ACPA Senior Scholars Grant Program for our 40th Anniversary

September 25, 2024 

ACPA- College Student Educators International and the Senior Scholars are committed to making programmatic decisions based on quality research about the experiences of students, administrators, staff, and faculty at colleges and universities nationally and internationally. As such, we are delighted to announce the Call for Proposals for the Senior Scholars Grant Program. All grant proposal narratives must demonstrate direct connection to the ACPA Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization. Also, please review the ACPA Senior Scholars Statement of Action. 

ACPA Senior Scholars will award one or more grants up to $10,000 of total funding for the 2025 calendar year to practitioners and/or faculty to conduct research that benefits understanding of the transformative nature of student affairs and higher education in direct relation to the Strategic Imperative. Past recipients have typically received between $3,000-$5,000. Grant recipients are expected to present their research at the ACPA Convention in a 2026 session sponsored/submitted by the ACPA Senior Scholars. 

Proposals will be judged on originality, feasibility, clarity, potential impact, and connection to the ACPA Strategic Imperative. The final work will belong to the recipients, and they will be encouraged to submit their work for publication in an ACPA publication outlet (i.e., Journal of College Student Development, About Campus, Developments). Only current members of ACPA are eligible to be Principal Investigator (PI) on the grant proposal. 

Proposal Format 

Please merge the following components into one coherent document. 

1. Cover Page – The title of the proposal along with the name, title, address, email, and phone number of the PI and all researchers. 
2. Proposal Narrative – The proposal narrative should be detailed but concise (2,000 words or fewer) and include peer-reviewed sources where appropriate, demonstrate congruence/cohesion (with your design/approach), and include the following elements: 
   1. Problem statement identifying the research question(s) or the transformative conditions that the research is designed to address. 
   2. Indicate which topic on the PI’s research / practitioner agenda this proposal addresses. 
   3. Theoretical or Conceptual framework – Discuss and illustrate the theory/ theories underlying the project. The research must be grounded in the literature with a clear connection between theory and practice as well as the Strategic Imperative. There should be specific outcomes that will be measured / explored / performed and a potential implications section. 
   4. Data, methodology, and/or methods (or equivalent) section – Research studies can incorporate qualitative, quantitative, mixed and/or historical approaches. This section should include an explicit description of the methods for data collection, criteria for selecting data/participants, research instrument or design, the methods for data analysis, and methods for trustworthiness (or methods congruent with the chosen design). 
   5. Campus-level programming, performance, interactive exhibition, policy and/or practice implications section – The proposal should clearly identify, create, and/or support potential specific programs, policies, and/or practices at the institutional level that have the potential to be adopted or adapted at a range of institutions. In other words, how might findings and implications be shared beyond the ACPA Convention presentation?
3. References – Appropriately reference the works cited throughout the proposal narrative using APA 7th edition. 
4. Timeline for the various aspects of the proposed research that coordinates with the timeline below. 
5. Proposed budget and budget justification – Grants may be used for research travel, data collection, incentives for participants, transcription, equipment, and miscellaneous expenses such as software and books. Funds cannot be used for salaries, research assistants, tuition and fees, or institutional indirect costs. Funded projects will be required to submit records of expenses to ACPA as part of the final grant reports. The budget should include a justification not to exceed one page. 
6. Biosketch – Brief biographies of the PI and collaborators working directly on the grant. 
7. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval – The researchers are responsible for completing all institutional review board procedures from the PI’s university as well as for any other campuses included in the research process. The proposal must include a brief description of the institution’s IRB process and the timeline for submitting the research proposal for review. 

Funding Disbursement 

Grant funds will be provided to the PI in the full amount. The PI will provide receipts for all expenditures, a mid-year report on the budget and research project (May 1, 2025 deadline), and a final report and budget at the end of the research funding year. 

Timeline 

• September 25, 2024 – Announcement of grant program 
• November 15 , 2024 – Proposals due by 5:00 pm (PT/pacific) 
• Week of November 18, 2024 – Senior Scholars Grant Committee meets to select recipients 
• Week of December 2, 2024 – Announcement of ACPA Senior Scholar Grant Recipients 
• End of 2024 calendar year – ACPA disburses grant funds to recipients 
• May 5, 2025 – Mid-Year Project Update to Senior Scholars 
• December 4, 2025 – Research completed and report submitted to the Senior Scholars 
• ACPA Convention 2026 – Present Research (session hosted by ACPA Senior Scholars; recipients do not need to submit a program proposal) 

Webinar

Applicants are encouraged to watch a webinar to learn more about the Senior Scholars Grant Program. 

Emerging Scholar / Senior Scholar Eligibility 

Interested scholars may apply to both the Senior Scholars/ Emerging Scholar program and this Senior Scholars Grant Program in the same year, although recipients may only be awarded up to one at a time. Awards will not be given to current Emerging Scholars or current Senior Scholars; Emerging Scholars and Senior Scholars/diplomates become eligible after the term has concluded. 

Please submit completed proposals and send questions to: Stephen John Quaye ([email protected]) and Ximena Zúñiga ([email protected]).