Writing a grant proposal? If at first you don't succeed, try, try again
Mark McGwire has 458 career home runs, but he's struck out 1,262 times-a .264 batting average. McGwire knows when he steps up to the plate that he's more likely to strike out, yet he still swings to knock the ball out of the park. Susan Nanney of Research and Sponsored Programs said the same holds true when writing a grant proposal.
"Anyone who has received grant money probably has been turned down twice as many times," said Nanney. "When it comes to federal grants, your chances are no better than one in four, and it's an even lower funding rate-between 2 and 6 percent-with private agencies." It is possible, however, to get that elusive grant money if you can sell your proposal. "What you're doing must fit into what the funding agency is trying to do," she said. "You have to convey a clear idea of the outcome you expect and convince the funding agency that not only is this a good idea, but it's something you can do better than your competition. Convince them that you're going to take very good care of their money and you're going to deliver."
In addition to state and federally funded grants coordinated through Nanney's office, private funding can be sought through the Development Office. Doris Ackerman, director of Major Gifts, said Development has been successful in assisting faculty and staff in obtaining support for programs and projects through corporate grants and gifts, private foundations and individuals. In FY98, gifts and pledges resulting from proposals submitted to corporations, foundations and individuals totaled $643,000.
The process for applying for private grants is different than with government grants, where the person seeking the funding writes the proposal. With private funding, Development staff plays a key role in preparing the proposal and frequently writes it. "We ask the faculty to give us a draft of the proposal and other support materials," Ackerman said. "But we are responsible for ensuring that the proposal is submitted in the format the funder requires." Ackerman said the most successful private funding proposals are those that are well thought out and include a timeline, program assessment, impact and sustainability.
Nanney agrees but adds that knowing your own program is often not enough for government funding. She said grant seekers need to have an in-depth background of what's already been done. "Do something new and different, or build upon something," she suggested. "Write in comprehensible, jargon-free language. Keep the reviewer's interest and be specific. Nothing is more deadly than reading a stack of proposals that are written in generalities that talk about how this proposal is leading edge without being able to precisely explain why," she added. "Sometimes you need to get creative and come up with specific things to convince the reviewers that you are meeting their criteria."
Montclair State, according to Nanney, has received some large public grants, and not just for faculty research. Staff members also have been successful in receiving funding for special projects. She mentioned Jacalyn Willis of CETERMS with the local systemic initiative for the reform of education, and Joanne Cote-Bonanno of Human Ecology with gender equity studies. Joseph Donnelly of Health Professions is one of those rare successful first-time grant proposal writers. Nanney said his work in programs on adolescent pregnancy prevention called Project CARE (Community Awareness and Relationship Education) garnered him $141,000 for 1997-98 and an additional $186,000 for '98-99 from the U.S. Department of Health and Education. He also received $65,000 from the N.J. State Department of Health and Senior Services. He recently submitted another proposal to receive $1.6 million for a five-year program called Project HOPE (Helping Others Through Peer Education).
It helps to go where there are big pools of money, but Nanney stressed the need to be flexible because social policies change. Joan Bernstein of Human Ecology has had repeated success in getting grants for the Life Skills Center, which, according to Bernstein, became an official arm of the state as an equity research center. The Center also received funding through the Carl Perkins Act to offer training programs for displaced homemakers who lost their primary means of support. But she said the funding streams have changed and the possibilities have diminished. "We're trying to save money by offering shorter training programs, conferences and workshops. We're regrouping and redirecting with a smaller staff and we're working with community groups. We remain optimistic and hopeful."
But not everyone has that attitude. Donnelly said he's spoken with colleagues who said they're afraid to apply for grants because they fear rejection. "My perspective was that funding agencies would look past Montclair State and award the Ivy League schools," he admitted. "There were 196 applicants and they funded 20 percent. I was told that Project CARE was rated number one. That wall of fear needs to be broken down. Apply. If it doesn't go, use the experience you've gained to try again. Next time you might be successful."
