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This past Friday, Chancellor DuBois announced the release of the Request for Proposals for the 2013-14 Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF). I have posted his announcement below, which he sent out to VCCS Presidents in an email. The RFP comes a little later than usual this year, narrowing the implementation time a bit. However, the award amount has increased, from a maximum of $45,000 to $75,000.

Please share the announcement and the link to the materials with anyone at your college who may be interested.

Presidents:
I am excited to once again share with you the request for proposals for the 2013-2014 Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF) Grant.  The purpose of this yearly grant is to provide the necessary funds to college faculty and staff driven to pursue their innovative projects, test out ideas, and investigate new, inventive ways to meet the goals of Achieve 2015, particularly the goals of supporting access and increasing student success.

Past CIF recipients have used the funds to contribute such valuable, lasting projects as PluggedIn VA, the courses in the Teaching Online Program (TOP, IDOL, MODEL, LOGO, TOTAL), and a number of crucial workforce certifications and academic programs. CIF grant awards range from $5000 to $75,000 for innovative proposals from colleges, particularly in the following areas:

Student Services

  • Provide support to potential and enrolled military veterans
  • Support college completion for students with some college credit
  • Foster deeper integration of academic and student services

Technology

  • Increase the adoption and use of open educational resources (OER)
  • Develop programs or applications that explore effective educational uses of mobile devices, social media, and other digital tools

Workforce Development

  • Develop high-quality distance delivery of academic and workforce programs to be offered for a consortium of VCCS colleges
  • Develop new certification programs that address local workforce needs
  • Enhance career pathways that link credit and noncredit programs
  • Develop “fast track” curricula that lead to credentials and employment

I encourage you and the faculty and staff at your college to take advantage of this opportunity as we all work towards a common goal: a successful academic experience for every student we enroll. Proposals are due by 5:00 pm November 4th, 2013. The announcement of awards will be made after November 29th, 2013.  CIF awards must be spent by June 30th 2013.  You can find the Request for Proposals and all supporting application materials at: http://edtech.vccs.edu/educational-technology-resources/cif/cif-2013-14/. If you have questions or require additional information, please contact Dr. Richard Sebastian, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies, at rsebastian@vccs.edu or (804) 819-4795.