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This webpage provides help in applying for the UM/UWC Faculty Exchange Program or the South African Partnerships Program, both of which are available to UM System faculty. If you are a student, visit the UM/UWC Student Exchange Program webpage for details and instructions on how to apply.

Eligibility

• UM System applicants must be benefit-eligible (at least 75% FTE) °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± System employees holding tenure, tenure track or academic appointments. Other UM System staff members will be considered in exceptional cases if their proposed project advances the research or teaching interests of UWC, one of the UM System campuses, or both.
  • Please note that if a faculty member is selected for funding and then leaves their UM System institution prior to the beginning of the project, the award is not transferrable and must be relinquished.
• For the Faculty Exchange Program only: UWC applicants must hold full-time academic appointments.

Deadline

Proposals must be submitted to campus coordinators by August 15 of each year. Awards will made in early September. Generally, program participants are expected to travel during the fall of the award year or the following calendar year.

Elements of an Application

• Identification of the issues or needs that will be addressed by the applicant’s project
• Intended outcomes/objectives of the project
• Project methodology, including evaluations
• Project timeline
• A detailed narrative description (no more than 10 pages)
• Written confirmation from one’s collaborator(s), which describes the nature of the collaborator’s commitment and contribution to the project, including the collaborator’s commitment to host the visit
• A tentative project budget and budget justification, with identification of any matching funds (not to include foregone or contributed salary)
• A completed South African Education Program Application Form with approving signatures from the applicant’s department chair and/or dean

Application Form

• South African Education Program Application Form
• Other elements of the application must accomany the form
• Samples:
  • Exchange Proposal 1
  • Exchange Proposal 2
  • Exchange Proposal 3
  • Partnerships Proposal

Priority

The Faculty Exchange Program will support (in order of priority);

• Collaborative research projects involving partners from both UM System and UWC designed to lead to a publication and/or external funding. Suggested budget maximum: $10,000.
• Short-term (2 weeks - 1 month) visits focused on teaching, curriculum development, developing a distance learning course, a research project, or finalizing a National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other grant application. Suggested budget maximum: $5,000.
• Long-term (1-6 months) visits, including research or teaching all or part of regular courses at UWC or one of the UM campuses. Suggested budget maximum: $10,000.

The South African Partnerships Program will support collaborative projects with historically disadvantaged tertiary education institutions (including UWC), South African government agencies, non-governmental organizations in South Africa, or other appropriate South African partners. Only UM faculty members can apply for a South African Partnership award, but UWC faculty members can be part of a proposed project. The collaborative project should lead to a publication and/or external funding. Suggested budget maximum: $10,000. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± South African Education Program (UMSAEP) Committee is especially interested in receiving proposals that provide:

• Evidence of commitment from South African institutions, agencies and organizations
• Evidence of prior experience in South Africa or the region
• Commitment of matching funds, exclusive of foregone salary, from either the U.S. or South Africa
• Evidence of institutional support within the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± System
• A focus on clearly defined needs and expected outcomes

For both programs, proposals that identify matching funding will be given priority consideration. Additional details are available from the campus coordinators.

Submission and Review Process

• Individuals should begin by reviewing the elements of the application, and familiarizing themselves with the South African Education Program Application Form.
• Then, individuals interested in applying for the program should contact their campus coordinator. Coordinators work closely with the UMSAEP Director, Rodney Uphoff (uphoffr@missouri.edu), who will seek to connect interested applicants with potential collaborators at UWC.
• Each UM System campus has three members on the UMSAEP Committee. The Committee reviews and ranks all submitted proposals on an annual basis. Final award decisions are made in late August.
• Rodney Uphoff notifies all applicants by email or letter of the committee’s decision regarding their application. For those given an award, he informs the recipients of the next steps, works with recipients on logistics of the visits and ultimately approves the final budget.

At the Conclusion of Your Award Period

All recipients must submit a final report to Rodney Uphoff (uphoffr@missouri.edu) detailing the:

• Work
• Outcomes achieved
• Prospects for future collaborations
• Publications or anticipated publications
• External funds secured resulting from the project

Campus Coordinators

Each UM System campus (MU, UMKC, Missouri S&T and UMSL) has its own campus coordinator to help with the application process. Visit the Contacts page for a list of campus coordinators.