The Provost's office has limited support for publication costs of faculty research. Made possible by the generous gift of the Class of 1956, this fund can be used to support typical publication costs including publication fees, indexing, images, and so forth.
Faculty Development and Funding Opportunities
Undergraduate faculty applications for paid sabbatical leaves for all or part of the 2025-26 academic year, are due November 1 via Watermark. Sabbatical leaves, though seldom denied, are not an entitlement; they are granted for the purpose of professional development to enhance the ability of our faculty to be excellent teachers and scholars.
There are several options for bringing speakers to campus. The Provost's office has two funds for visiting scholars. University Lectures provides $1,500 per department on a first come, first served basis. The Class of 1963 Fund can be used for a scholar's visit of three days or more.
Summer Lenfest Grant grant applications are due in late January. Full-time tenure and tenure-track faculty are eligible for funding through this program. Current full-time visitors who have been here at least one year and have a university commitment for continued full-time employment for at least one year beyond the grant period may apply for a Lenfest Grant.
Faculty holding tenure-track appointments are eligible for pre-tenure leave after two full years of service at Washington and Lee, and must complete their leave before the year in which their tenure review takes place. Faculty who receive credit for prior teaching at other institutions are not eligible if their probationary period at W&L is three years or fewer.
The Summer Research Scholars (SRS) program supports students participating in collaborative research supervised by W&L faculty. The program aims to encourage the development of research techniques within a particular discipline, to promote the active acquisition of knowledge, and to stimulate student interest in inquiry. It is also intended to aid undergraduate faculty in their research activities by providing student researchers for whom the projects must be meaningful as well as educationally valuable. The application process is competitive, and funds may not be adequate to grant all proposals.
The University Sustainability Committee is pleased to offer small-grant support for faculty, staff and student organizations seeking resources beyond those available from department or program funds to introduce or augment sustainability content in classes, research, or programming.Requests appropriate for a USC Sustainability Integration Grant might include funding to attend a workshop through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), research support to facilitate a new line of academic inquiry or course development, or funds to host a relevant guest speaker. Projects centered in environmental sustainability, or the intersection of environmental sustainability with social and economic sustainability, will be prioritized.
The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) assists faculty members in pre- and post-award activities including identifying and obtaining external grants and fellowships. CFR supports faculty by providing information on funding resources, clarifying grant guidelines, reviewing proposal drafts, supporting preparation of budgets, facilitating institutional approvals prior to submission, and submitting grant proposals. In addition, CFR supports reporting/closeout guidance for awarded projects.