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The Thorpe Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Faculty Professional Development Funding FAQ
Faculty-Involved Student Travel FAQ
Faculty Leaves FAQ
Thorpe's Internal Grants FAQ
Instructional Design & Technologies FAQ
Course Fees FAQ

Thorpe's Internal Grants' FAQ:

There are currently five grants offered via the Thorpe Center:

  1. The Artistic & Scholarly Development (ASD) Grant (via FDC)
  2. The Curriculum Development (CD) Grant (via CETAL)
  3. The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Grant (via FDC)
  4. The Grant-Writing Incentive Program (GIP) Grant (via FDC)
  5. The Instructional Design (ID) Grant (via CETAL)

See the most up-to-date version of the Faculty Development Handbook for more details and guidelines about all of Thorpe's currently available grants. Grant applications can be found under Thorpe's "Applications & Forms" navigation tab.

Contact Thorpe's team for all inquiries relating to your awarded grant monies.

Instructional Design & Technologies FAQ:

This team works to help develop both curricular initiatives and courses. In particular, Thorpe's Lead Instructional Designer and Instructional Technologist seek tocollaborate with IWU Faculty on ventures involving online and technological advancements in teaching and learning. Visit IDT's Course Development webpage to learn more about services available to Faculty.

See IDT's Events and Workshops webpage to learn about upcoming events. Individual sessions/consultations can be scheduled at any time -- submit a formal Request with this Google Form.

Course Fees FAQ:

Fill out this Google Form before the current academic year's deadline (located in the most updated version of the Curriculum Council Handbook). Any questions can be sent to the Thorpe Center via email.

If you miss the deadline for submitting a course fee request, you'll need to get in contact with both the Dean of Curricular & Faculty Development and the Registrar's Office to coordinate and discuss your options. Please note that, if the official deadline has passed, we cannot guarantee that your request will be honored.

Details about course fees and its process can be found in the most up-to-date version of the Curriculum Council's Handbook. Questions can be directed to the Dean of Curricular & Faculty Development.

Faculty Leaves FAQ:

Pre-Tenure Leaves are available for tenure-track faculty to take for one semester in their 3rd - 5th years. The parallel professional release for teaching-track faculty is three course releases to be taken in the first few years of appointment. See the most current version of the Faculty Development Handbook for more information.

Sabbatical leave is a one-semester leave (unless otherwise negotiated) that tenure-track faculty may take after earning tenure or teaching-track faculty may take after their first contract renewal. Additional leaves occur on a seven-year cycle. Sabbatical leaves are limited to 1/7 of the eligible faculty body each year. See the most current version of the Faculty Development Handbook for more information.

Faculty-Involved Student Travel FAQ:

Please fill out a formal Field Trip Information Form and submit it to the Thorpe Center at least one month prior to the proposed travel. Detailed processing steps can be found in the most up-to-date version of the Faculty Development Handbook, under "Faculty-Led Field Trips". Questions can be directed to the Dean of Curricular & Faculty Development.

If a faculty member needs a 10 or 15 pax, they can either directly contact Tristan Toney with Physical Plant or request it through the trip direct app. In order to drive the 10 or 15 pax, a faculty member needs to be certified to drive by Campus Safety.  They will be enrolled in two online vector courses via HR, campus safety will conduct a MVR background check and then they need to take a drive with a campus safety office in one of the shuttles.  To set up this option, please contact the Campus Safety office. IWU charges $0.70 per mile for use of their shuttles. 
 
If a faculty member needs a larger bus. Athletics operates two (2) 38 Passenger buses. These buses require a special license to drive, however, so Faculty cannot drive these themselves. The faculty member can directly request this option by emailing Mike Wagner with Athletics who will check the availability of the buses and drivers. If available, the mileage charge is $2.00 per mile driven. Additionally,the bus drivers' charge $22 per hour.

Certain risks are inherent to personal health, safety and/or property when traveling and when traveling overnight; for the purposes of IWU's academic student travel, a "Basic Risk" travel opportunity involves these inherent risks, but is generally expected to have little-to-no risks involved.
 
"Heightened Risk" travel involves a known, inherently dangerous activity. An inherently dangerous activity is one that if even with the exercise of due care, it is very likely someone participating in this activity will still get hurt at some point in time. Regardless of its best efforts, an institution simply cannot control inherent risk. For example, activities involving (1) a higher degree of danger than the chemistry laboratory experience, (2) bodies of water, (3) strenuous activity, and other activities are considered inherently dangerous. As with any inherently dangerous activity or program involving travel, certain risks are inherent to personal health, safety and/or property therewith. It is Illinois Wesleyan University’s policy that individuals will not be permitted to participate in the activity unless he or she is willing to accept the associated inherent risks and execute this waiver of liability pertaining to those risks.

Students should ask their RSO, advisor, and/or relevant department about any of their available funding opportunities.

Contact the Dean of Curricular and Faculty Development directly to discuss opportunities and processes.

All reimbursements for these types of academic student travel are to be submitted to the Thorpe Center before the end of the Academic Year in which the travel was approved. To begin the reimbursement process, fill out either a Travel Voucher or a Non-Invoice Payment Request (from the Business Office's website), and submit this, along with any related, itemized receipts, to the Thorpe Center.

This is allowed, but special permissions and conditions are to be discussed with and approved by the Dean of Curricular and Faculty Development before embarking on travels. Please consult IWU's University Vehicle Driving Policy for more information. Formal training via the proper channels may be required.

Faculty Professional Development Funding FAQ:

Fill out a Request for Non-Invoice Payment from the Business Office's website and submit the completed form, along with the relevent, itemized receipt(s), to the Thorpe Center.

As a reminder, faculty are allowed to be reimbursed for up to three memberships in each fiscal year, per the Faculty Development Handbook.