School of Arts and Sciences

School of Arts and Sciences Cocurricular Fund

Awards from the School of Arts and Sciences Cocurricular Fund are available to support student-centered programs inside and outside the classroom that enhance and expand educational activities for undergraduate students and/or offer opportunities for meaningful faculty-student interactions. Such programs and events might include guest lecturers, field trips, attendance at cultural events and artistic performances. Faculty members, program chairs and department chairs are welcome to apply.

A portion of the funds is provided by the Class of 1961 Annual Lecture Endowment Fund.

Application Process

To apply, please complete and submit the form below. As part of your application, you will be asked to submit:

  • A description of your proposed activity and its educational value and impact (no more than one page).
  • An itemized budget (including matching fund, if available).

Deadlines

Please submit applications by the following deadlines. We regret that proposals submitted after these deadlines cannot be considered.

Fall 2023 Activities

  • For early consideration: Monday, June 26
  • Final deadline: Monday, Aug. 28

Spring 2024 Activities

  • Monday, Jan. 29

Review and Award Process

The Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences administers the fund, in consultation with the division heads and the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

Requests will be evaluated based on the following three criteria:

  1. The activity's educational value.
  2. The number of students who will benefit.
  3. The amount of prior funding received by faculty member or program/department (to ensure breadth of distribution).

Note: The School of Arts and Sciences will continue to prioritize activities that can contribute to our understanding of structural racism and development and implementation of anti-racist initiatives.

Budget Guidelines

  • While there is no maximum award, the amount normally awarded will rarely exceed $750 per activity or per instructor if there are multiple requests.
  • Outside speakers and performers can be offered a payment of up to $250 as an honorarium.
  • Refreshments and food should be limited to $200 for lunch or refreshments, $300 for dinner.
  • Tickets (train or air) for speakers and performers must be purchased at least two weeks in advance, with every effort to find lowest price, preferably through Carlson Wagonlit, the university’s travel agent. Hotel accommodations must be booked at a hotel that provides a discounted rate to Brandeis.
  • All reimbursements and invoices should be entered through the Marketplace/COUPA portal. For expenses, please choose "A&S Dean's Cocurricular Fund" in the expense category field, attach the receipt, save and submit. The process is the same for invoices, except that the fund will be found in the commodity field. You will need to populate the costing information (Unet ID/Cost Center/Account) as follows:
    • Unet: procure
    • Cost center: FN11-CC30112-PG01-NA-NA-NA-NA
    • Account Code: choose whatever is appropriate for the expense
  • Entering the appropriate costing information will ensure that your expenses are routed for approval to the Dean's office.
  • If you have any questions about using the Marketplace/COUPA portal, please reach out to procurement@brandeis.edu or ask your department admin for guidance.

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