Submission Requirements

Applicants for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant must complete a research proposal as outlined below.

All applications must be submitted using the official fillable PDF form. Download the form here, complete all required sections directly within the document, and upload the completed PDF. Applications submitted in any other format will not be accepted.

Please Note: Submissions are limited to one proposal per applicant. Only complete proposals will be considered. Please see the PDF application document for word count limits.

Proposal items include:

• Brief Description of how principal investigator's experiences have prepared them to conduct the proposed research. Please do not include personally identifiable information.
• Research Study Title
• Abstract. The abstract should be a brief summary of the proposal's key points.

• Timeline. Provide a timeline of activities related to this research. Please include anticipated start date(s) and completion date(s) for all relevant activities (i.e., data collection, analysis, dissemination). Please note that research must be completed so that presentation of findings can be made at the National Conference on Students in Transition in Fall 2027.

• Primary Methodological Approach. Select qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, or other. You may optionally make additional comments to specify the approach. 
• Introduction. Introduce the issues/theories/programs to be addressed by your research. Be sure to include the rationale for the study, a discussion of relevant literature, and the proposal's connection to college student transitions.
• Research Questions & Study Design. Describe the study’s research questions or objectives and overall design, including key design features.
• Sample & Data Collection. Describe the study sample or population, including selection criteria and recruitment methods. Include data sources and data collection procedures. Describe any instruments, measures, or protocols to be used.
• Plan for Analysis. Describe the data analysis approach, including analytic methods or techniques and how they align with the research question(s).
• Potential Implications. Be sure to discuss the potential impact of your findings on college student success.
• References (as needed, no word limit). Fully cite all sources referenced in your proposal. Please use APA style (7th edition) throughout the proposal.
• Budget. Provide a detailed, itemized budget for all expenditures that total up to $10,000. In addition to costs associated with conducting the research, the budget can include funds to travel to relevant conferences to disseminate the findings of the study, compensation for the researcher's time, and/or graduate assistants.

  • The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant does not cover any indirect costs including overhead and facilities & administrative costs. Funds are direct to the full expenses of the proposed project

• Budget justification. Provide a brief justification for the proposed budget, including how costs were estimated and their necessity/relevance to the project.
  • When including compensation for research personnel's time (including the principal investigator, research staff, graduate assistant(s), or other staff), provide a clear justification and relevant details (role, responsibilities, and time on the project; total amount of compensation per individual) in the budget narrative.
• Contact and CV (no word limit) The proposal also requires submission of contact information for the principal investigator and any additional researcher(s). A copy of a current curriculum vitae for the principal investigator will be collected for finalists.

Research Requirements and Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the extent to which they

• focus on issue(s) related to college student transitions. Though all issues related to college student transitions will be considered, special consideration will be given to proposals addressing transitions outside of the first-year of college.
• clearly articulate a strong research design. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies will be considered. Methodology must be appropriate for the research question(s).
• explore unique issues, subjects, analysis, participants and/or sample. Research must be the original work of the investigators and may not have been reported elsewhere.
• have potential for national impact on student success initiatives. The results of the research should be relevant to a broad audience.

Acknowledgement

All research outputs resulting from this grant, including but not limited to publications, presentations, and other scholarly products, must acknowledge the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition as the funder.