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Committee for Faculty Excellence

(Formerly the Teaching Excellence Committee)

The Committee for Faculty Excellence (CFE) (formerly called the Teaching Excellence Committee) supports and promotes faculty excellence and faculty development in the areas of teaching and productive scholarship. The committee:

TAPS Grants  
The purpose of the USC Upstate Teaching and Productive Scholarship (TAPS) Fund is to promote good scholarship including original research projects, programs that support curriculum development and travel for presentation of scholarship. Funded projects will support the scholarship process with the goal of formal presentation and/or publication, improve pedagogy and curriculum development to contribute to the USC Upstate mission, and/or enable major service projects which require application of scholarly and/or professional knowledge. A list of recent recipients of TAPS grants can be found here.

TAPS Grant Criteria 
(Approved by Faculty-Senate, March 2009)

  • Successful proposals include a narrative with clear organization, cohesion, and a clearly-defined statement of purpose, goals, and objectives.
  • Successful proposals support institutional and/or unit goals and objectives.
  • Successful proposals demonstrate the proposed project's potential to contribute to the individual's professional development and/or scholarly/creative agenda.
  • Successful proposals demonstrate the significance and/or potential of the proposed project to contribute to the field, the knowledge domain, and/or society.

The guidelines and forms for TAPS submissions can be found at the bottom of this page.  Please submit your signed cover sheet and application materials to the Faculty Senate Committee Assistant, Renee O'Brien, Academic Affairs, Administration 224. Please submit at least one month prior to travel; TAPS grants cannot be awarded for travel that has already occurred.

NOTE: All recipients of TAPS grants are required to submit a completed final report form to the CFE chair (electronic is fine) and an electronic copy to Renee O'Brien (Faculty Senate Committee Assistant) within 30 days of the recipient’s return from a trip. For recipients of TAPS grants who fail to do so or who fail to notify the committee of cancellation of a trip within 30 days after the scheduled trip, the unreported amount will be deducted from the maximum amount the recipient will be eligible to receive in the next fiscal year. Appeals to the Committee for Faculty Excellence (formerly the Teaching Excellence Committee) will be decided based on their merits.

TAPS Deadlines  
Faculty members who are applying for travel funds are encouraged to apply early, at least one to two months prior to travel. Applications for conference travel will be accepted as soon as you have received notification of acceptance to present. In accordance with University policy, TAPS grants cannot be awarded for travel that has already occurred. 

Application Due at 4 p.m.Committee Decision 5 p.m.For Travel On or After
September 14, 2012September 20, 2012September 24, 2012
October 19, 2012 October 25, 2012 October 29, 2012
November 9, 2012 November 15, 2012 November 19, 2012 
December 7, 2012December 13, 2012 December 17, 2012 
January 18, 2013    January 24, 2013January 28, 2013
February 15, 2013February 25, 2013February 27, 2013
March 18, 2013March 25, 2013March 27, 2013
April 12, 2013April 22, 2013April 24, 2013
May 10, 2013May 16, 2013May 20, 2013
June 14, 2013June 20, 2013June 24, 2013
July 12, 2013July 18, 2013July 22, 2013
August 16, 2013August 22, 2013August 26, 2013

CFE Committee 2012-2013
Please contact Dr. Lori Tanner CFE Chair, or your unit representative for questions about TAPS grants or other CFE issues.

Guidelines and Forms 
NOTE: Forms were updated in 2012. Please use the most recent application and report forms.

  • TAPS Guidelines and Application Form (Word or PDF) - Please note required documentation of hotel fees, conference registration fees, rental car fees, and/or airfare costs. Applications will be delayed until fare and fee statements from conference Web sites, hotels, airlines or car rental companies are included.
  • TAPS Final Report Form (Word or PDF). Email reports to CFE Chair and Faculty Senate Committee Assistant
  • USC Upstate Annual Award for Scholarly and/or Creative Pursuits Guidelines
    • Nominations due to CFE Chair by Feb. 15. Electronic nomination letters are preferred.
    • Portfolios of candidates due March 15
    • A list of recent recipients of faculty excellence awards in teaching and scholarship can be found here.
  • Sabbatical Leave Policy
    • Electronic submissions only
    • Sabbatical Proposals due to CFE chair by first Monday in October. See Faculty Manual for guidelines.
    • Final Sabbatical Reports of accomplishments are due to CFE Chair two months after start of semester in which the faculty member returns. Electronic reports are preferred.