CFI: Scholarship Residency

Scholarship Residency (formerly Writing Renewal Retreat) is a three-day retreat with a community of faculty scholars seeking renewal with their scholarship. Scholarship Residency programs are generally held in the fall and early summer with an open application period proceeding each.

Faculty development research suggests that faculty retreats, away from campus, increase productivity and collaboration. Research also suggests the positive physiological and psychological benefits that natural environments have on people of all ages, including faculty. Finally, research suggests that the use of contemplative practices, a core feature of this unique retreat, has positive influences on brain elasticity, resilience, focus, attention, and overall productivity. In addition to gratitude and feelings of connection, JMU faculty who attended past off-campus Scholarship Residency programs have reported significant productivity in terms of pages produced, grants written, and projects completed.

Scholarship related to the program

Scholarship Residency Fall 2022

Scholarship Residency (Faculty Community)

Scholarship Residency will take place Friday, 10/28/22 from 1-6pm, Sat. 10/29/22 from 8am-5pm, and Sunday, 10/30/22 from 8am-12pm at Mountain Valley Retreat Center with some overnight accommodations available.

Apply here

Preview the application questions.

DEADLINE: Applications are due by Friday, October 7, 2022 @ 12 noon.

Seeking renewal with your scholarship that has been harder than ever due to the pandemic? In-person scholarship residency is back this fall! Join a three-day scholarship residency with a community of faculty scholars at Mountain Valley Retreat Center at the base of Massanutten Mountain near Harrisonburg, VA, about 25 minutes from campus.

Reconnect to your scholarship and stimulate creativity as you commit sustained time dedicated to completing a project or developing your research agenda in a beautiful natural setting. The retreat agenda is balanced between open sessions of self-directed time to work on your scholarship and facilitated sessions that involve reflection and discussion of creative ways to sustain a positive relationship with your scholarship and connect to colleagues.

Meals and housing will be provided courtesy of the Center for Faculty Innovation.

Facilitated by:

Peter Eubanks, Ph.D., Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and the Center for Faculty Innovation

Daisy Breneman, Justice Studies, Center for Faculty Innovation

Dayna Henry, Ph.D., Health Sciences, Center for Faculty Innovation

Participant reflections on Scholarship Residency

Here are some ways faculty members from different academic units have reflected on scholarly productivity and their retreat time:

“It was so energizing to be in a context in which I was only focusing on my scholarly identity. I was able to get excited about my project again.”

“Making progress on a scholarship progress. I was avoiding the paper that I ended up working on while I was at the retreat. I have been putting off working on it for months, so it was nice to finally have organized time set aside (in a beautiful location!) to work on it.”

“I think the mindfulness along with the scholarship helped me to be productive. It was also helpful just being around others who wanted to be productive in their work.”

“I had hoped to finish a book proposal at the retreat, but that plan was a bit unrealistic. Everything about the retreat exceeded my expectations. I did get some writing/editing done, but I also gained so much more: a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm, helpful writing and productivity strategies, new friendships with wonderful colleagues, and a strong sense of community.”

Scholarship Residency Program outcomes

Faculty participants will make progress toward

Renewing oneself as a scholar
Making progress on a scholarship project
Developing metacognitive awareness of writing process and habits
Appreciating practices for increasing focus, awareness, and well-being