Updates for students 1/16/25 – 2/15/25

The Graduate School is Looking for Women to Highlight for Women’s History Month (and a few for Black History Month)

Deadline for Summer 2025 Award Applications: March 14, 2025 (Friday) by 5:00 p.m.
Number of Awards/Funding Amount: Minimum of 10 / $3,000 each
Notices of Awards to Recipients: anticipated by April 15 (paperwork to receive the 1-time
payment on June 1 begins immediately thereafter).
Point of Contact: Dr. Bryan Porter, Associate Dean, bporter@odu.edu, 757-683-3259
Overview
Old Dominion University’s Graduate School in partnership with the Office of Research is
pleased to announce the 8th annual Graduate Summer Award Program (GSAP). Open to
graduate students from across the University, the GSAP is a competitive program that supports a
range of original graduate student scholarship, including basic research, field study, data
analysis, performances and exhibitions, and community-based learning initiatives. The program
can be used to support thesis or dissertation projects or other research and capstone projects at
the master’s or doctoral level. The scope of the proposed project should allow the graduate
student to produce a measurable research or scholarly product by the end of a minimum of six
uninterrupted weeks during the summer months.
Graduate students wishing to apply for this award must identify and approach a faculty member
to serve as a mentor during the tenure of the program award. The faculty member may advise the
student in creating a strong project proposal, explain the expectations for scholarly activity,
supervise the scholarly activity, and provide advice from the proposal stage to the completion of
the final report. However, the faculty member is not permitted to produce work on behalf of the
student.
Students applying for the award will be the primary investigators for these projects. It is expected
that a graduate student with this funding will produce original scholarship. The award is not for
lab assistant or graduate assistant duties that support a faculty project.
Period of Award and Time Commitment
This award will be distributed for the summer funding period, specifically paid in the first part of
the summer regardless of when in the summer the work occurs. This is required because funds
must be distributed prior to the end of FY25. The recipients of the award must identify a minimum of six uninterrupted weeks during the summer months during which the work will be completed. During those weeks, students are expected to devote 20 hours per week toward the project.
Eligibility
This award program is open to all ODU students admitted and enrolled in a graduate degree or
graduate certificate program who meet the following criteria:

1. They must be in good academic standing at the time of submission;
2. They must demonstrate a commitment to 20 hours a week for a minimum of six
   uninterrupted weeks during summer 2025 to devote to the project;
3. They must not be simultaneously funded by the University or ODU Research Foundation
   to do work during those same weeks (e.g., they must not have an assistantship during the
   period of the award; they must not hold another funded position at the university during
   the award);
4. They must not have been funded by this program in the previous two years;
5. If they are international students, they must be eligible for on-campus employment,
   verified in advance by the Visa & Immigration Service Advising Office (VISA)
   (questions regarding employment eligibility should be addressed by the VISA office at
   intlstu@odu.edu); and
6. The research must be allowable within University policies (e.g., approved by the IRB
   if relevant or other approving body).
   Funding
   Each award is $3,000, which may be used to cover the student’s time to complete the work, to
   fund the scholarly work’s material needs, or both. Awards are paid directly to students via
   Payroll and are subject to relevant tax withholdings.
   Application Format
   The funding application shall be no more than five single-spaced pages in Times New Roman 12
   pt. font, with page margins of 1 inch. The sections required in this 5-page limit are described in
   numbers 2 – 6 below. Additionally, the funding application should include a cover page, as well
   as any relevant attachments and appendices (e.g., interview questions; surveys; reference pages).
   These latter materials are not included in the 5-page limit of the proposal itself; see numbers 1
   and 7 below.
   The entire proposal should be written with a general, educated audience as the focus.
   Excessive use of jargon not clearly explained to this audience will be penalized.
   A letter of support should be submitted under separate cover by the faculty mentor. The letter of
   support should include the faculty member’s assessment of the project, their knowledge of the
   graduate student’s prior academic work, and the details of the working relationship envisioned
   during the tenure of the award. If the graduate student proposal is linked to a larger faculty
   project, the mentor should provide a clear explanation of the student’s role in that project and
   how the work to be funded by the Graduate School and Office of Research is clearly and wholly
   under the control and direction of the student.

