Council of Writing Program Administrators

The Research Grant Committee of the Council of Writing Program Administrators invites research proposals to investigate issues and practices in writing program administration. Maximum awards of $2000 may be given; average awards are $1000. Applicants must be current WPA members; all current WPA members are eligible to apply.

Please organize your proposal as follows:

1. A cover page that gives the names of all investigators (please don’t identify yourself or your institution in the rest of the proposal), mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.

2. A project overview of no more than two pages single-spaced in which you:

• explain the problem or question your research will attempt to investigate or solve. These problems or questions should be ones of common concern to WPAs
• briefly outline the methodology you plan to use to approach the problem
• describe how the project will address the problem or question you have identified
• give a timetable detailing how the project will proceed
• connect the project to previous published research and scholarship
• describe your expertise in this area
• describe how the results will be shared professionally (See “Expectations of Reward Recipients” below.)

3. A realistic, detailed budget on a separate page.

Criteria for Selection

You may find the following criteria useful in preparing your proposal; WPA Grant Committee will use these to conduct blind reviews of all proposals.

1. Relevance: The project is relevant to the work of writing program administrators, it applies to contexts outside of the immediate institutional context of origin, and writing program administrators will benefit from the outcomes of this project.
2. Contribution: The project not only is related to prior scholarship and research but also makes an original contribution.
3. Proposer’s Past Scholarship/Expertise: Through prior research and expertise, the proposer is well-prepared to undertake this project.
4. Methods: The methodology is clear, workable, and appropriate to this project.
5. Feasibility: The proposer can reasonably complete the project in the proposed time frame.
6. Cost Effectiveness: The budget expenditures are reasonable and the project’s outcomes justify the project’s expenses.

Restrictions: Ordinarily, you will not receive funding for released time for the grantee or others; for purely local initiatives or projects with little relevance to other settings; for outside consultants or evaluators; for the production of non-researched materials; for dissertation research; or for supplements to existing grants, unless it is clear that the WPA grant provides an opportunity to extend the project in new directions. You may not submit more than one proposal per year. The Committee will give first consideration for awards to those who have not received an award for three years.

Expectations of Reward Recipients

1. Grantees are expected to submit articles resulting from the research to WPA Journal for first consideration.

2. Grantees are expected to offer a poster presentation of research results at the annual CCCC’s WPA breakfast in the year during which the award is granted.

3. Grantees are expected to submit a final written report of their research outcomes to the Chair of the Research Grants Committee by June 15 of the year after they receive the award. Ordinarily, reports will be 5–7 pages in length. In some circumstances, grantees may need some more space, in which case a report of up to 10 pages is acceptable. These reports should outline specific plans for submitting an article reporting the results to the WPA Journal as well as other plans for dissemination.

Questions about proposals can be directed to Linda Adler-Kassner at Linda.Adler-Kassner@emich.edu.

Preferred method for proposal submission is a Microsoft Word attachment to an e-mail to Linda Adler-Kassner at Linda.Adler-Kassner@emich.edu. If applicants need to send paper copies, please send four copies of the proposal to Linda Adler-Kassner at the address below. E-mails and paper copies must be date-stamped/postmarked no later than January 10, 2005

Linda Adler-Kassner
Chair, WPA Research Grant Committee
Department of English
Eastern Michigan University
612 Pray-Harrold
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Winners will be announced at the 2005 WPA breakfast in San Francisco.