The competition for funds awarded by the Council for Faculty Research and the President’s Fund for Research and Creative Activity have been cancelled for the fall 2016 semester.

The grants from these funds are intended for faculty members and students who join them in supporting their research and creative activities.

Robert Chestnut, the director of grants and research, said the competition was cancelled before the start of the semester, resulting directly from budgeting factors.

“There just isn’t enough money to go around,” Chestnut said.

No one has applied and faculty members are discouraged to do so.

“This year we knew in time so we can save people the time,” Chestnut said when referring to the application process.

However, this is not the first time the grant has been cancelled as a result of a stressful financial situation, and Chestnut said he is hopeful the grants will return in the spring as soon as a budget passes.

“It’s disappointing to a lot of people,” Chestnut said. “Not only will it affect faculty but it will also affect students because they are also involved with (several) projects.”

Chestnut said since the internal grants are cancelled it would make it just the more difficult for faculty members to apply for external grants such as those offered by the federal government.

“For now we prefer to look at it as a one time thing,” Chestnut said.
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Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]