Purpose

CHBS supports faculty scholarship through a competitive faculty research course release program. The purpose of the CHBS Faculty Research Course Release (1 course, 2-4 credits) is to provide faculty with dedicated time to advance a significant scholarly research project, enhance the college's scholarly profile, and generate outcomes that benefit students, the college and academic unit, and the university.

Scholarly projects may include:

• Manuscript development and submission
• External grant proposal development
• Data collection and analysis
• Community-engaged scholarship
• Interprofessional or interdisciplinary research initiatives
• Scholarly book projects
• Other scholarly works or projects

The proposed activities should result in measurable scholarly outcomes and strengthen the faculty member's future research and scholarship contributions.  

Faculty Eligibility

To be eligible for a CHBS Faculty Research Course Release, a faculty member must:

• Hold a full-time faculty appointment (tenured, tenure-track, RTA with scholarship responsibilities).
• Have completed at least one (1) year of full-time employment at JMU.
• Be in good standing with respect to annual evaluations.
• Demonstrate an ongoing scholarly agenda commensurate with experience.

Preference may be given to applicants who:

• Are pursuing projects with high potential for publication, presentation, or external funding.
• Have demonstrated sustained scholarly productivity or the potential for scholarly productivity.
• Have not received a CHBS Faculty Research Course Release or Educational Leave within the last three (3) years.

Terms of Release

A CHBS Faculty Research Course Release normally consists of re-assignment from one course during the spring semester. The release is intended to provide concentrated time for completion of specific scholarly activities identified in the proposal.

Recipients are expected to:

• Devote the re-assigned effort to the approved research project.
• Complete the activities described in the proposal.
• Remain actively engaged in other assigned university responsibilities (i.e., teaching, service).
• Include an acknowledgement to the College of Health and Behavioral Studies in dissemination activities
  • Example statement: The author thanks James Madison University and the College of Health and Behavioral Studies for granting a Faculty Research Course Release during the [Semester/Year] term, which provided the dedicated time required to complete this research.

Course releases may be withheld or delayed when staffing needs or accreditation requirements make a faculty member's absence from teaching detrimental to unit operations. 

Reports and Accountability

At the conclusion of the release period, recipients must submit a written report to the Dean and AUH documenting:

• Activities completed during the release period.
• Progress toward project objectives.
• Scholarly products generated or submitted.
• External funding pursued or obtained, if applicable.
• Impact on future research and scholarship activities.

The report should be incorporated into the Faculty Activity Report (FAR) and considered during annual evaluation. Recipients may be invited to share outcomes through a workshop, colloquium, seminar, or other college presentations.

Throughout the semester in which the faculty member receives the course release, the Associate Dean serving as the Research and Scholarship Liaison will complete the following check-ins:

• In-person during week 5.
• Virtually during week 10.

Proposal Guidelines

Because reviewers may not be specialists in the applicant's field, proposals should be written in clear and accessible language. The narrative should address the following elements:

1. Project Title: Provide a clear and succinct title for the proposed project.
2. Project Objectives: Clearly state the objective(s) of the proposed project.
3. Description of Research Activities: Describe the specific activities to be completed:
   1. The research questions, scholarly problem, or aim(s.
   2. Activities to be completed during the release period.
   3. Methods, procedures, or processes to be used.
   4. Timeline for completion.
   5. Explain how the release time will accelerate progress beyond what could be accomplished under a normal teaching load.
4. Significance and Contribution: Provide evidence of the importance of the project to:
   1. Your field of study.
   2. Relevant professional literature.
   3. Impact on future research and scholarship activities.
5. Expected Outcomes: Clearly explain the expected outcomes of your project, including but not limited to peer-reviewed manuscripts, scholarly books or chapters, peer-reviewed presentations, external grant submissions. Include timelines for dissemination.
6. Alignment with Professional Goals: Summarize how the proposed activity will aid your scholarly abilities, intellectual growth, or long-range scholarly objectives. Include what future scholarly activities might be expected as a result of the release.
7. Broader Impact: Describe how the work will positively impact the College, University, field of study, and/or communities beyond JMU.
8. Logistics & Feasibility: Outline where the work will be completed and evidence that the project can be completed during the release period with existing resources.

Narrative length should not exceed three double-spaced pages with no less than 1” margins, 11-point font.

Curriculum Vitae

Applicants shall provide a current CV that includes:

1. Academic degrees.
2. Employment history.
3. List of academic honors, awards, and fellowships.
4. List of publications, presentations, and grant activity.
5. Other relevant scholarly accomplishments.

As with educational leave reviews, proposals will be evaluated primarily on the merit of the project rather than solely on prior accomplishments.

Proposal Submission

The proposal for a CHBS Faculty Research Course Release must be endorsed by the faculty member’s academic unit head (AUH). Applicants should share their proposals with the AUH in a timely manner; each faculty course release request submitted to the Dean will need endorsement from the AUH. Each unit may submit up to three (3) faculty proposals.

Application checklist of required materials due by 5:00pm EST on Monday, September 28, 2026

1. Narrative (not to exceed three double-spaced typed pages)
2. Current curriculum vita
3. Endorsement from Academic Unit Head (completed via Qualtrics)

Notification of Course Release Award

The Dean’s Office will review submissions and prioritize funding requests. The Dean will review the total funds available to determine the maximum number of course releases to award. Recipients of the CHBS Faculty Research Course Release awards will be notified in writing by October 12.