For Faculty and Staff
Integrate Career Skills Into Your Course
UD faculty and staff are encouraged to partner with the UD Career Center to integrate professional development curricula into their courses and programs.
Explore how to integrate career skills into your academic work on the Career Center Canvas site by requesting access below or contacting your academic liaison.
Faculty and Staff Career Innovation Grant
The UD Career Center Faculty & Staff Career Innovation Grant (FSCIG) provides funding for UD faculty and staff to create professional and career development activities for their students. Funding is provided to offset costs associated with infusing career-related materials or experiences into existing or new class curricula or department, program, school, Division of Student Life and Department of Athletics-based initiatives. The grant also helps facilitate full participation for students who may not be able to attend or participate in critical career and professional development activities.
Grant Awards
Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $2,500 per semester, but applications will be reviewed equally regardless of the amount of requested funding. If you’ve received a grant in the past, you may apply again, but priority will be given to individuals or units submitting applications for the first time.
Awarded funding must be used for the purposes described in your grant application and approved by the UD Career Center Grant Funding Committee. Any exception to this must be brought to the attention of the committee in advance and is subject to approval.
FSCIG funding has supported dozens of career-related events for students, including mini-career fairs, guest panel speakers, professional conference attendance and more.
Funding Options
Grants typically fund the following types of activities:
Career Education Events
Up to $25 per student maximum
- Virtual or in-person
- Guest speakers to classes, RSOs or departments
- Mentoring sessions
- Panel discussion
- Networking events
Career Treks to Companies or Organizations
$50 per student, faculty or staff participation limit
- Transportation to professional conferences via chartered bus or rental van for small to large groups (excludes all air, train and personal car rentals)
- Learn more on the Career Trek FAQ and Planning Sheet
Non-Career Treks
$25 per student limit
- Guest speakers to classes, RSOs or departments
- Mentoring sessions
- Panel discussion
- Networking events
- Conference registration for career and professional development or industry focused*
- Registration or transportation to competitions (academic discipline or major only)
*The conference must be aligned with an academic discipline/major offered at the University of Delaware (does not include Greek, social or other non-academic focused conferences). The maximum allotment is up to $50–$100 per student. One registration fee for the host faculty member can be included in the request.
Grants Cannot Fund:
- Existing programs that have been offered one or more times in the past
- Entertainment expenses that do not have a clearly defined educational or career component
- Scholarships, stipends or housing expenses
- Gift cards (Visa, Bookstore, etc.)
- Pay for alcoholic beverages
- Honorariums or payments for full-time UD faculty and staff*
- Registration or transportation to competitions
*Honorariums for part-time, contractual staff and adjunct faculty may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Required Materials and Application Instructions
Who can apply:
- UD faculty (includes faculty RSO advisors)
- UD staff that work directly with students (instructors, program advisors, academic advisors, Greek Organizations, Academic and Honor Societies, RSO advisors, etc.)
- The primary contact or project leader must be a faculty or staff member who does not work for the UD Career Center (UDCC staff can support projects, but cannot be project leaders)
- A timeline for the project
- A clear description of the purpose of the project and how it will enhance the professional and career development of UD students
- A summary of expected career related learning outcomes and the expected number of students the project will impact
- An explanation of how the information will be shared with students who are not able to attend the events/activities (e.g., video recordings, summary notes, list of additional resources, “how to” guides for other staff or faculty to replicate a similar project, etc.)
- A description of how the project will be continued or sustained in the future after the initial funds have been used if the program or event is not a one time event (projects will be funded one time only)
- An itemized budget
- A minimum of 15 business days advance notice
Project applications that exhibit one or more of the following will be given the highest consideration:
- Connect or build upon other strategic priorities of the university
- Involve collaboration, whether it is interdisciplinary by field or by the makeup of faculty, students and staff, particularly with UDCC
- Identify a model or strategy that can be successfully replicated
- Supports career and professional development of historically marginalized students as well as students with high financial need.
Applications are reviewed and allocated by a Career Center Grant Fund Committee made up of Career Center professionals. Funding decisions are made within seven to 10 business days.
- To officially accept a grant, recipients must complete, sign and submit the UD Career Center Award Acceptance Agreement and the budget form.
- Recipients are expected to assist in sharing their experience with the UD community. This may include written summaries for newsletters, annual reports or attending events.
- Upon conclusion of a project or event, recipients are also required to submit a financial record to include all expenditures, income and receipts.
- Awardees are also required to submit a one-page post-event summary outlining the outcomes achieved by utilizing the grant, as well as include the names and UD IDs of each student participant (a link to the form will be provided by the grant committee). Photos should also be included in the grant summary along with a signed photo release> from students that are in the photo(s).
- All students that participated in the event/session must complete the UD FSCIG Assessment Survey.
- Please name the UD Career Center Faculty & Staff Career Innovation Grant through websites, annual reports, literature, newsletters or news releases, etc. Promotional materials should also be shared with UDCC for cross-marketing purposes. The award must be used for the activities outlined in the application.
- Awardees will be reimbursed for the amount included in submitted receipts, even if they do not end up using the entire amount awarded.
- Funds will be awarded when the completed student assessment surveys, post-event summary, photos and attendance information has been received.
Student Feedback
“I enjoyed coming to the career and development event because I was able to meet and interact with professionals that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise. I've learned a lot, gained a lot of insight and had a great time here. I can’t wait to come back next year!”
“The most important thing I learned was how important networking is to gathering information. I ascertained some good intelligence information from the Smithsonian.”
“I very much enjoyed hearing about all of the experiences that the panelists had. They answered a lot of questions, and seemed to be very willing to help us. Any opportunity to speak with people who work in the field that I want to work in is a good time.”
Hire UD Students to Work in Your Department
The UD Career Center is part of the Division of Student Life, which advances equity and inclusion, deepens student learning and drives holistic development through education, experiences and communities.
