MTSU staff, faculty invited to March 29 grant writing community brunch

Middle Tennessee State University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will host a Grant-Writing Community Brunch for grant-funded faculty and staff from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, March 29, at the MT Center in the Sam Ingram Building on campus. (MTSU graphic illustration by Stephanie Wagner)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., — The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is hosting a grant-writing community brunch to share some food and opportunities with grant-funded faculty and staff.

The brunch will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, March 29, at the MT Center inside of the Sam Ingram Building. Those planning to attend should RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/2tnw5naf.

“We wanted to put on a fun, different type of event for these faculty and staff who don’t have a lot of chances to come together,” said Katie Medrano, ORSP coordinator. “The event will allow attendees to meet with MTSU’s Grant Writing Enhancement Program members and to network and collaborate with the team and other attendees as possible mentors or mentees for 2024-25 grant submissions.”

Katie Medrano

Medrano added that faculty and staff who are assigned a mentee will receive $50 and that any staff or faculty interested in joining the Grant Writing Enhancement Program, or GEP, team can do so at any time at https://tinyurl.com/9jdteff7.

In addition to events such as the GEP brunch, the ORSP offers several other supports for faculty and staff looking to get started in research. The MT Internal Grant Opportunities grant provides MTSU-backed funding for research and other creative projects. Mark McLeod, art and design professor, for example, recently used the MT-IGO grant to fund his sculpture exhibition that he put on last month.

The office and university at large also provide other internal funding opportunities such as the new faculty start-up funding, grants through the Provost’s Office and more.

Medrano pointed back to the ORSP’s mission statement to highlight the support the office works to offer the campus community.

“Our mission is to support faculty, staff and students in their pursuit of academic, scholarly and creative excellence whether that is through helping them land external funding, providing leadership in matters of compliance and research ethics or creating opportunities that elevate research and the creative arts on our campus in line with MTSU’s mission to serve our community.”

Learn more about events and support at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at https://mtsu.edu/research/.

— Stephanie Wagner (Stephanie.Wagner@mtsu.edu)