October 6, 2025

Dear members of the faculty,

We are committed to producing outstanding research, scholarship, and creative activity as a core part of our mission as a major university. In the past year, we have seen a renegotiation of the relationship between the federal government and research universities in the funding for research at the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and so on. Major sources of external federal funding and recognition are increasingly restricted. We need to seek external funding from a wide variety of sources.

During the Fall Provost’s Retreat, I asked Carolina Distinguished Professor Ron Prinz to conduct two breakout sessions on the impact of the current federal funding climate on our faculty. An internationally recognized researcher and an inspiring mentor to junior colleagues, Professor Prinz started the session with a short statement about the advice he shares with early career faculty about coping with the challenges in the current environment. He advises colleagues to keep publishing and keep developing ideas for new research, scholarly and creative endeavors. These recommendations resonated with the group and a spirited discussion ensued.

In response to these sessions and to the concerns I have heard from faculty, chairs, directors, and deans, I am opening what will become the annual 2025-2026 Provost Research Competition. The Provost Research Competition supports the type of scholarly and creative activities for which faculty were hired, for which they will receive tenure or promotion, and by which they further new developments in their fields. The aim of this competition is to offer support in three key areas: faculty who are actively applying for external funding, or working toward applying for such funding, and those with ambitious projects, such as major monographs, research, or creative projects, that will have a major impact on the applicant’s field of research. Applications will be accepted from 9 a.m., Nov. 14 until 5 p.m., Nov. 21 via the Office of the Provost website.

If you have any questions, please email them to provost@sc.edu.

 

Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
USC Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor