Support for faculty research, training and creative projects has increased about 18 percent for the 1987 fiscal year since FY86.

Director for Sponsored Projects Linda Schwarz said during the last fiscal year $9.71 million for 363 grants and contracts were awarded to NIU. The prior fiscal year consisted of grants which totaled $8.25 million for 212 projects. Schwarz said she expects grants and awards to continue increasing next year as well.

“Faculty research submissions rose 10.6 percent to a dollar volume of $44.4 million, up from $40.1 million,” Schwarz said. “The configuration of awards has changed slightly from last year, however.”

Newly released funds and supplemental funding from agencies add to several existing awards, Schwarz said.

“This rise in awards, then, indicates not only recognition of the research efforts of NIU faculty but also increasing faculty awareness of and responsiveness to new funding opportunities,” Schwarz said

Within the university, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was ranked the highest, Schwarz said. In addition, the Social Science Research Institute was in first place amomg academic department and administrative units.

“Its (SSRI’s) faculty, with primary affiliations either in the Center for Governmental Studies or in academic departments, brought in $1.8 million, an increase of 21.5 percent over last year,” Schwarz said.

“Of the 16 highest ranking departments and administrative units in level of awards received in FY87, two—political science and the Center for Governmental Studies—have faculty located within the SSRI,” Schwarz said. “The top-ranked academic department is educational psychology and special education, with almost $900,000 in extra funding.”

More than $400,000 was brought in from the College of Business in FY87 from outside sources for research projects and for its executive Master’s of Business Administration program, Schwarz said.

“The level of awards is down in the federal arena, but has increased in the non-federal areas—including state, local and private sectors,” Schwarz said. “State funding is up 9.6 percent, corporate funding has increased more than 112 percent and funding from other sources, including foundations and professional associations, increased 28.4 percent from FY86 levels.”

The National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship is a small grant NIU has received, but it is the first the university has received, Schwarz said. Another grant from the National Science Foundation concerns an on-going project about public attitudes and public opinons, she said.