The Teacher-Scholar-Mentor Model at Elon

Venn diagram displaying three overlapping circles, with each one containing one of the following words: Teacher, Scholar, Mentor

The Elon University Teacher-Scholar-Mentor statement frames the work of faculty and emphasizes the interconnections among professional roles as teachers, scholars, and mentors:

“We are teacher- scholar-mentors who dedicate our talents, experiences, and leadership skills to activities that sustain, develop, and improve the entire institution… Our scholarly, service, mentoring, and professional activities connect us to vital intellectual communities beyond the walls of Elon, ensure our continuing development as enlightened seekers, contribute to the body of knowledge and wisdom, and renew our enthusiasm to engage students. The Elon community is committed to creating an environment that allows the faculty to excel as teachers, scholars, and mentors.”

A Venn diagram visualization emphasizes how activities in the teacher-scholar-mentor framework may be located within distinct or overlapping domains of faculty professional life.

Supporting Your Work as a Teacher, Scholar, and Mentor

Throughout this website, you will find a broad and evolving set of programs, grants, and professional development opportunities to help Elon University faculty pursue work that is:

  • Innovative in the classroom
  • Rigorous in scholarship
  • Transformative in student relationships

The custom search engine below helps you locate internal funding and support for your work as a Teacher-Scholar-Mentor. Whether you are seeking funding for a new teaching initiative, are looking to deepen your scholarship, or are interested in expanding your approach to mentoring students in your discipline, you will find support structures aligned with each element of the teacher-scholar-mentor model (Teacher, Scholar, Mentor), as well as for areas where categories of the model overlap (Teacher-Scholar, Scholar-Mentor, Teacher-Mentor, and Teacher-Scholar-Mentor).

Opportunities and Resources

Use the drop-down filter in the custom search below to select opportunities specific to the area of funding support you are seeking. Use the search bar to narrow by:

