CHEER Fund

The CHEER Fund supports faculty and staff initiated undergraduate engagement activities by reimbursing up to $250.00 of incurred expenses. Engagement activities can be loosely defined as opportunities for personal interaction between faculty/staff and undergraduate students that create a mutual sense of intellectual investment. In other words, anything that sparks our students’ interest in learning.

Some examples of engagement activities: A professor may choose to take those who score in the top 10% on the midterm to a movie relevant to the course topic, or out for dinner with a local expert in the field. An instructor may want to take his or her class to a relevant museum exhibit. A staff member who sponsors a student group may want to take the group to see a relevant lecture or performer. A faculty or staff mentor may want to take her mentees out for lunch to discuss research opportunities.

Eligibility
All faculty and staff are eligible to apply. All creative engagement proposals will be considered, though preference may be given to proposals from faculty and staff teaching large lecture classes.

How to Apply
Complete the application and submit electronically or in hard copy to

E-mail: studentengagement@albany.edu
In person: Lecture Center 31
By Mail: Student Engagement; C/O Gail Hughes-Morey
                Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
                University at Albany, SUNY
                1400 Washington Avenue
                Albany, New York 12222

Award Notification
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, until program funds are exhausted. Successful applicants will be notified by email within fifteen days of application submission. Proposals requesting $100.00 or less will be eligible for expedited review, and can expect decisions within one week of submission.