This program is designed to strengthen the University's performance as a nationally recognized research university, as described in the Strategic Action Plan, and is intended to contribute toward developing research themes for the University that are consistent with an emphasis on the urban mission and a global presence. President Reid has designated a portion of the REP funds for the second year of a three-year commitment to support research in the humanities and social sciences on issues that are important to women and girls throughout the world. We will consider awards in the range of $10,000 to $50,000. These projects are expected to lay the foundation for further study beyond the award end date and result in external funding appropriate for the field of study, e.g., a fellowship or an award to continue or expand the research (see review criteria below). The program will culminate in a national conference to be held on WSU's campus in order to share the research resulting from this program and ignite further collaboration and generation of ideas. Individual faculty members and research teams led by full-time faculty are invited, by means of this memo, to develop proposals responsive to this program announcement. Examples of research projects include but are not limited to: leadership styles, motivations, and opportunities in academia; government policies and their impact in the workplace; current or historic role of women and how it shapes communities today; visual sociology and non-traditional visual projects; health-related communications; work and family, gender-based health disparities; and the status of girls and women in other cultures. Investigators are encouraged to use research methods appropriate to their topic and discipline, but are reminded that historical research methods, secondary data analyses, qualitative interviews, video and film, health services research, survey methods, and policy analyses appropriate to the study goals are all welcome approaches.

For guidance on how to frame research inquiries to be relevant to this program, investigators are welcome to contact the following members of the steering committee:
Cathy Lysack, Ph.D., whose latest research explores the integration and social inclusion of persons with physical disabilities in the community (577-2297; c.lysack@wayne.edu).
Dorothy Nelson, Ph.D., whose background includes clinical research in areas of women's health (577-9064; DNelson@med.wayne.edu).
Margaret Winters, Ph.D., whose research interests include cognitive grammar and the history of linguistics (577- 6244; mewinters@wayne.edu).
For assistance with finding cross-campus collaborators contact: Nancy Christ, Director for Research Program Development (577-0551; nchrist@med.wayne.edu).
A pre-proposal meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 30th, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., in room 6202 (sixth floor) of 5057 Woodward Avenue. You can park at the Visitors parking structure on the corner of Cass and Putnam Avenues. Access this structure by driving north on Cass Avenue for 1 block past Warren Avenue. Turn right on Putnam, and turn right halfway down the block to enter the structure. We will validate your parking ticket. During the pre-proposal meeting, an overview of the funding guidelines will be provided. Potential applicants are highly encouraged to attend.

There are no proposal forms. The assessment of submissions will proceed in three phases as follows:

Phase 1: Principal Investigators should e-mail a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) to sjames@wayne.edu. The LOI should be limited to three-to-four pages in which the following are summarized: (1) research objectives and plan, (2) participating faculty/researcher staff, (3) budget in the form of a spreadsheet (maximum 18-month budget), (4) potential external funding sources and timeline for submitting proposals to these sources, and (5) potential of the project to enhance graduate programs and institutional reputation. Biosketches (not to exceed four pages) of the participating faculty should be appended. LOI's and biosketches are due by e-mail attachment in one pdf document no later than 5:00 PM on December 3, 2007.

Phase 2: An advisory committee consisting of faculty from the humanities and social sciences and representatives from the Office of the Vice President from Research will evaluate the LOI's on the following criteria:

• Relevance of project to intent of REP

• Significance of project

• Demonstrated excellence of the participating faculty

• Clarity and viability of research plan

• Appropriate use of multidisciplinary teams, if applicable

• Potential for advancing knowledge in the field

• Potential for securing external funding opportunities, as appropriate for the field of study

• Appropriate timeline for external fund solicitations

Contributions toward advancing graduate programs, research experiences for undergraduate students, and institutional reputation
Inclusion of post-doctorate fellows and Graduate Research Assistants in the budget is encouraged. Special consideration will be given to research teams that foster collaboration among early career researchers, post-graduate students, and established researchers. Investigators will be selected from the Letters of Intent to develop full proposals. This initial
review will be completed by December 21, 2007 and investigators will be notified shortly thereafter.

Phase 3: Complete proposals including summary, narrative, and full budget will be due in PDF format to the OVPR by e-mail (sjames@wayne.edu) no later than 5:00 PM on March 3, 2008. Proposals require the approval of all deans of the faculty involved. External reviews will be solicited to assess scientific merit, likelihood of external funding and other criteria for final award decisions. Award recipients will be informed by the Office of the President no later than April 21, 2008. Funding will be contingent upon the availability of funds at that time; however, the President's commitment is to give a high priority to the support of research even in difficult financial times.

We look forward to receiving your Letters of Intent!
Irvin D. Reid, President
Nancy S. Barrett, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs