Faculty Scholarship Account (FSA)

Effective Fall 2023

Faculty Scholarship Award (FSA) funds reimburse eligible expenses associated with scholarly and creative activities that the faculty’s department APT document values towards promotion, tenure, and performance at rank on scholarship. FSA reimburses approved expenses associated with a wide range of professional activities, such as:

  • Travel to present or attend a conference or workshop, do an artistic performance, or conduct research.
  • Attendance at a professional training activity, leading to a credential or certification that enhances or enables the faculty’s teaching obligations.
  • Purchases of lab or studio supplies, research documents, data, or software, or shipment of artwork to an exhibit. Faculty will be asked to provide vendor quotes for comparison.
  • Other academic uses deemed appropriate by your School Dean (e.g., journal and conference submission fees).

All Federal, New York State, and SUNY Brockport guidelines related to purchasing and procurement must be adhered to. If you have questions related to these guidelines, please visit the Office of Procurement & Payment Services website or call (585) 395-2351.

Application & Evaluation Processes

  • FSA funding will be pooled at the school level based on the annual budget allocation.
  • An FSA Allocation Committee of each school will be responsible for reviewing and making recommendations for single requests greater than $500 and additional requests exceeding the $500 individual allowance. Each school has the discretion to decide the composition and size of its FSA committee.
  • Total reimbursement is limited to $2,000 per person per year max.
  • FSA committee will review applications three times per year in September, January, and May.
  • Final recommendations and fund allocation will be approved by the Dean’s office.

Workflow

  • Each school sets up a TEAMS folder for record keeping.
  • Faculty submit the preapproval form to Associate Dean for pre-approval of eligibility for funds.
  • Applicants can apply up to $2,000 in funding support per year; however, only one preapproval form per activity can be submitted (e.g., faculty cannot split expenditures of the same activity into two FSA preapproval forms)
  • All eligible fund requests of $500 or less may be approved by the Associate Deans without committee vetting.
  • Applications of more than $500 and additional requests exceeding the $500 individual allowance preapproved by the Associate Deans for eligibility will be put in the TEAMS folder for Committee review.
  • Administrative assistants of each school create an Excel file listing all preapproved applicants for review periods. The Excel sheet will include columns on committee recommendations, rationales, ranking of the applications, and recommended dollar amounts.
  • Administrative assistants add the applicant’s prior FSA grant information (e.g., prior award amount and award time) to the Excel sheet for committees to consider.
  • The Committee evaluates each application based on the following criteria, completes the Excel sheet, and provides a ranking.
    • Faculty rank: Preference should be given to junior faculty.
    • Level of the conferences/exhibitions: International, national, regional, or local
    • Roles at conferences/exhibitions: Presenting, chairing, service responsibilities, or attending.
    • Purposes of expenditures necessary for scholarly and creative activities: Purchase of materials, expenditures related to shipping and exhibiting artistic works, data collection expenditures, journal and conference submission fees, etc.
    • Impact of supported activities: on the University, the School, the Department, the Program, and the faculty.
    • Time since last FSA award
    • Amounts of last FSA award
  • The Associate Dean reviews the FSA Committee’s recommendation and finalizes awards based on amounts available in the pool.
  • The Associate Dean notifies applicants regarding the status of their applications.

SUMMER FSA REQUESTS (July 1, 2023- August 31, 2023)

Summer FSA requests (July 1, 2023- August 31, 2023) should be made through the preapproval process that is in place. The Associate Dean will preapprove requests equal to or less than $500 during this time. Any request over the initial $500 has to be reviewed by the School FSA Committee for the 2023-2024 academic year.

FSA Pre-approval/Reimbursement Form and Instructions for Processing

Follow the instructions provided carefully. A separate form is required for each transaction. Incomplete/incorrect forms will be returned. Should you have questions, consult your administrative assistant or School Dean’s Office.

FSA Guideline Information & Form

EHHS FSA form

Helpful Links

Procurement & Payment Services Web site