Growing and innovating in graduate education is a key element of Lehigh’s Strategy, Inspiring the Future Makers. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the workforce and demand for new skills in the workplace, Lehigh should play a role in delivering best-in-class graduate programs, online and in-person. To do this we must continuously invest in the support of faculty and departments who are ideating new programs, but need the time to invest in this process.

Program Structure:

Funding available: Grant amounts of up to $10,000. Up to four (4) grants will be awarded.

Funding may be used to support:

  • Teaching release (i.e., adjunct faculty pay) for one semester for a Lehigh faculty
  • Peripheral expenses (i.e., conference travel for market research, market analysis costs, etc.)
Timing:

Applications will be accepted on or before January 15, 2025. Reviews will take place prior to February 1, with awards announced by February 10. Course release can be taken for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026, depending on the department needs. Work can begin immediately upon selection, with the bulk of the effort taking place during the semester of teaching release.

Eligibility:

All faculty are invited to propose ideas to their Department Chair/Program Director for consideration. The proposal must be endorsed by the Department Chair and receive approval from the Dean. Inter-college or interdepartmental proposals are highly encouraged; fund allocation would be determined upon selection. A lead faculty must be identified.

Grant terms:

The Provost’s Office will invest funds in these efforts. As this Future Maker’s grant is intended to enable new program ideation and curricular mapping; it is anticipated that during a supported teaching release, faculty will spend their time collecting input from prospective and current students, companies/employers in the specific field that the graduate program could be applied, instructional faculty at Lehigh both inside and outside of the home department, and department/college/university leadership. Deliverables would include:

  • A program proposal, with the following elements:
    • Statement of need. Who would the academic program serve? What industries/employers, students, or other stakeholders?
    • A curricular plan. What courses at Lehigh could be repurposed for the program? What additional expertise would be needed? This should include a description of any experiential elements and how Universal Design for Inquiry will be embedded.
    • A statement of differentiation. Who are the competitors and how could the program differentiate itself regionally, academically, or experientially?
    • A statement of why the university should proceed with future investment in the program. If it is unclear whether investment should be made to the proposer, please make a statement to that effect.
    • A business plan for the program, including a budget for program revision or creation and a revenue projection for the program.
  • An archive of the data and information gathered to generate the proposal (just a shared Google, Dropbox, or Box Folder).

Proposers are encouraged to contact Sabrina Jedlicka, DPGE (ssj207@lehigh.edu) with any questions or concerns regarding eligibility or grant terms. The DPGE office will also provide support with detailed market analysis and competitive benchmarking during the program ideation work.

Submission Details:

To apply, submit a document of no more than one page through InfoReady. 

Proposals should focus on one or more of the following:

  • A new master’s program
  • A new certificate program
  • A new executive or continuing education program or microcredential
  • A substantial revision to an existing program that will enhance enrollment by at least 20 students per year.

Proposals must include the following sections:

  1. A short statement of interest. Why do you want to explore this program?
  2. A short statement of planned research. Who are the stakeholders you intend to engage? What information will you be looking to gather?
  3. A brief statement about how a teaching release will enable you to do this work in a productive and efficient manner.
Selection criteria:

Proposals will be assessed based on several criteria, most notably:

  • The novelty of the program idea. Would it expand our suite of opportunities?
  • The robustness of the work plan to assess and develop a program proposal.
  • Alignment with the strategic plan in the areas of interdisciplinarity and lifelong learning.
  • An assessment of the business plan for the proposed program.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the proposer will be asked to meet with the Strategic Plan Initiative Lead for “Enhancing Graduate and Lifelong Learning”, previously known as “Cultivate a Lifelong Lehigh”, Sabrina Jedlicka (ssj207@lehigh.edu) to discuss timing and key needs of the proposer and the academic department.