Special Programs and Development Finance

The Office of Academic Affairs provides funding that supports faculty recruitment & retention via multiple programs. Oversight of these programs is handled by the Office of Faculty Affairs. For funding requests that are approved by Faculty Eminence, all expenses related to faculty recruitment and retention activity should be incurred by the respective college. In May/early June, please request a transfer of approved funds from OAA. No faculty search, relocation, start-up, research, or salary/benefit expenses will be charged directly to OAA.

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Through the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP), students are matched with select faculty members who guide them through an exploration of education-enhancing experiences, interact with students one-on-one and in groups, and provide advice and mentoring that will help learners in their transition from student to globally minded professional. The guidelines and details for STEP can be found on the STEP webpage.

STEP Mentors receive a stipend that is distributed by the Office of Academic Affairs. Below is the STEP Faculty Mentor compensation protocol:

A $5,000 stipend will be distributed as two cash payments for the academic year. These stipend amounts will be treated as taxable income in accordance with applicable law. The stipend will be paid as follows: (i) $2,500, less applicable taxes and withholdings, will be paid in September and (ii) subject to the Mentor’s continued participation in STEP, $2,500, less applicable taxes and withholdings, will be paid in January. Stipends will not be reduced to cover the composite benefits rate charged to departments for faculty and staff benefits- STEP will cover these expenses. This compensation protocol is the same for all STEP Faculty Mentors, regardless of FTE.

The Emeritus Academy was founded at The Ohio State University in 2014 to recognize and promote the ongoing engagement of emeriti faculty in both scholarly and creative activities.

The Office of Academic Affairs provides grants that are designed to support research, scholarship and creative activity by Emeritus Academy members. Grants may be used for research-related travel and receipted expenses (e.g., fieldwork for a research project); presentation of research at an academic conference; research or administrative assistance specific to your personal research limited to not more than 50% of the request; reproduction of documents and data processing costs; research services; payment to human subjects; purchase of relevant materials, software, small equipment, creative instruments, and supplies; and other related activities. Due to limited resources, this program cannot provide annual funding to support continuing projects. Grants may not be used for the faculty member's salary, office computers, travel from an out-of-state residence to Ohio State, reimbursement for funds already spent, or blanket support for student stipends and student research at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Grants for travel may cover transportation and hotel but not per diem. Applications are evaluated by the Emeritus Academy Steering Committee.

OAA will provide a cash transfer for the grant awards to the departments of the Emeritus Academy members.

For more details, please visit Emeritus Academy.

Our team will prepare a monthly Development Fund Statement that will be emailed to each unit that provides a high-level summary of all Current Use and Endowment Funds. The additional link at the top of the statement will open the Development Fund Activity Report in Tableau that will provide details on all gifts including the Fund Description, the current balance, and a list of all financial activity and transactions. We will strategize with unit heads to align gifts to the needs of the unit and to ensure funds are utilized effectively and per the donors’ wishes. We will also analyze the designated purpose of these funds and collaborate with the Office of Advancement to determine if the use of the fund can be updated if the initiatives of the unit have changed.

What is the difference between a grant, a gift and an endowment?

Grant — A grant (or sponsored project) is defined as funding received in whole or in part by sources external to the university, for which there is an expectation on the part of the funder for a specific deliverable and/or technical or narrative reports. Grants have a stated period (start and end date) indicated in the proposal or award document. The Ohio State University Office of Sponsored programs (OSP) is the unit authorized to process grants.

Gifts — An unrestricted gift is defined as a flexible, irrevocable award of money, equipment, or other property of value given by a donor who wishes to support the university, but who expects nothing of significant value in return, other than the recognition and disposition of the gift in accordance with the donor’s wishes. A Restricted gift must be used according to the donor’s wishes. Once the balance of the gift fund has been spent according to the fund’s description, the fund will be closed if there are no other funding sources. The Office of Advancement processes donor gifts.

There may be some unique situations when funds processed through Advancement could be considered research or extension project funds and are required to be entered in the PI Portal through OSP while at the same time being recognized as gifts within the TAS system.

Guidelines for grants versus gifts can be found at Grants, Gifts and Contracts.

Endowments — Endowments are gifts that are invested in perpetuity, and distributions from the invested contributions are used to fund important programs and activities. A portion of the distribution may be reinvested in the fund at the request of the donor or department to further enhance the fund’s buying power over time. Endowment funds are intended to permanently support the purpose determined by the donor by providing an annual distribution that can be spent each year.

Additional Information and FAQs can be found here: Endowment Funds

Information on the different types of funds used by the university can be found here: Funds Overview

How do I create a new fund if our unit receives a gift?

Please notify our team, and we will work with you to get a gift set up correctly. The classification of external funds as a grant or an unrestricted gift is an important fiscal and fiduciary responsibility of the university. We will need the full name of the donor and the purpose of the fund to begin the process. Please forward any relevant documentation related to the funds.

The Discovery Theme Initiative began with eight Discovery Themes:

• Chronic Brain Injury
• Foods for Health
• Humanities and the Arts
• Infectious Diseases
• Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability
• Sustainable and Resilient Economy
• Translational Data Analytics
• Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation (InFACT).

Faculty hired as part of the Discovery Theme initiative continue to receive funding from the Office of Academic Affairs. Specific guidelines for setting up a faculty appointment to receive this funding are below, as well instructions on release time and Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs for external grants involving a Discovery Theme Faculty.

Guidance document for Discovery Theme Faculty Appointments and F&A Tracking