Campus Life

      Proposals now accepted for equity, respect, belonging initiatives at Penn State 

      The Equal Opportunity Planning Committee invites faculty and staff to apply for funding for projects that help create and support a climate of equity.

      The We Are sculpture at Penn State University Park. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

      UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Equal Opportunity Planning Committee (EOPC) invites Penn State faculty and staff to submit proposals for EOPC funding. The EOPC supports the University’s strategic plan to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by providing units with investments in programs and ideas.

      • The deadline to submit proposals for Summer 2025 is Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. 
      • The deadline to submit proposals for the 2025-26 Academic Year is Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. 

      Funding from EOPC is intended to provide seed money for innovative pilot programs and existing initiatives that help create and support a climate of equity throughout Penn State. EOPC proposals are reviewed by volunteers who represent different campuses and units. The 2024-25 EOPC cycle resulted in twenty-one initiatives receiving funding from eight different funding categories including: campus climate, curriculum, faculty and staff recruiting, faculty and staff retention, leadership development, student recruiting, student retention and graduation, and organizational change. To view a full list of funded projects with abstract excerpts from proposals, please visit the EOPC website.  

      To assist faculty and staff with submitting successful proposals, the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity will be offering a one-hour virtual EOPC Proposal Writing Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at 11 a.m. Click here to register. A Zoom link will be provided in advance of the session. In the EOPC Proposal Writing Workshop, participants will learn about EOPC program funding, proposal components, and the proposal submission/review process. Additionally, you can find resources on the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee website like a Quick Start to Assessment, a recording provided by the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR), and tips for EOPC writers and reviewers.

      The Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity will review proposal drafts to provide feedback in advance of submission deadlines (as time and capacity permits). The platform, InfoReady, allows applicants to save proposal drafts, return to them, and submit them when complete. To submit a proposal, visit EOPC Summer 2025 and/or Academic Year 2025-26.  

      For more information, contact Sheila Barlock, EOPC administrator, at sdc108@psu.edu or Holly Hawkins, administrative support coordinator at holly@psu.edu.

      Last Updated September 2, 2024

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