Overview

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) announces the Fellowship Program in Institutional Research to support improved quality of institutional research in U.S. postsecondary education. Fellowships are intended to support persons pursuing a career in institutional research in building a strong set of data and analytical skills, thereby increasing the accuracy of data collection and reporting conducted at their institution. Funding for the fellowships is provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Fellowships will fund coursework to develop institutional research (IR) skills. Relevant courses include graduate or certificate-level courses such as statistics, data management, introduction to institutional research, higher education policy, and data reporting.

Fellowships are available to:

• Institutional research professionals who wish to improve their skills through IR coursework while continuing employment in an institutional research position;
• Second-year graduate students (Masters or Doctoral) who are pursuing a program of study in preparation for a career in institutional research; or
• First-year graduate students who have prior experience in an IR position, and who are pursuing a program of study in preparation for a career in institutional research.*
  *Awards will not be made to first-year graduate students with no prior IR work experience.

Fellowships may cover a minimum of one academic year to a maximum of three academic years of study. Fellowships are available for part-time (at least one course/three credit hours during fall and spring) or full-time (three courses/nine credit hours during fall and spring) study. Applicants may request up to $3,000 per year for part-time study (maximum of $9,000 over three years) or up to $10,000 per year for full-time fellowships (maximum of $30,000 over three years).

Applicants must demonstrate a career interest in institutional research and propose a plan of study that addresses competencies in the field. Awards will be made by a selection committee of national experts based on an application that presents a:

• Strong commitment to institutional research as a future career;
• Proven record of coursework and/or IR work experience;
• Thoughtful plan to strengthen existing and develop new IR skills; and
• Commitment to share knowledge and learn from others in the institutional research community.

Fellows are encouraged to develop fluency in using the NCES datasets and analysis tools. Attendance at the National Summer Data Policy Institute, an intensive study of NCES and National Science Foundation datasets, is required during the Fellowship period. Travel and expenses are provided in addition to the Fellowship.

Applications must be submitted online by midnight Eastern Daylight Saving Time on the evening of April 20, 2009. Notification of awards will be made during the first week of July 2009.

A complete application is comprised of 8 components.

1. Contact information
2. Statement of career goals and interests
3. Education plan
4. Personal statement of institutional research skills
5. Support documents
6. Resume or Curriculum Vita
7. Budget
8. Statement of agreement to participate in the National Summer Data Policy Institute

Application Process

STEP 1: Individuals are encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible by providing initial contact information as the first step: name, e-mail address, physical address, institutional affiliation and institutional financial representative. Providing this information assures that updates and deadline reminders will be sent to individuals via the e-mail address provided. Providing contact information does not commit an individual to submit an application.

Begin application (initial contact information)

STEP 2: Review the Fellowship Program Guidelines (PDF).

Fellowship Program in Institutional Research Guidelines (PDF)

STEP 3: Individuals will use the unique Web address sent to them via e-mail after completing Step 1. It is recommended that applicants write each section using word processing software and, when finalized, cut and paste the text into the online application.

Note: Applicants can save parts of their application and return later, via their unique Web address, to update and/or edit their information until either they finalize their application or the application process closes at midnight Eastern Daylight Saving Time the evening April 20, 2009. If the e-mail with the unique Web address is misplaced, please contact the AIR grant staff at air@airweb.org or 850-385-4155 x200.

STEP 4: Submit the online application. When an application is successfully submitted a confirmation message will be sent to the applicant. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit the final application and save the confirmation notice as receipt of a successful online submission.

The Fellowship application will not be considered complete and ready for review by the Fellowship Review Panel until a transcript and/or support letters are received by AIR. Please refer to Support Documents under Application Detail.

For questions and assistance please contact the AIR grant staff at air@airweb.org or 850-385-4155 x200.

An application may be withdrawn at any time before the final funding decision is made. A request for withdrawal must be sent to air@airweb.org. Confirmation of the withdrawal request will be sent to the applicant.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of national experts. A minimum of three panel members will read and evaluate each application.

If any significant change in the education plan develops after the application is submitted, the applicant is responsible for notifying the AIR staff as soon as possible. AIR may allow a revision of the application after the application deadline or the new information may be presented to the review panel as an addendum to the original submission. A revised budget may also need to be submitted.

Applicants will be notified of the status of the application during the first week of July. The institutional financial representative will be copied on the award notification. Fellowship recipient names and institutional affiliations are part of the public record that is provided to NCES and listed on the AIR Web site.

Funded Fellowships

Withdrawal
Withdrawal of funded fellowships must be coordinated with the AIR office. Requests should be sent to air@airweb.org. Confirmations will be sent to the applicant and the institutional financial representative.

Disbursement of Funds
The Fellowships are paid in two installments (mid-July and mid-December). Checks are jointly issued to the applicant and educational institution and mailed to the authorized financial institutional representative for disbursement.

Request for Change in Part-time or Full-time Status
Part-time recipients who move to full-time study can apply for an increased award. Full-time recipients who move to part-time study must notify AIR of the change for a reduction of the Fellowship amount. A revised budget must be submitted along with any change of status.

Progress Report
Continued support is contingent on submission of a transcript and completing a progress report at the end of each academic term. This report should contain a list of courses currently enrolled in or completed during the current academic term, any meetings or conference attendance and a plan of study for the next academic term. The transcript and progress report are due to the AIR office by November 30 and June 30 of each year. The December and July payments will not be processed until the progress report documents are received.

Final Report
A final narrative report is due thirty days after the end of the Fellowship period. Applicants should briefly summarize the courses completed and competencies achieved during the Fellowship period.

Extensions
A written request for an extension may be made should the Fellow be unable to complete their education plan within the proposed timeline. One no cost extension will be granted in specific cases only.

To Apply

The deadline for applications is April 20, 2009. Selection decisions will be announced no later than the first week of July.

For detailed information, see

Fellowship Program in Institutional Research Guidelines (PDF)

A complete application is comprised of 8 components.

1. Contact information
2. Statement of career goals and interests
3. Education plan
4. Personal statement of institutional research skills
5. Support documents
6. Resume or Curriculum Vita
7. Budget
8. Statement of agreement to participate in the National Summer Data Policy Institute

Applications must be submitted online. Assistance is available from the AIR grant staff at air@airweb.org or 850-385-4155 x200.

Begin application (initial contact information)