Hello fellow contingents,
Did you know that the Cannon fund applications are reviewed by a committee of volunteers just like you and me? Each semester a few of us review the applications submitted and do the best we can to allocate the available funds as thoughtfully as we can following the wishes of the anonymous donor. We have guidelines to follow and are charged with the interpretation of how to create the most effective positive impact within those guidelines. Do you have thoughts on the way allocation decisions are made? Should all funds be allocated to a small number of projects each term so that a few of us can get large career impacting projects funded? Should the funds be distributed between all qualified projects even if it means that no ambitious projects could possibly get fully funded? Should we make funding decisions in a way that funds a couple of stellar projects and distributes the remaining funds widely to offer partial funding among a larger pool of qualified projects?
These and other possibilities have been discussed. These are the decisions that need to be reckoned with.
Right now, the volunteer committee is small, so a single voice can have a large impact. As a member of the committee, I have been giving a few hours of my time each semester to trying to guide these decisions, but I really wish that there were more of us and more input from the contingent community.
Would you be willing to step up and offer to join the committee in an upcoming round? Do you have strong ideas about what would be the most valuable and impactful way to allocate the limited funds? The idea is that these funds are to be of service to making an impact in the lives of contingent faculty, allowing us to access support to progress in our careers.
The committee work takes some time, but not tooooo much time… and many hands make light work. If you have a strong opinion about how to support the anonymous donor in achieving their desire to positively impact our career progress, join us and make your voice heard!
Information about the Cannon fund application process is located on the Academic Affairs website
Completed Cannon Fund applications go to Tara Dates: datest@newpaltz.edu.
I am happy to chat about my experience being on the committee if anyone would like to chat with me.
Sending all the best in this final stretch of the semester!
Warmly,
AutumnJoy
About the Cannon Fund:
Applications due April 17
Thanks to the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the Katie Geneva Cannon Fund for Contingent Faculty was established to encourage and support the research and/or creative activities of SUNY New Paltz contingent faculty. Application information for the next round of awards is found on Academic Affairs’ website.
Proposals for this round of applications are due by 11:59 pm on April 17, 2026.
A committee consisting of contingent faculty and representatives from the Office of the Provost will review the proposals and make recommendations to the Provost; recipients will be notified within 45 days of the submission deadline.
Contingent faculty play a critical role, and SUNY New Paltz is committed to investing in you and continuing to seek ways of supporting you going forward.
AutumnJoy Felicidade Florêncio-Wain, MS.Ed, PhD
Pronouns: she/per/be
Adjunct Professor
Dept. of Educational Studies & Leadership
State University of New York at New Paltz
Esopus Munsee land
