Kansas State University

Call for proposals: New summer program offerings for summer 2017

Submitted by Grant Guggisberg

K-State Summer School has extended its deadline to submit proposal requests for the development and scheduling of new and innovative programs for summer 2017.

The focus of the K-State Summer School is to help students "finish in four" years — or five for some programs — and to add value to students' degrees.

K-State Summer School also aims to encourage new students to come to campus during the summer in a supportive, engaging environment prior to their first fall semester, whether they are incoming freshmen who want to get a jump start on their college degrees, transfer students who want to improve their transitional success or working professionals attending specialized graduate workshops.

Proposals may be submitted by faculty, departments, colleges or other units that offer academic programs. The goal of this request is to provide incentives for faculty and departments to take advantage of the opportunity to develop new programs over and above their existing K-State Summer School offerings. All proposals must be approved by the department head and dean prior to submission.

The extended deadline is Oct. 25 for programs to be offered in summer 2017. Departments will be notified of funded programs in early November following a review of all the submitted proposals.

Proposals should be submitted electronically using the online form. Upload your completed and signed cover letter at the bottom of the form.

Criteria to evaluate the programs include, but are not limited to:

• Retention and degree completion value.
• Outreach to new audiences.
• Integration of the program into the traditional curriculum. 
• Size of the anticipated audience. 
• Importance of the program to future workforce needs in Kansas for students.
• Interdisciplinary or collaborative programs across departments or colleges. 

Some examples of new summer programs — based on what peer institutions across the country are doing — include:

• New honors-related programs. 
• New CAT communities that expand outreach to incoming students.
• Programs that prepare incoming students for college-level work. 
• Summer institutes for returning professionals. 
• Minors or certificates that could be completed during the summer. 

K-State Summer School will provide marketing and logistical assistance in the implementation of the new programs.

Applications also must include a cover letter, which addresses:

• Potential impact.
• Relationship of the project to program, college, or university strategic goals. 
• Program objectives.
• Benchmarks for measuring success of the program.
• Enrollment caps — if any — and frequency of offering the program. 
• Approval signatures from the department head, dean and principal investigator(s). 

For more information, please contact Jo Maseberg-Tomlinson, summer school coordinator, at 785-532-2570 or jam4545@k-state.edu.