Cintas Experiential Learning Grant

To support ethics related experiential education for business students

Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.

Introduction

The Cintas Ethics Experiential Learning Grant was established to foster "out of the classroom" experiential learning for both graduate and undergraduate students within the Williams College of Business. This course-related grant focuses on issues involving ethics, governance, leadership and sustainability. Grants, not exceeding $10,000 per award, may be funded annually. Experiential learning is guided by several principles: promoting hands-on learning, using a problem-solving process, addressing real-world problems, encouraging student interaction with each other and the course content, engaging in direct experiences and using multiple subjects to encourage interdisciplinary learning (Wurdinger and Carlson, 2009). Experiential learning can include activities such as consulting projects with business partners, domestic and international briefings, attending conferences or visiting facilities.

The grant is not a stipend or to be used for the personal expenses of the applying faculty member (e.g. this is not available for only the faculty member to attend a conference). This grant may be available for a faculty member and a group of her/his students to attend a conference, performance or presentation. The grant application must be accompanied by a detailed budget proposal. If the professor does not use the entire amount budgeted within one year of the award grant, the unused portion will remain with the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a full time, tenure track, tenured or Teaching professor within the Williams College of Business.

Preference will be given to courses within the Williams College of Business:

• That demonstrate a significant portion of the course content is dedicated to issues related to leadership, ethics, governance or sustainability, or
• Are graduate courses that have been approved for the Values Based Leadership concentration, or
• Are undergraduate courses that have been approved as satisfying the Ethics, Religion and Society focus elective.

Graduate or undergraduate courses that do not fit into one of these categories may still be considered for funding, as long as the grant is used for an experience that fits into the flow of an ethics-related central theme of the class.

The grant is to be used to fund an experience for a significant percentage of the class, not just the professor and a few students.

To be eligible, the professor must not have already received another internal or external grant, award or funding (e.g. Mission and Identity or Wheeler award) for a similar project, for the same class. If the professor does receive a Cintas Ethics Experiential Learning Grant, and also receives an internal or external grant, award or funding (mentioned above), the professor can choose to receive this grant or the other source of funding, but not both.

Faculty and participating students must be willing to complete a report on their experience and write a thank-you letter to the Farmer Family Foundation during the academic year of the grant.

Faculty and participating students must sign all required Xavier University assumption of risk forms and waivers, in compliance with risk management requirements.

Faculty and participating students must attend events related to Leadership, Ethics, Governance and Sustainability sponsored by the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics during the academic year of the grant award.

Faculty must coordinate or co-sponsor at least one college-wide activity related to Leadership, Ethics, Governance or Sustainability during each academic year of the grant award.

Application Requirements

Personal essay by the Professor applying for the grant (no more than 3 pages).

• This essay should describe the expected learning outcomes of the experience. It must be accompanied by a detailed budget showing how the grant money will be used.
• A statement certifying that the professor will not accept this grant, along with another grant for the same course or project.

Selection Criteria

The Cintas Ethics Experiential Learning Grant will be awarded to business faculty based on:

Ability to show how the experiential learning aspect of the course related to Leadership, Ethics, Governance and Sustainability will enhance students' knowledge, career potential, courses or research.

Selection Committee:

Selection committee will be comprised of the Director of the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics, the Associate Dean of the Williams College of Business, and two members from the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics Advisory Board. If any of the selection committee could receive a direct or indirect benefit by applying for the grant, she/he must be removed from the selection committee and replaced by another Advisory Board member.

Application Deadlines - ROLLING APPLICATIONS

Copies of the application should be delivered to the Associate Dean's Office and to the Director of the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics, Paul Fiorelli.