Revised June 30, 2008

Funding to support the Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence (PIE) is available for selected activities that support student engagement and student success; the QEP; and institutional priorities and initiatives. Priority will be given to projects that impact the University in the areas of retention, advising, student success strategies and programs, increasing student graduation rates, student engagement – including civic engagement and community engagement - helping transfer students succeed, improving teacher quality, enhancing diversity, assessment (e.g., creating assessments that “close the loop”, documenting success of program graduates, assessing impact on community), as well as teaching and learning innovations and improvements.

The funds are aimed at helping a department meet compelling needs, or a program act on a good idea or an innovative idea that might otherwise be difficult to accomplish. Of particular importance are initiatives that support implementation of WKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) (e.g. “Engaging Students for Success in a Global Society”); Leadership Development; Service Learning and Cultural Enhancement. Generally funds are not meant to support individual faculty professional development, for which college funds are available. However, the funds may be used for departmental or unit professional development activities. Funds to support the Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence come from a variety of sources including: Academic Quality Phase I and II, CPE Action Agenda funds, Grant Incentive funds, and Provost Professional Development funds. Generally, major equipment requests and institutional space renovations should be routed through department heads and college deans, since equipment funding will come from a separate source and will be handled via a separate annual allocation process.

Proposals will be considered monthly. All proposals must be submitted electronically and have both department head and college dean review and comments in order to be considered. The Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence Review Committee will review the proposals and make recommendations for funding. For all proposals accepted, a brief status report on the project will be expected in a timely manner (i.e., within 30 days of completion of the activity). This report should detail the use of awarded funds and the outcomes/added value of the initiative.