In many ways Lisa Sargese is much like the late Mary "Penny" Burde. Both could be described as determined and conscientious, holding a strong belief in feminism and the idea that one person can make a difference. Unfortunately, the two never met, but Burde will forever have an impact on Sargese, who last week received the first Dr. Penny Burde Scholarship for $1,000.
Burde, who passed away in 1996, graduated from Montclair State in 1975. Her family says she was someone who helped others spiritually and intellectually, and was a mentor and friend to many. After earning a degree at Montclair State, Burde attended Rutgers University where she earned a doctorate in labor studies, "investigating the unionization of pink collar workers, unionism and the need to work to create an opportunity for people to achieve their potential."
Burde would be happy to know that the first scholarship in her name is going to someone very much like herself. Sargese, a senior philosophy major with minors in women's studies and religion, also is dedicated to workplace issues and hopes one day to become a corporate ethics consultant. Sargese met members of the Burde family at the scholarship presentation. "Her sister, Audrey, said Penny would be pleased to know that the first scholarship is going to someone with a strong belief in morals and ethics, especially in the workplace," Sargese said. "We were very much alike that way."
In her application for the scholarship, Sargese described herself simply-as someone who cares. "I care. Not only in my heart, but out here in the world. My care comes to life in my actions, where it matters to others. Through my readings in the Women's Studies Program, I have come to realize the importance of doing and the importance of taking action." Sargese holds a 3.95 grade point average, and is a member of the Philosophy and Religion Symposium and Amnesty International. She said the courses she has taken in women's studies have made her aware of what needs to be cared for and what needs to be acted on. "If I have made a difference here at MSU, then I am proud to say I am a woman who made a difference."
Penny Burde would be proud as well.
Brian, Jackie and Kiah
Preschoolers, Child Care Center
Forget NATO. When it comes to restoring peace in the lives of the children from Kosovo, we can find the solutions in Stone Hall, where some preschoolers have a much more sound approach to foreign affairs than even the most schooled politician. And there's no finger-pointing or cover ups in the MSU Child Care Center. When these youngsters are caught in the act they admit their guilt, take their lumps, then move on.
This week the Child Care Center is celebrating the Week of the Young Child, an event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children to focus attention on the needs of young children and their families, and to support the programs and services that meet those needs. This week we found out what Brian, 4, son of Joan Mahoney of Management; Jackie Noyes, 3, granddaughter of Valerie Fink of Payroll; and Kiah, 4, daughter of psychology major Andrea Atkinson, had to say about some issues that are important to them.
INSIGHT: Across the ocean boys and girls just like you have been told to get out of their homes, leave their toys and clothes behind and never come back. What would you do to make them feel better?
Jackie: I would invite all of them to sleep over at my house. Then I would build a new house for them.
Brian: I'm gonna be a firefighter. They could call 911 and I would go there and help them.
Kiah: I would call somebody to get their toys back for them. And if they didn't, I would share my own toys and books with them so they wouldn't be sad any more. Then I would be their friend.
INSIGHT: What is a friend?
Jackie: Sarah and Caroline. They're my friends because they can come to my house. I like my friends. I play with them in the balls.
Kiah: I'm a friend because I share and speak politely.
Brian: We play every day. Next week I'm going to be the big friend because I'll be 5. My friends are going to come to my party, but next year I have to leave because I'm going to kindergarten.
INSIGHT: What is that building [the Richardson Hall Annex] construction workers are putting up across the street?
Kiah: They're building a tower.
Brian: There doing some work because I think there are gonna be some people in there. It's going to be a student school.
Jackie: I think it's going to be a big, giant kindergarten.
INSIGHT: What's your favorite story?
Brian: The snake book. The snake goes s-s-s-s-s-s-s.