The following components should be included in applications for the award:

1. Cover Page (not part of the 5-page limit)
   The cover page should include: the title of the project; the name, University ID number,
   departmental affiliation, degree program, address, email, and phone number of the graduate
   student; and the name, departmental affiliation, address, email, and phone number of the faculty
   mentor. The submission date should be centered at the bottom of the page.
2. Project Description
   Provide a 1-page description of the project. Explain exactly what the project will be and why this
   project is significant. Describe how the proposed work will contribute to a field of study.
3. Methodology
   Provide a description of the research question or problem that will be investigated. Explain what
   methods will be used to approach this question or problem. Detail how the student will explore
   the answers to this question or the solutions to this problem. If applicable, include plans for the
   protection of human or animal participants and the environment. (Note: relevant IRB or Office of
   Research procedures must be followed; funding is contingent upon any and all required
   approvals to be received).
4. Goals and Objectives
   Provide an explanation of the anticipated goals and objectives associated with this project. Goals
   are broad contributions to a field of study or knowledge base. Objectives are specific and
   tangible (i.e., a conference paper; report; journal article; exhibition; performance; graduate
   thesis; workshop).
5. Budget
   Explain how project funds will be used. Provide a justification for how the funds will be used.
   Generally, funds may be proposed for: a justified living stipend; participant costs; archive access;
   supplies needed for data collection; travel if required to collect data (not for general conference
   attendance); and other similar direct costs. Questions about allowable expenses should be
   directed to Dr. Bryan Porter, bporter@odu.edu, prior to submitting the proposal.
6. Mentorship and Eligibility Statement
   Discuss the working relationship between the faculty member and the graduate student. Explain
   why this faculty member is an appropriate mentor for this project. Present evidence that this
   project consists of independent research and scholarship (i.e., not lab assistant work; course
   work; or simple technical tasks undertaken on behalf of the mentoring professor). Additionally,
   the applicant should provide a description of prior work they have undertaken that is relevant to
   the proposed project.
7. References, Appendices, and Other Attachments (not part of the 5-page limit)
   If appropriate, include additional materials relevant to the project. These may include
   questionnaires, sample interview questions, a recruitment poster, and/or a reference page or
   bibliography.
   Submission of Applications (To be sent by the Student)
   The student should send the proposal (numbers 1 to 7 above) as a single attachment to Dr. Bryan
   Porter, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, at bporter@odu.edu. The proposal should be sent
   by March 14, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. to be considered on-time. The application will not be
   considered if not received by this date/time.
   Email proposals from the ODU student account with subject line: “[last name] – Graduate
   Summer Award Program.”
   The proposal can be emailed as a Word or PDF attachment, although PDF is preferred.
   Faculty Letter of Support (To be Sent by the Faculty Member)
   The faculty member chosen to provide a letter of support should send the letter directly to Dr.
   Bryan Porter, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, at bporter@odu.edu. The letter should be
   sent by the application’s deadline (March 14, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.) to be considered on-time. The
   application will not be considered if the faculty letter is not received by this date/time.
   Include the graduate student’s last name in the subject line. As mentioned earlier, the letter
   should include: the faculty member’s assessment of the project; his or her knowledge of the
   graduate student’s prior academic work; and the details of the working relationship envisioned
   during the tenure of the award. If the graduate student proposal is linked to a larger faculty
   project, the mentor should provide a clear explanation of the student’s role in that project and
   how the work to be funded by the Graduate School and Office of Research is clearly and wholly
   under the control and direction of the student.
   The letter of support can be in the message of the submitted email, or within a Word or PDF
   attachment. However, a signed letter in PDF format is preferred.
   APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 14, 2025, BY 5:00 P.M.
   Applications received after 5:00 p.m. on March 14, 2025, or those that are incomplete by
   the deadline, will not be considered – no exceptions. To be complete, the student application
   and the faculty letter of support must be received by the deadline (each document is sent via two
   different emails as stated above).
   Review of Applications
   A University panel composed of faculty and staff from diverse disciplines will be appointed by
   the Dean of the Graduate School to review proposals. This committee will select the projects that
   will be funded under this program. Incomplete proposals as defined above will not be reviewed.
   Applications that have too small a font (to gain space for more materials within the page limit),
   exceed the 5-page limit, or use margins smaller than 1” on all sides will also not be considered.
   Eligible proposals for review are evaluated on the basis of merit and how clearly the student
   explains and justifies the project to a general, educated audience.
   Notification to Award Recipients
   The expected date that recipients of the Graduate Summer Awards will be notified is April 15,

Award distribution will be a 1-time payment on June 1 if paperwork for this pay is process
before April 30.
Additional Requirements
Within one month after the conclusion of the funded period (e.g., approximately late September
2025), student awardees are expected to submit a final report to the Graduate School. This report
should be up to five pages in length, and should clearly document the actual methods conducted,
results obtained, and objective achieved via the use of the funds. Long-term expected outcomes
(e.g., article submission, conference presentation) should be outlined.
The final report should have a cover page, as defined under the application process, and
references/appendices not counted toward the 5-page limit for project outcomes. Other relevant
deliverables (e.g., a copy of a submitted article if completed in the award period) should be
included; these, too, are not counted toward the 5-page limit.
Completed final reports should be submitted electronically to Dr. Bryan Porter at
bporter@odu.edu.
Recipients are expected to acknowledge the support of the Graduate School and Office of
Research’s Graduate Summer Award Program in any publications or products generated because
of this award. The following statement or similar may be used: “This research was supported by
a Graduate Summer Award Program from the Graduate School and Office of Research at Old
Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.”