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VP International & Student Affairs | Governance | President's Office | Mount Allison
Marjorie Young Bell Faculty Fund 2012-13
 
 
Terms and Condition

1. Objective of Fund
 
It is recognized that Mount Allison University's comparative isolation, small scale, and its concentration on undergraduate teaching may restrict the ability of faculty to keep abreast of scholarly, scientific, technical and other related developments in their field. To address these challenges, it is incumbent on faculty members to look for opportunities to participate in research activities, the conferences of the learned societies in their field, and to take
advantage of opportunities for renewal as provided by the sabbatical leaves defined by the collective agreement. To assist faculty with the costs associated with these activities, the Marjorie Young Bell Faculty Fund was established.
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2. Financial Status of the Fund
 
The Fund was established by Marjorie Young Bell beginning in 1955 with a series of generous gifts. These funds have been endowed and are administered according to the terms of the bequest. There are provisions to ensure that the Fund will continue to grow by having a portion of the income earned each year added to the capital of the endowment.
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3. The Awards Committee
 
The Awards Committee is charged with calling for funding proposals from faculty, soliciting peer assessment of the merits of proposals as deemed necessary, and making awards to applicants. The decisions of the Awards Committee shall be final.
 
Composition of the Committee
 
The Committee shall consist of the Provost and Vice President, Academic and Research (Chair, ex officio), and four other members to be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents.
 
The members appointed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents shall be determined as follows:
i. serve a term of four years and shall rotate so that one appointment shall be made each year effective from January 1st
ii. emeritus professors shall be eligible to serve on the Committee but members of the teaching faculty of the University shall not be eligible
iii. a member of the Committee can only serve two consecutive terms; additional terms may be served on this basis provided there is an interval between
iv. if a member leaves the Committee before the conclusion of his/her term, the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents shall make an appointment to complete the unexpired term of the member
 
Meetings of the Committee
 
The Chair will call meetings of the Committee. A special meeting may be called at any time by the Chair or at the request of a member of the Committee, but there will normally be one meeting each year (normally held between January 1 and March 15) at which the Committee will consider applications for awards to be used during the following 12 months.
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4. Disbursement of Income
 
The funds available for distribution shall be the amount expendable from the endowment as set annually in accordance with the Board of Regent’s policy for endowed funds. The expendable allocation of the Fund shall be used each year for three types of award based on the following principles:
 
A. Sabbatical Leave Travel
  It is believed that a faculty member and the University will benefit greatly from having the faculty member spend a significant portion of his/her sabbatical leave away from Mount Allison University and Sackville. To encourage this to happen, awards from this fund are intended to assist sabbaticants to relocate for the execution of the proposed sabbatical work plan, or to implement travel as part of their leave. It is understood that to be eligible, applicants must be have been granted a sabbatical leave and must disclose all other sources of funding that will be used to support the sabbatical plan.
   
B. Conference Travel
 

These awards are intended to assist faculty to report on their research or pedagogy at academic or professional conferences, or to demonstrate their creative activity through invited musical or dramatic performances, gallery showings, and the like. Faculty members who are chairs or organizers of conference sessions are also eligible for assistance from this source, but it is understood that awards for this
purpose will be of a lower priority given the pressures on the funds available. The intent of assistance is to supplement other sources of funding derived from conference organizers, Research Grants, Professional Development Accounts, and the like.
   
C. Research
  These awards are intended to assist faculty, particularly those early in their careers, to take advantage of research opportunities. Awards will also support new projects, which show promise of receiving funding from other sources in the future. The University Research and Creative Activities Committee will select the recipients of these awards within a funding envelope to be determined by the Awards Committee.
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5. Proportion of Income among Categories A, B, and C
 
The Awards Committee may use its discretion in apportioning the annual income of the Fund among the Categories, but normally it will use the following guidelines:
Category A - Sabbatical Leaves 50 to 75 percent
Category B - Conference Travel 25 to 50 percent
Category C - Research and Service up to 20 percent
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6. Principles to be Considered in Preparing Applications
 

Eligibility - All members of the teaching faculty holding tenured, tenure track and term positions are eligible to apply for funds under any category provided they will continue to hold a teaching position for one year past the term of the award.
 

Allowable Travel Expenses - In preparing applications, faculty members are expected to follow the University policies and guidelines governing travel, and procurement of equipment and supplies. For example, the applicant should ascertain the most economical modes of travel and accommodation. Air economy and excursion air fares should be used for travel when forward planning is possible. In cases where an academic conference provides accommodation in university residences, the quoted residence rate should be used as the basis for determining the accommodation per diem. The prevailing University rates for meals and other incidental expenses, including the mileage for use of personal automobiles, should be used in the preparation of travel budgets. Should it be necessary to exceed these rates, a compelling justification must be provided. Funds are not intended to cover living expenses where the faculty member might reasonably be expected to establish a local residence, i.e. after 14 days in the location.
 

Other Allowable Expenses - Except for applications to Category C, the Fund is not intended to cover the costs of research equipment, computers, or supplies. Consideration will be given to covering the costs of obtaining required vaccination shots for travel to research areas, and required visas, but not passports.
 

Making Application - Faculty members must formally apply for funds in the appropriate category using the application form prepared for that competition. Applications must be completed fully and submitted on the due date with any supporting documentation required.
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7. Revision of the Policies and Guidelines Governing the Fund
 
The purposes, principles, application procedures and administration of the Fund are presumed to be those most likely to fulfil the objective of the bequest at the time, as set out in Article 1. If in the future, circumstances have altered so as to make some other disposition better serve the objective of this Article, the Awards Committee may substitute other provisions for those previously set out. However such changes to the Term and Conditions of the Fund must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the teaching members of the University Senate, and also by a majority of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents.
 
As revised by Senate 12 May 2011.
Approved by the Board of Regents 17 May 2011.
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Maintained by the Office of the Vice-President (Administration)
December 17, 2012