For the past few years, a creative team at VWCC has pulled together proposals for a competitive federal grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program encourages the blending of humanities with other disciplines at community colleges ( details here ). So far, we have been unsuccessful … but I thought I would share some “idea seeds” from other schools that might inspire some innovation right here at Virginia Western. Oakton Community College in Illinois was awarded one of these Humanities grants to develop an eight-week summer field study called “Plants, Society and Human Nature: Scientific and Ecocritical Perspectives.” The six-credit honors class combines biology with the humanities and is team taught by professors of biology and English. Also: The class featured a 17-day camping trip that included stops at Yellowstone and Badlands national parks. Read more about the class at the Community College Daily …. and Oakton’s interdisciplinary Environmental Studies concentration here. What interdisciplinary projects might enhance Virginia Western’s strengths? If we’re not doing it already, how might we take advantage of the abundant natural resources in our backyard — and integrate them into curriculum? Would we even need a grant to make that happen?Read More
What ideas are exciting you lately? Anything you want to learn? Anything our campus should be talking more about? Don’t hold back … your ideas could turn into reality. The VCCS offers two types of professional development grants for projects you would like to see happen in Spring 2019: The Paul Lee Professional Development Grant, which awards up to 8 credits of time and $5,000 in expenses. (Open to all full-time and adjunct faculty.)The Paul Lee Workshop Mini-Grant, with a maximum award of $1,500. (Open to all VCCS employees, including adjunct faculty and classified staff.) The deadline for applications is Saturday, Sept. 15. The VCCS suggests the following topics to get your ideas percolating: Initiatives to enhance student successDiscipline-specific projectsInformation literacyFaculty learning communitiesStudent learning communitiesInitiatives enhancing the use of technology in teaching and learningBest practices in global awarenessPedagogyLeadership developmentDevelopmental educationAlternative evaluation systems To review the online application and learn more about these grants, go to https://opd.vccs.edu/awards/grants/ I have also blogged about one idea up for grabs … and the differences between the Paul Lee grants here. The grants office would be happy to talk through you ideas. Please note all proposals must be reviewed by our office prior to submission.… Continue Reading Paul Lee professional development grants due Sept. 15Read More
Back in March, when a state grant paid to bring Diane Mulcahy to Virginia Western to speak about the gig economy, I had the good fortune to be seated right next to the author during our group lunch at Cedars in downtown Roanoke. I asked Mulcahy which schools were doing it right — who was truly empowering students for this entrepreneurial, gig economy. She immediately pointed to Northeastern University in Boston, which distinguishes itself with the “Northeastern Experience” — a longstanding experiential learning program that includes supervised co-ops, research and study abroad opportunities. Somewhat serendipitously, I learned the president of Northeastern, Joseph Aoun — had recently published his own book: “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” I immediately ordered “Robot-Proof” — but I have to be honest. I was motivated to read this book mostly because of my role as a parent to a rising kindergartener. Why? The author mentions the same World Economic Forum statistic that rattles me as a mom who has obsessed about schooling options since before my daughter was born: 65% of children entering primary school today will eventually work in jobs that don’t exist yet. How do we know what skills to… Continue Reading How might we design a “robot-proof” education?Read More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023
- Time to Innovate October 4, 2023
- How to tackle grant season? August 14, 2023