Provost’s Award for Research Excellence (P.A.R.E.)

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The Provost is firmly committed to encouraging the dissemination of research in venues internal and external to the University, and consistent with this commitment, wishes to establish a new award program. The Provost’s Award for Research Excellence (P.A.R.E.), a Fulbright initiative, is intended to encourage gifted Liberty University students to prepare for nationally and internationally prestigious scholarships involving advanced research and language study in all disciplines.

Award Overview

The primary goal of the award is to promote, support, and advance student research skills, and creativity at all levels and in all disciplines. By funding domestic and international research projects, the P.A.R.E. will enable undergraduates, graduate, and doctoral students—residential and online—to develop advanced research skills in their field of study. Through the process of designing a research project, developing an application, and (if selected) executing their project, students will also improve their chances of selection for future federal, state, and local grant opportunities. The P.A.R.E. will be awarded typically to five recipients per year, and directed by the Liberty University Fulbright Committee, which is administered through the Dean’s Office, Helms School of Government. Final selection is by the Office of the Provost. The P.A.R.E. award is contingent upon a future application for a Fulbright grant within two years of receiving the grant. Applicants can only receive one P.A.R.E. award while a student at Liberty.

Eligibility

Project proposals from Liberty University students in good academic standing across all disciplines and levels (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral) are encouraged. Undergraduate students must be sophomores or higher. Graduate and doctoral students must demonstrate completion of one research course or related course in their degree program.

Types of Awards

Academic: a research study using a qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, historical, analytical, comparative, or interpretive research design
Creative and Performing Arts: a strong, feasible, and compelling creative project
Foreign Language study in a domestic or international language Institute

Awards will be granted for projects completed domestically or internationally. Projects in the continental United States will be awarded up to $3,000. Projects outside the continental United States will be awarded up to $6,000.

Application Timeline

October 1: Application Open
December 31: Deadline to submit application to P.A.R.E. committee.
January 10: P.A.R.E. committee notifies OSPR and selected students and their respective school administration about the P.A.R.E. grant.
January 15: OSPR will provide a “Next Steps” document for the student and the school.
March – May: Grantee will obtain LU IRB approval (if research involves human subjects) and LU Send international travel requirements (OSPR may add this in the next steps document).
Execution of proposed research and language study: May – August
Final report of research and language study outcomes due to P.A.R.E. committee: October 30 of grant year.

Note: Research and study, and language awards provided to P.A.R.E. recipients who are concurrently enrolled in classes must not be designated to cover educational expenses accounted for in the recipients’ Cost of Attendance (COA). COA expenses include tuition, standard room and board, books and supplies, fees, standard travel, and standard miscellaneous expenses.

In the instance that awards through P.A.R.E. are designated to cover items in the student’s COA, Financial Aid will need to count the awards as part of the student’s financial aid package, thus reducing the student’s overall eligibility for financial aid.

In the instance that awards received through P.A.R.E. are designated for expenses outside of the student’s COA, Financial Aid will not consider the awards as part of the student’s financial aid package and financial aid eligibility will not be reduced.

Application Documents

Provost Award Application
Provost Award Application Guidelines (pdf)

For more information on the Provost’s Award for Research Excellence, contact Edna Udobong at internationalexchange@liberty.edu.