Jackie: The hare and the turtle. They have a race and the turtle wins because the rabbit takes a nap all day long. I like that story because my mom, my dad and my nana read it to me sometimes.
Kiah: I like the story about the jungle. It's about parrots and wild kitties, and the big elephants hit things with their trunks. My father went to a jungle and saw a bird. It looked like a carrot.
INSIGHT: Tell us a secret about your teachers Jackie and Dana.
Brian: They do a lot of work in school.
Kiah: Sometimes I get in trouble from Dana at storytime because I move a lot and I talk too much.
Jackie: Sometimes Jackie makes me sit in the chair because I hit somebody. And when one of us hits a people we have to go in the chair.
INSIGHT: What do you do in school every day?
Brian: I play with dinosaurs and learn about the weather.
Jackie: I learned how to do this [as she rolls into a flawless double somersault].
Kiah: I'm learning about the rainforest.
INSIGHT: Are any of you planning to go to college when you grow up?
Jackie: Yeah. I want to learn about jungles and the weather.
Kiah: I guess so.
Brian: Yup. But I gotta go to kindergarten, first. I want to be a fireman so I can squirt water.
INSIGHT: Where is the farthest place you've ever visited?
Jackie: My friend's house. She lives so far away we have to go there in the car. And the dog died.
Kiah: I got in an airplane to go to Florida. I went to Disney. Then I got ice cream.
The following personnel actions were approved by the Board of Trustees at its April 8 meeting:
Professional/managerial staff appointment: Jacqueline Micera, development officer, Development/Major Gifts.
Faculty appointment-tenure: Chris Herrera, assistant professor, Philosophy and Religion.
Faculty appointment-non-tenure: Willem Diepeveen, assistant professor, School of Conservation.
Unit professional staff reappointments for FY2000:
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS: Rosemary Cebula-Lipala, Biology/Molecular Biology; Susan Gogick and Gwendolyn Holland-Johnson, Teacher Education; Gerald Kloby, Sociology; Elaine Russo-Hitchcock, Communication Sciences and Disorders; Christine Taylor, Psychoeducational Center.
BUDGET, PLANNING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Befekadu Zegeye, Information Technology.
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT: Ted Fiore and Dawn Strunk, Intercollegiate Athletics; Cindy Meneghin, Communications.
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND CAMPUS LIFE: Lisa Ellner, Registrar; Eric Moskovitz, Academic Advising; Celeste Stevens, Career Development; Steven Smith, Campus Recreation; Todd Weinman, Psychological Services.
Faculty promotions effective AY2000:
EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES: Wandalyn Enix, professor, Curriculum and Teaching; Shahla Wunderlich, professor, Human Ecology; Dierdre Glenn-Paul, associate professor, Reading and Educational Media.
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES: Lucille Weistuch, associate professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders; Fawzia Afzal-Khan, professor, English; Theodore Baldwin-LeClair, associate professor, Legal Studies; Norma Connolly, associate professor, Legal Studies; Edward Aronow, professor, Psychology; Edward Haupt, professor, Psychology.
SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS: Saliya de Silva, associate professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Robert Dorner, professor, Mathematical Sciences.
THE ARTS: Elizabeth Valdez del Alamo, associate professor, Fine Arts.
BUSINESS: Byung Min, professor, Management; John McGinnis, professor, Marketing.
LIBRARY: Anita Daniel, Librarian II (effective July 1, 1999)
Sabbatical leave during AY2000 (for the entire year unless otherwise noted):
EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES: Leonard Lucenko, HPPERLS; Kathleen Bauer, Human Ecology; Ruth Handel, Reading and Educational Media, spring.
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES: Deena Linett, English; Alyce Miller and Arthur Simon, English, spring; Benjamin Lapp, History; Marilyn Tayler, Legal Studies, spring; Milton Seegmiller, Linguistics, Thomas Perera, Psychology, spring.
SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS: Robert Taylor, Earth and Environmental Studies, spring.