  • Area(s) of the model each opportunity supports (e.g. Teacher, Scholar, Mentor, Teacher-Scholar, Scholar-Mentor, Teacher-Mentor, Teacher-Scholar-Mentor), or
  • Sponsoring office (e.g. CATL, Undergraduate Research, etc.), or
  • Filter results in the search box by key words (e.g. travel, stipend, course reassignment, etc.).
Filter by:
  • Academic Technology Committee (ATC) Expedited GrantSupports faculty with small-scale technology purchases under $150 to enhance teaching and learning.
  • Academic Technology Committee (ATC) Standard GrantSupports full-time faculty in evaluating new instructional technologies for classroom integration.
  • CATL Faculty Writing ResidencyParticipants meet for four consecutive days at the start of the summer to write and to exchange feedback on drafts. Balancing dedicated time for faculty writing with small group feedback on drafts, these intensive summer retreats help faculty make the crucial, and often difficult, step of going public with their SoTL research.
  • CATL Inclusive Teaching Transformation GrantsGrants support teams of faculty developing evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices that foster success for students of all academic and social backgrounds, including developing materials for a course or program to pilot best practices in inclusive pedagogy.
  • CATL Mini-GrantsThe CATL Teaching and Learning Mini-grants support small-scale innovative, inclusive, and/or research-based teaching and learning projects designed to enhance student engagement and learning.
  • CATL Scholars FellowshipThe CATL Scholars Fellowship program fosters innovative and scholarly teaching and learning by providing support so that teaching faculty can devote significant time to innovative, scholarly teaching and learning projects and scholarship and to make plans to “go public” with the results.
  • CATL SoTL Dissemination GrantCATL’s SoTL Dissemination Grants support faculty in sharing their involvement with the scholarship of teaching and learning and their teaching and learning practice beyond Elon University.
  • CATL SoTL Project GrantCATL’s SoTL Project Grants support faculty in their efforts to pilot innovative research-based teaching and learning projects or to conduct teaching and learning-related scholarship.
  • Center for Engaged Learning: Faculty ScholarDuring a two-year appointment, CEL Scholars will develop expertise in a specific aspect of engaged learning and will create resources on that topic to be shared through CEL’s web site and in other scholarly venues. The CEL Scholar position is an opportunity for an Elon faculty member to develop and deepen a professional development trajectory that includes scholarly activity on a high-impact practice or other engaged learning topic.
  • Center for Leadership: Leadership Faculty ScholarElon’s Leadership Faculty Scholars program supports faculty who are interested in incorporating a leadership education component into their courses and exploring relevant pedagogies. The program has had participants from every college and most departments at Elon.
  • Center for Research on Global Engagement: Faculty Mentored Student Research GrantThis grant supports the development of students’ global engagement as they conduct research in global contexts.
  • Center for Research on Global Engagement: Faculty Research GrantThis grant supports the research process for scholarship on global engagement with a focus on student development.
  • Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society: Faculty Travel GrantsThis grant supports faculty who are making presentations related to the scholarly study of or teaching about culture and religion at disciplinary or other in-person conferences.
  • Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society: Faculty ScholarSCRCS Scholar: A two-year appointment of a faculty member of any rank to undertake activities and initiatives that promote their own professional development and support the work and mission of the CSRCS.
  • Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society: Research SupportThe grant supports the research needs of faculty undertaking work that supports the mission of the center.
  • Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society: Student Scholar Development GrantsDesigned for first- and second-year students just embarking on the process of understanding the role of religion in society, Scholar Development Grants introduce students to the research process in their individual disciplines, help them conceive a research topic, and prepare them to write research proposals for Elon’s signature research programs or for external funding.
  • Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society: Student Summer Research FellowshipsDesigned to foster advanced research in the interdisciplinary study of religion, CSRCS Summer Research Fellowships are available to students of any year studying in any discipline.
  • Center for Writing Excellence: Best Practices in Writing Pedagogy GrantThis grant encourages and supports teaching faculty in full-time, ongoing positions who are working to pilot best practices in writing pedagogy in their classes.
  • Center for Writing Excellence: Elon Alumni Writers GrantDesigned to encourage conversations about writing among students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Elon University.
  • Center for Writing Excellence: Research into Writing GrantOffered over the summer only, this grant supports faculty to conduct research into writing or the teaching of writing in the disciplines and professions.
  • Community Partnerships Initiative GrantsProvides mini-grants to support collaborative, community-engaged research and program development.
  • Community-Based Learning Course Development GrantProvides a two-year stipend to support faculty in redesigning and launching a Community-Based Learning designated course.
  • Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholars ProgramProvides a stipend and cohort-based support to help faculty design or enhance a Community-Based Learning course.
  • Community-Based Learning Research ScholarProvides a stipend to support a faculty research project focused on community-based learning or service-learning pedagogy.
  • Data Nexus Faculty GrantsData Nexus grants support small-scale data-initiatives designed to enhance student engagement and learning or professional development opportunities to advance your own teaching practice.
  • Elon Core Curriculum: Capstone Course GrantGrants of $500 are available for faculty members who wish to propose, co-propose, refresh, or reboot a Core capstone.
  • Elon Innovates: Innovation GrantsThe Elon Innovation Council (EIC) awards grants of up to $5,000 each academic year to support innovative projects led by faculty, staff or students that advance Boldly Elon initiatives. The EIC defines innovation as “the deliberate effort to develop new, creative approaches to solving problems or adding value.” While all qualifying proposals are welcome, applicants should note that some projects, such as those focused primarily on faculty or undergraduate research, may be better suited for other university funding opportunities.
  • Faculty Research and DevelopmentFR&D (Faculty Research & Development) is a standing committee of the Faculty whose primary work is receiving, evaluating, and approving proposals related to faculty research and development (see Faculty Handbook). All proposals for FR&D awards are due in the fall, between the months of September and November, and are for awards in the following summer or academic year. FR&D does not award funding for a current academic year and does not have a spring cycle of awards.
  • Inclusive Excellence Education and Development: I-Excel Mini-GrantThe Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development’s I-Excel Mini-Grant is designed to support faculty and staff members at Elon University in enhancing their self-awareness and critical consciousness in matters of belonging, well-being and inclusive excellence concepts. This mini-grant aims to empower individuals to actively engage in inclusive excellence professional development activities that foster respect for human differences, support belonging and well-being, and advance Elon’s commitment to creating a community where all can Thrive in alignment with our Boldly Elon strategic plan.
  • Lumen PrizeThe Lumen Prize assists Elon University students in the attainment of ambitious and serious intellectual goals during their junior and senior years. The $20,000 award may be used for scholarship assistance, research assistance, international study, equipment and supplies, summer stipends, and other approved expenses. Winners of the Lumen Prize receive special mentoring and support in pursuit of graduate fellowships and international awards such as the Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, and Rotary scholarships. The work of Lumen Prize winners will be publicly celebrated as representing the very best achievements of Elon University undergraduates. Students planning on attending graduate or professional school are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • New Faculty Summer Research FundsProvides a summer salary supplement to support early-career faculty in pursuing research activities.
  • Office of Sponsored Programs: External GrantsThe Office of Sponsored Programs at Elon University is dedicated to empowering faculty and staff in advancing research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. Through expert guidance, we facilitate the pursuit of external funding, ensure compliance with policies and regulations, and foster collaborations that transform innovative ideas into impactful projects. Our mission is to support the academic community in achieving excellence and making a meaningful difference locally and globally.
  • Post-Probationary Faculty Development Reassigned TimePost-probationary faculty are eligible for standard reassigned time supports based on rank and years in rank. Opportunities for additional competitive supports are available to post-probationary faculty as well.
  • Scholarly Teaching & SoTL Professional DevelopmentCATL’s  Scholarly Teaching and SoTL Professional Development Grants support faculty involvement with scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning and connect faculty with other colleagues engaging in scholarly teaching and SoTL.
  • The Fund for Excellence in the Arts and SciencesCharged by the Mission Statement of Elon University to “provide a dynamic and challenging undergraduate curriculum grounded in the traditional liberal arts and sciences,” Elon College invites proposals for projects that deepen the values, the intellectual community, the research, teaching, and habits of thinking that are characteristic of the liberal arts and sciences.
  • Undergraduate Research: Mentor Travel GrantIn order to support the professional development of faculty in their roles as mentors, the undergraduate research program may offer mentor travel grants. These grants cannot be used as stipends, but could provide support for faculty travel with current undergraduate research students.
  • Undergraduate Research: Research for Credit (4999)The 4999 system provides a means for students to receive credit for conducting undergraduate research, usually during the academic year, as well as a means for compensating faculty who mentor such students.
  • Undergraduate Research: Summer Undergraduate Research ExperienceThe Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) represents undergraduate research at its best. Student researchers earn a stipend while spending eight weeks working full-time on a project in collaboration with a faculty mentor with substantial and recognized expertise in the discipline.
  • Undergraduate Research: SURF Symposium GrantThe undergraduate research program and Elon College jointly offer five Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) Symposium Grants. These grants are capped at $1,000. These grants cannot be used as stipends, but could provide support for mentor-student teams to develop a SURF symposium around a common topic or theme.

    Have Suggestions or Needs?

    This page is part of an ongoing effort to make support for faculty professional development more visible and accessible. If you’re aware of a resource not listed here or have ideas for how we can better support Elon faculty as teacher‑scholar‑mentors, please contact the Office of the Provost.