MERIDIAN, Miss.—When Angela Savage needed a creative way to attract students to her social work program and then retain them in Mississippi, she turned to Mississippi State’s Office of Research and Development.
There, her ideas were turned into $48,000 in student scholarship money for that purpose.
“This opportunity will allow our students to change the trajectory of what social work looks like in Mississippi,” said Savage, director of MSU-Meridian’s Bachelor of Social Work program. “We will have an opportunity to recruit the brightest and best.”
To help educators find funding for their research or special projects, “Finding Funding 101: An Intro to Tools, Resources & Best Strategies for Identifying Funding Opportunities,” will be held Jan. 30.
Participants can learn how MSU’s Office of Research and Development can assist in identifying funding sources that align with projects, said Shauncey Hill, director of projects and strategic planning.
The program is suitable for faculty, staff and students from any discipline and any level of experience who are interested in securing extramural funding.
Projects, like Savage’s, that address workforce shortages often quickly find funding, Hill said.
In Savage’s program, students receive tuition reimbursement and a one-year internship with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services in exchange for a one-year workforce commitment.
“This decreases the financial burden that our students have,” Savage said. “Many of our students are non-traditional who are the primary caregivers of their families, so it eases their financial stressors.”
Research money can come from a variety of federal, state and private sources, Hill said, and because MSU-Meridian is not traditionally a research-oriented campus, facilitators work to find money for training outreach and community service projects.
“There is a different culture here,” Hill said. “These are not graduate research assistants, but people who have other lives while going to school. They work while in school and undergo intense curriculums. Instead of doing traditional research projects, we can collaborate with people on the main campus and do the component for community engagement, outreach and training.
Any research discipline can be considered among arts and sciences, education and health sciences, she said. Some educators apply for assistance with field trips or conferences; others apply for stipends to help with students’ medical expenses while they complete their clinical rotations.
Since she began work at MSU-Meridian in April, Hill’s office has worked on 12 research proposals with five projects fully submitted totaling more than $1 million in secured funding.
The program is limited to 50 attendees. Lunch is provided.
The seminar is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon at MSU-Meridian College Park Campus, Room 008.
For a more personalized individual session, attendees can sign up for 15-minute sessions from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. Slots are limited. Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0949ACAB2EA6FD0-47219747-january
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