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The  will support international travel and expenses for a Ë®¹ûÅÉ faculty member traveling with a small group of students for research, methodological training, or comparative creative arts experience.  (Examples include faculty mentoring students on research skills in STEM, archives, interviews, oral histories, participant-observation, creative projects.) The successful proposal will emphasize the value of the given international location for the project and articulate what the students will gain by being in situ. Proposals should detail the involvement and/or mentoring of the faculty member, which is expected to be significant.

Faculty members are invited to submit proposals for summer 2026 for projects that involve 1 faculty member and a minimum of 3 students to a maximum of 5 students. The projects must take place outside of the United States in their entirety. The minimum length of time is three weeks. Funding will be up to $30,000 per grant. If the proposal exceeds this amount, share evidence of cost-sharing (Internal or external) and status.

The deadline for summer 2026 is October 1, 2025. Please see the  for further details.  Academic year 2025-26 will serve as a pilot year for this initiative and we will fund one application. Please send questions to the Faculty Development Team, facultydevelopment@davidson.edu. 

Faculty grants are available to conduct international research or creative projects. While a lower priority, the grants may also support international travel to conferences. Applications are due in the fall for winter break projects with an application deadline of October 1. Applications are due in the spring for summer break projects, with an application deadline of February 1.  Applicants must complete the and any IRB requirements. 

With limited funds available and a goal to support as many faculty as possible the number of awards and the amount of each award will depend on the size of the applicant pool.  All tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for Dean Rusk travel grants. If the total funds requested in any given year exceed funds available, priority is given to Assistant Professors in tenure-track positions.  Visiting faculty may also apply and will be considered if funds are available.

At the completion of the faculty member's travel, an accounting of expenses must be submitted along with receipts and a reflective essay to the Dean Rusk International Studies Program Staff.