Once fiscal year Student Technology Fee (STF) funds have been allocated to Colleges/Schools, CSTFAC is responsible for allocating the remaining STF funds for projects that provide enhancements to the campus-wide student technology environment. The following guidelines are for project proposals that will be submitted to CSTFAC for the remaining FY09 STF funds (approximately $330K).

Project Criteria

Eligible projects for funding are those that provide strategic enhancements to the campuswide technology environment. Large, ‘big picture’ proposals are encouraged; smaller proposals are discouraged unless they are innovative, unique, or pilot projects. Proposal writers are encouraged to consult the University Strategic Plan and Mission Statement. The CSTFAC would like to see evidence of student support and investment in every proposal. Here are some examples of the ways this can be accomplished:

• Show that the proposal was originally submitted by a student.
• Show that the proposal came about as the result of a student competition for proposal ideas.
• Show evidence of student involvement in the school/college-level proposal vetting process.
• Include letters of support from students that demonstrate student buy-in or involvement in the project being proposed.

The following are examples of ways that proposed projects could support CSTFAC priorities:

• Encourage student technology use outside of the classroom.
• Encourage information dissemination.
• Provide support for non-academic units.
• Involve the collaboration of multiple Colleges/Schools. Please include letters of support.
• Serve specific needs identified in campus-wide undergraduate and graduate student surveys.
• Provide campus-wide licensing of common software packages that are made available to students.

Submission Process

The following process should be followed for project proposal submissions:

1. Project proposal must be submitted no later than Friday, December 4, 2009.
2. Proposals must be submitted using the provided Proposal PDF file.
3. Proposals should be submitted for one-time funding only. Do not include any ongoing maintenance costs.
4. The upper limit for proposals has been raised to $100K. However, proposals requesting funding of $50K or more will be expected to show evidence of support and collaboration from multiple colleges, schools, organizations, or non-academic units.
5. The proposal PDF file should be submitted electronically together with supporting letters, by e-mailing them to cstfac-chair@umd.edu. Any submission-related questions should be directed to this address.

The announcement of project approvals is planned for late January 2010. Projects not approved may be resubmitted for the next fiscal year funding. Previously funded projects will not be considered/approved by CSTFAC.