Faculty invited to apply for funding as Timmerhaus Ambassadors

Full-time faculty across CU are invited to submit proposals for projects to be supported by the Timmerhaus Fund, which awards grants of $5,000 to $50,000 for endeavors promoting the public understanding of higher education’s value in Colorado and beyond.

Deadline for the next quarterly consideration of proposals by the President’s Teaching Scholars Program (PTSP) Council is midnight April 30.

Klaus Timmerhaus (1924-2011) was professor of chemical engineering at CU Boulder and a charter member of the President’s Teaching Scholars Program. After a long career dedicated to higher education, he left a bequest to support activities that promote public understanding of the value of higher education in Colorado and elsewhere.

The President’s Teaching Scholars Program is looking to fund CU faculty who would be interested in becoming Timmerhaus Ambassadors to undertake projects that incorporate these aims.

Because Timmerhaus asked that the bequest be connected to the President’s Teaching Scholars Program, proposals will be considered by the PTSP Council.

Annual funding of projects ranges from $5,000 up to $50,000 each.

To apply, submit a preliminary application of no more than two pages outlining the proposed activities, including a rough budget for costs not customarily covered by CU. The unit chair’s approval is needed if offloads, for example, are expected.

Promising proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal, including a detailed budget, by midnight of the following quarterly deadline. Preliminary applications and full proposals will be considered during each of the council’s quarterly meetings in February, May, August and November.

The following considerations will guide the selection of projects:

• Projects must aim to strengthen the understanding of higher education by audiences outside the university. Projects internal to CU will not be funded.
• Projects should avoid any duplication of other related CU efforts and focus on specific faculty initiatives.
• Projects should inform audiences, from K-12 students and teachers to citizen-scientists and potential supporters of CU about CU’s role and mission.

The program will consider renewing funding for successful projects in future years.

Examples of responsive projects:

• Public events in Colorado in which CU faculty discuss their work and the university’s role with members of the public, such as a lecture or panel in a local library.
• Outreach to schools in which teachers are given support for participation in a program related to CU opportunities for them and their students, such as coordinating with high school students to track and report wildlife movements in urban settings or collect data on snowmelt and water levels.
• Activities aimed at connecting CU to industry initiatives that seek to strengthen higher education, such as music or theater programs that include set design or multilingual proficiency when interpreting media productions. 

“These are only examples,” said PTSP Council Chair Raphael Sassower. “We are interested in supporting any promising ideas faculty may have, especially novel ones that have high impact in promoting CU’s research and pedagogical practices across the four campuses.”

Submit preliminary proposals to professor and PTSP Council Chair Raphael Sassower at rsassowe@uccs.edu by midnight April 30, July 31, Oct. 31 or Jan. 31.