CNS acknowledges the many contributions of CNS lecturers and has created services and opportunities to enhance their professional success.

The CNS Lecturers' Council

The CNS Lecturers' Council is a group of lecturers within the college who gather to discuss shared concerns and strategize about solutions and best practices as they relate to Lecturers success and professional development. Each department has a representative serving on the council. Subjects that the Council address include promotion, service expectations, and job responsibilities. In addition, the Council focuses on specific issues such as strategies for mentoring, advising and teaching undergraduates, using various classrooms and technologies, and on line courses. The Council is committed to sharing information and exchanging ideas with all faculty and specifically with the larger workforce of CNS lecturers.

CNS Lecturer's Council roster

Lecturers' Professional Development Fund

Purpose

The CNS Lecturers’ Professional Development (LPD) Fund awards eligible lecturers funding for activities that contribute to their scholarship and effectiveness as teachers and mentors.

Funding

Lecturers can apply for grants of up to $2,000 each for professional development activities that involve teaching, research, and/or creative endeavors. Examples of appropriate projects include participation at professional meetings or training workshops, graduate student or work study assistance, computer hardware or software, travel required to access resources of other institutions, subscriptions to professional journals, and editorial assistance.  Fall 2017 Awardees; Spring 2018 Awardees; Fall 2018 Awardees  Spring 2019 awardees  Compiled report summaries

Eligibility

NTT Faculty (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Senior Lecturer II) with appointments of 50% FTE or more in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst are eligible to apply. NTT Faculty who have received an award within the previous year are not eligible.

To apply:

  • Provide a two-page overview of the professional development request that includes the purpose, relevance of the endeavor to the applicant’s scholarly development, timeframe, detailed budget request, and an updated c.v.
  • CNS LPD funds can be combined with other sources of funding; please indicate whether you have pursued other sources of funding for this request, such as lab fee pool, departmental request, TEFD, MSP funds, etc. 
  • Include a brief statement/letter of support from the department Head/Chair acknowledging the value of this request to your professional development.
  • Apply by October 2 for projects that will occur during the current academic year.
  • Apply by March 1 for projects that will occur either during the remaining academic semester or the following summer.
  • Submit completed applications to CNS-Awards@umass.edu.

Award Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed based on the specific relevance to the Lecturers professional development at this time and potential contribution to the University’s mission of teaching and research. All LPD fund recipients will be required to submit a brief 1-2 page report and 1 paragraph summary of their professional development request, to the Associate Dean for Graduate, Post Doctoral, and Faculty Development, following the completion of their project.