Information & Categories - Colorado College

Venture Grants Information and Categories

Thanks to a very generous gift from the Keller Family Foundation, led by Dennis and Connie Keller, parents of Jeff ’91 and David ’95, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the Colorado College Venture Grant program. The student research component of Venture Grants has been expanded and enhanced. We are in the third year of the grant (five years total) and we are now able to offer research opportunities to more individual students, and the maximum amount awarded for any one project has increased to $1,000. We are excited about the impact this gift will have on our students, as it offers more opportunities to cultivate and advance their intellectual curiosity and adventurous spirit through the CC Venture Grant Program.

We are adding a fourth category of grant this year named the Life of the Mind grant. We are adding $30,000 to award grants up to $2,000 each for projects proposed by groups of students (minimum of three students) for projects of an academic nature that enhance the academic life on the campus and bring new ideas to the student body. These are projects that would not necessarily be funded by organizations such as CCCA or academic departments. Examples of projects would include: independently created student publications, bringing academic speakers to campus, public art projects, or small academic symposiums.

The Venture Funds are administered by the Dean's Advisory Committee. Our operating budget is $195,000.00 and is divided among the following four categories:

1. Student Research ($100,000) Purpose: To allow students to carry on research or studio projects under the guidance of a faculty member. Support will be given for direct expenses, such as travel, housing, food and materials. It is possible, though not necessary, that these research proposals and projects will lead to academic credit. This fund is not intended to support off-campus classroom activities.

   Student research projects should be submitted to the Dean's Office, accompanied by the student's transcript and a supporting letter from the professor who has agreed to supervise the project. Application forms and instructions for submitting proposals are available in the Dean's office.

2. Life of the Mind ($30,000) Purpose: To provide established and on-going groups of students (minimum of three students) funding for projects of an academic nature that enhance the academic life on the campus and bring new ideas to the student body.

   Group proposals should be submitted to the Dean's Office. Application forms and instructions for submitting proposals are available in the Dean's office.

3. Conferences ($20,000) Purpose: To permit students to attend professional meetings and conferences on subjects of intellectual interest. The meetings should be of an academic or professional nature. Student presentation of research results at an academic meeting is encouraged.
   
   Proposals should be submitted to the Dean's office. Venture funds will not be used to cover a faculty member's travel, per diem or conference costs when accompanying students. Student proposals should include a student's transcript and be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a faculty member and materials detailing the nature of the conference. Application forms and instructions for submitting proposals are available in the Dean's office.
   
4. Visiting Faculty ($15,000) Purpose: To bring distinguished visitors to the campus for a period of a few days to a week. The visitors may give campus-wide lectures, lectures to classes, or informal seminars. Proposals should try to maximize the exposure of the visitors to the campus community. An all-campus lecture is recommended. Requests for Block visitors should go through the department chairs to the Dean of the College for funding.

   Proposals should be submitted by faculty and Department chairs to the Dean's Office. Application forms and instructions for submitting proposals are available in the Dean's office.

5. Faculty-Student Collaborative Research ($30,000) Purpose: The aim of the program is to fund collaborative research between faculty and students during the summer in order to support faculty in their research activities and to provide students with a first-hand research experience as undergraduates, expose them to the diverse goals, research methods and skills to conduct advanced research in their fields of study, prepare research reports of their findings, and present their conclusions to their peers in classes or at professional meetings. We expect the collaborative research projects to foster a mentoring relationship between the faculty member and the student, and expose the student to the processes of scholarly inquiry and discovery that characterize the life of a scholar/teacher.

Proposals should be submitted by faculty and department chairs to the Dean’s Office by the first week of block seven. For more information contact the Associate Dean of the College Victor Nelson-Cisneros in the Office of the Dean of the College in Armstrong Hall or call X6686.

The Dean's Advisory Committee will meet on the third Thursday of each Block to evaluate proposals and award grants. Proposals will be funded on the basis of merit and the availability of funds. The Committee does not plan to hold extra meetings to evaluate proposals with imminent deadlines, so plan ahead. In order to have enough time to make our evaluations, all proposals and supportive letters should be in the Dean's office by 1:00 p.m. the Friday preceding the scheduled meeting. For more information or application forms, please contact the Dean's Office x6686. Thank you.