This award recognizes faculty members who have initiated a promising research
agenda early in their academic careers.

Research Initiative Award recipients will receive a $500 award.

A. Criteria for eligibility:

1. Nominees must be Illinois State University tenure-track faculty members
who have completed five years or less in a tenure-track position at any institution of
higher education. For example, an individual may have completed three years at
another institution and be eligible within their first two years at Illinois State
University. Individuals with unusual career paths may be considered if they are
within their first five years as a Illinois State University faculty member; the College
Dean must provide written justification for nominating individuals in this situation.

2. Nominees must currently be involved in research and must show promise of
making a significant contribution to their fields of study.

3. Members of the University Research Council are ineligible during their terms
of service. Previous recipients of the award are ineligible.

4. Individuals may not be nominated for both the Outstanding University Researcher Award and the Research Initiative Award simultaneously.

B. Procedures for submission of nominations:

1. Eligible faculty members may ask to be considered for nomination by the College Research Committee; they may be nominated by any faculty member or department chair in the College: or they may be nominated by the College Research Committee. Application materials are provided to each College Dean for distribution to applicants in the College. Applications are submitted to the College.

2. The Dean of the College, in conjunction with the College Research Committee, may submit to the University Research Council up to five individuals from among the nominees.

3. The College nominees must seek written endorsement of their applications from their department chairperson or a colleague in the department. The endorsement should address the extent to which the nominee shows promise of making a significant research contribution to his/her field.

4. The College Dean shall submit the completed applications and written endorsements to the Associate Vice President for Research. Requirements for a completed application are listed below. The College nominees should be unranked.

5. The final evaluation of applications will be made by the University Research
Council. During deliberation, the Council may request supporting materials from
nominees and/or may ask the College Deans for additional information.

6. The University Research Council will recommend to the Provost up to four
recipients from the list of nominees forwarded to the Committee by the College
Deans.

C. A complete application should include:

1. Cover sheet (provided with these application materials).

2. A statement from the nominee describing his/her current research.
The statement should be written at a level appropriate for researchers outside the
discipline. In addition to a description of current activities, the statement should
address the contribution that the nominee's research objectives will make to their
field of study. (1 to 1 and 1/2 pages singled spaced)

3. A full career vita. Research accomplishments should be categorized and
listed, beginning with the most recent, using the Evaluation Guidelines and Criteria of
Scholarly and Creative Productivity found in the current Appointment, Salary,
Promotion and Tenure (ASPT) document. Complete citations must be given for all
published works.

4. Endorsement of the application by the nominee's department chairperson/school director or
a faculty member in their department/school. The endorsement should address:

a. current involvement in research

b. promise of making significant contribution to their field of study

5. External letters of support are welcome, but not required.

D. Criteria for Evaluation

1. A nominee's record of research and publication for the first five years
following receipt of their terminal degree at any institution of higher education will be
reviewed for potential contributions to their profession. For individuals with unusual
career paths, whose nomination has been justified by the College Dean will be
evaluated on their work performed in their first five years at Illinois State University.

2. A nominee's record of research and publication while at Illinois State
University will be given greatest weight in the Council's deliberations, although a full
career vita for each nominee will be evaluated.

3. Written endorsements should address nominees:

a. current involvement in research

b. promise of making significant contribution to their field of study

NOTE: Please be aware that reviewers of the Research Initiative Award nominees
are colleagues with expertise in diverse scholarly fields. It is important to address
each nominee's achievements with information clarifying how the work qualifies as
outstanding in the particular discipline represented. (For example, scholarly activity
in fine arts may be judged in quite different terms from scholarship in physics.)

E. Distribution of Award

1. The award of $500 is to be used for any expenditure allowable within
University budgetary guidelines with the exception of faculty salary.

2. The awards are for the new fiscal year beginning July 1.

3. The recipient must inform the Provost's office of how the funds are to be
encumbered by February 1 of the academic year in which the award was announced
or the award will be made from the equipment line.