CAS Summer Research Excellence Fellowship 2012 The College of Communication Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce the

fifth funding cycle for the CAS Summer Research Excellence Fellowships. These competitive fellowships will be awarded to current CAS graduate students who have demonstrated potential for research/creative excellence in their academic field. Domestic and international masters and doctoral students are eligible for these fellowships. Students who will graduate during the summer must be enrolled for a minimum of one credit hour in the summer of 2012 to qualify. Students who will return in the fall need not be enrolled in the fall to receive the fellowship. We will waive the enrollment requirement. Doctoral students will receive awards up to $6,000 and Masters level students will receive awards up to $3,500, dependent upon pool of available funds. To be eligible for this fellowship, a student must be actively engaged in the proposed research project in the summer of 2012. This research can be performed to satisfy some component toward completion of a degree or may be independent research performed by a student in development of an individual students research agenda. There will be separate proposal and review procedures for doctoral students and masters students as described below. The Internal Revenue Service treats these fellowships as income. Eighteen percent (18%) of the fellowship will be withheld from fellowships given international students. No funds will be withheld from fellowships given to domestic students, but they will be responsible for reporting and paying taxes on the fellowship income. Student should take the tax level (18%) into consideration in their proposal. In other words, calculate the cost of your research and then add the taxes by calculating 21% of the research cost and adding it to the total needed for research. The 21% represents 18% of the proposal total (tax) plus 18% of the 18% added to the proposal total (tax on the tax). The goal of the program is to fund as many projects as possible. To that end, these items should NOT be requested in the proposal: * Hardware that is not essential to the project and can be acquired elsewhere in the college. Any technology bought by the fellowship funds will returned the college when the project is completed. * Conference travel expenses. * A stipend for the researcher who is applying. However, stipends for other people, such as coders and participants, can be included in the proposal. In some cases, the college may fund portions of the proposed project.

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Doctoral Students Submission Guidelines Materials to be submitted for fellowship consideration include: 1. Essay (not to exceed 2000 words) to explain the proposed research/creative project. Proposals should include the following sections: Introduction and Rationale for Project Proposed Study hypotheses/research questions/creative deliverable Study/Project Design Project Timeline Personal Research Goals (e.g., information on previous or current research/creative activities, long-term research goals, unique challenges or adversity you have faced while in graduate school, innovative ways you have brought your research into the classroom as a student or instructor or any other information that will demonstrate why you deserve recognition through this fellowship) 2. Letter of support from your major professor or department chair. Letters form professors other than your major professor or chair will not be accepted. If you are working on a project other than one related to your program requirements, you should work on it as an individual and not with another faculty member. In other words, these grant are to fund your research and not a faculty members research. 3. Current Resume or CV Review Criteria A panel of CAS faculty will serve as reviewers for all submissions. (25%) Significance/Innovation of Proposed Project How does this research/creative scholarship contribute something new or innovative to the field? How will the specific research questions/creative goal address a compelling question or issue? How does this research/creative scholarship advance theory and knowledge? (50%) Study Design Are the setting and intervention clearly explained and appropriate for the goals of the project? Is project timeline appropriate? Are subjects and selection procedures clearly identified? Are data collection strategies explained and appropriate for study? (Instruments should be included in appendix as needed)

Is data analysis plan appropriate?

(25%) Potential Contribution to Long-Term Individual Research Agenda Is study purpose consistent with individual progress to date? Does proposal include information on previous or current research/creative activities and long-term research goals? Does proposal demonstrate why student deserves recognition through this fellowship? Masters Students Submission Guidelines Materials to be submitted for fellowship consideration include: 1. Essay (not to exceed 1500 words) to explain the proposed research/creative project. Proposals should include the following sections: Introduction and Rationale for Project Proposed research questions/creative deliverable Project Plan Timeline Personal Research Goals (e.g., information on previous or current research/creative activities, long-term research goals, unique challenges or adversity you have faced while in graduate school, innovative ways you have brought your research into the classroom as a student or instructor or any other information that will demonstrate why you deserve recognition through this fellowship.) Letter of support from your major professor or department chair. Letters form professors other than your major professor or chair will not be accepted. If you are working on a project other than one related to your program requirements, you should work on it as an individual and not with another faculty member. In other words, these grant are to fund your research and not a faculty members research. Current Resume or CV

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Masters Level Submissions will be reviewed with the following criteria: (25%) Significance/Innovation of Proposed Project Is the proposed study/creative project novel? Does the proposed study/creative project offer a unique contribution to the field? Does the proposed study/creative project provide a thorough understanding of related work conducted in the proposed area? (25%) Study Design Does the proposal clearly explain the study setting and the procedures?

Are the plans for subject selection, data collection and data analysis appropriate?

(50%) Potential Contribution to Long-Term Individual Research Agenda Does the proposal enable the student to make appropriate progress toward longterm goals? Does proposal demonstrate knowledge of work conducted in this field to date? Does the proposal include an explanation regarding the plan for disseminating results? Does proposal demonstrate why student deserves recognition through this fellowship? Please submit all materials electronically to Nancy Ashley (ashleyn@msu.edu) no later than Friday, March 16 at noon. If you receive a fellowship, you will be expected to file a progress report in fall 2012 with the CAS associate dean for graduate studies.