Submissions and nominations for two new programs launched under the Academic Strategic Plan—Trans-institutional Programs, or TIPS, and the Chancellor Faculty Fellows program— are in the midst of review by the TIPS Council, which comprises faculty from across the university. The council received an overwhelming number of applications, with 107 pre-proposals for TIPs funding and 64 nominations for Chancellor Faculty Fellows.
The TIPS pre-proposals that were received spanned all of the university’s colleges and schools and included more than 700 faculty members. They included two types of proposals: Vanderbilt initiative Awards (ViA) for small-scale incubator initiatives; and Vanderbilt Re-investment Awards (VRA) to support existing trans-institutional initiatives, centers or institutes.
After their initial review, the TIPS Council invited a substantial majority of those submitting pre-proposals to submit full proposals. Full proposals are due Jan. 30. They will be given to one of three TIPS review panels for assessment before going back to the TIPS Council. The TIPS Council will make its final recommendations by May 15. Funding will begin July 1, 2015.
The Chancellor Faculty Fellow nominee review process is nearing completion. Members of the first cohort will be announced in the coming weeks. The program is a demonstration of the university’s commitment to invest in junior faculty during a critical time in their careers. Those chosen will receive a $40,000 award for two years to be used to advance their careers. The fellows will meet regularly to build the broader intellectual community and to foster trans-institutional collaboration among Vanderbilt’s top faculty.