THE ARTS: Ramon Delgado, Theatre and Dance, fall.
BUSINESS: Michael Zey, Management, spring.
Leaves of absence without pay: Robert Glick, French, Russian and German, Sept. 1, 1999-Dec. 23, 1999; Arlene Mermelstein, Educational Opportunity Fund, June 30, 1999-June 30, 2000; Ernestine Schlant, French, Russian and German, Sept. 1, 1999-Aug. 31, 2000.
Professor emerita status was granted to Moira LeMay and Rhoda Unger of Psychology for their service of 29 and 26 years, respectively.
Warren Heiss of Communication Sciences and Disorders presented a one-day course, "Neurological Bases of Language and Learning Disorders," for the Union/Morris County Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He also was selected to be the evaluation consultant for the School-to-Careers Programs at Bergen County Vocational Technical Schools in Paramus.
Judith MacDonald of Curriculum and Teaching presented a paper, "When Mothers Become Teachers: Effects of the Mothering Experience on Prospective Teachers," at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Montreal. The paper was presented at the "Exemplary Studies on Gender and Teaching" session.
Sam Pirozzi of Counseling, Human Development and Educational Leadership has received $10,500 from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to continue the work of reducing tobacco use on campus. This project is part of the Tobacco Control Programs funded by the National Cancer Institute through the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Joel Schwartz of the Department of History has been named to the editorial board of the Journal of Urban History.
James Woods of the Gifted and Talented Program discussed "King Richard and the Lionhearted Family" at the Englewood Public Library. Woods supplemented his talk with film clips from "Ivanhoe" and "Robin Hood," and displayed his collection of medieval weapons.
Students on the move:
Sophomore Marta Bladek, an English major minoring in linguistics, is one of 10 students in the state to receive the New Jersey Project's 10th annual Student Achievement Award for Excellence in Feminist Scholarship. More than 100 students from two- and four-year colleges and universities throughout New Jersey applied for the scholarship. Bladek's essay, "Margins as Points of Redeparture," will be published in a volume of award-winning essays that will be distributed at an awards dinner May 4 at Drew University.
Senior Nancy Clasen, a music education major, has been elected president of the state Music Educators National Conference (collegiate chapters).
Senior Brenda Paradiso, a geoscience major, has been accepted into the Summer Institute on Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences at the NASA Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Md. Students accepted into the program receive a $2,400 stipend, housing and transportation to attend a one-week series of lectures by Goddard scientists followed by nine weeks of research mentored by a Goddard scientist. The research topics cover earth and planetary atmosphere and ocean processes.
Dennis Stachura
Technical Specialist, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Hall and Plishka selected to receive honorary degrees
Floyd Hall, chairman of Floyd Hall Enterprises, and opera singer Paul Plishka will receive honorary degrees at commencement Friday, May 14, at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Resolutions to grant the honorary degrees were approved by the Board of Trustees at its April 8 meeting.
Hall, who is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Kmart Corporation, was instrumental in establishing the partnership with Montclair State to build Floyd Hall Ice Arena and Yogi Berra Stadium. "His deep humanitarian commitment has been manifested through numerous community outreach programs that have earned him several awards," the resolution reads. He will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
Plishka, who studied music at Montclair State, has had a long and distinguished career with New York's Metropolitan Opera. In addition to having sung in well over 1,000 performances with the Metropolitan Opera, Plishka has appeared regularly with other major opera companies, recorded extensively, won a Grammy award for the best classical album of 1988 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great American Opera Singers. He will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa.
Health Center offers meningitis vaccine
The Health Center, working with VACCESSHealth, a company specializing in direct access immunization programs, is sponsoring a Meningitis Vaccine Access Program on Wednesday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Student Center and Sprague Library.
Meningitis is a serious and potentially fatal disease that affects the brain and spinal cord and can lead to permanent disabilities, such as hearing loss and brain damage.
