)?

  • (d) Engagement. While individual projects will be considered, projects that engage larger groups of stakeholders including faculty, staff, students and/or community members will be given more weight.

  • For Mission Fulfillment Grant:  (e) Appropriate use of funds. Are funds used for items or activities directly related to mission fulfillment?