Meningococcemia (blood infection) can lead to kidney and heart failure and also can result in severe disability and death.
For $75, students can receive a vaccine that provides protection against four of the five most common strains of meningococcal disease.
Parents of undergraduate students will receive a letter explaining why college students are at increased risk of contracting bacterial meningitis and details on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
"Since this form of meningitis is vaccine-preventable, it makes sense for students who are proactive in protecting their health to take advantage of this service the University is providing," said Nancy Ellson, director of the Health Center. "Preventing disease is a fundamental part of moving toward wellness and part of a health-oriented lifestyle."
EMS Day set for April 29
A mass casualty car extrication performed by the West Paterson Fire Department is one of the demonstrations that will take place during Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Day on campus Thursday, April 29, from noon to 4 p.m. in the area between Bohn and Blanton halls.
Captain Josue Barbosa of MSU's EMS team said several demonstrations are planned with the purpose of providing information on EMS activities and recruiting new members.
The West Orange HAZMAT team will have all its equipment, including a special decontamination truck, on display and representatives will be available to answer questions.
The Mountainside Hospital paramedics will have an intensive care ambulance on display and will have job applications available.
Saint Barnabas Hospital bike paramedics will display their new motorcycles and assist in the car extrication.
The MSU ambulance will be at the scene and will be the lead ambulance in the demonstrations.
For more information on MSU EMS or EMS Day, call 7836.
The WPLJ radio staff basketball team will take on a Montclair State University team made up of Athletic Department staff and graduate students Tuesday, April 20, in a charity game to benefit the Psychoeducational Center. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. in Panzer Gym. WPLJ personalities will play basketball and hand out prizes. The station is also donating prizes to be given out at halftime to benefit the cause. Tickets are $7; $5 for senior citizens and children under 12; and $3 for MSU students with ID.
The application deadline for the James P. Keenen III, Joseph T. Moore, Anita E. Uhia and Connie Waller Scholarship Endowment Fund is Monday, May 10. The Fund was established in 1996 by members of AFT Local 1904 in honor of Keenan, Moore, Uhia and Waller for their service to the University as founders of the Local. Four $500 scholarships will be awarded. Applications are available from the AFT office, College Hall, Room 318C.
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education will be on campus April 24-28 to conduct a continuing accreditation visit for all undergraduate and graduate professional education programs. A schedule of the visiting team's activities has been distributed to those associated with those programs and is available in the Center of Pedagogy in Chapin Hall, Room 5.
Anyone who would like additional Montclair State University car decals can call Greg Waters of Institutional Advancement at 4214.
Osborne's Tap Room Restaurant, located at 118 Walnut St., Montclair, is offering MSU employees $1 off lunch plus a free cup of soup every day.
Correction: In last week's issue of INSIGHT, the story about Laurance Splitter incorrectly stated that he is a visiting scholar at the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children and is teaching two courses in philosophy. Splitter is a visiting professor in the College of Education and Human Services in the department of Educational Foundations and is teaching two graduate courses in education
For tickets to or information about theater events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Noon Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
Afternoon/Evening Recitals. McEachern Recital Hall.
For tickets to or information about dance events, call the Box Office at 5112.
Home games only are listed. Schedule is subject to change. For more information, call the Athletic Office at 5234.
ON 'CARPE DIEM'
The weekly television show produced by MSU broadcasting majors features Enrico Cortese discussing his education on the GI Bill, working at NBC and his career as a makeup artist to the stars, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Randall and Leonard Nimoy. Produced and directed by Brendan O'Melia; hosted by Larry Londino. Airs April 6 at noon on Cablevision channel 6 and 9 p.m. on Comcast channel 57; and April 8 at 8:30 a.m. on CTN.
AT THE MUSEUM
Admission to the Yogi Berra Museum is $4 for adults; $2 for children and students. There is no additional charge for programs.
Saturday at the Movies. 3 p.m.