List of Services

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List of Services

Research Education and Training

The ARC offers education and training opportunities to ACU Dallas faculty and students through training webinars, lunch and learns, and an annual conference. Please see the upcoming events tab for details.

Faculty Research Support

The ARC staff offers consultation to ACU Dallas faculty to support:

  • Individual and collaborative research efforts as they develop research ideas, formulate research plans, and identify ways to disseminate research findings to targeted audiences.
  • Program Directors and Subject Matter Experts in the development of or revisions to research courses.

To schedule a consultation session, please use this link.

Student Research Support

Research Fellowship Opportunities

Overview 

The ACU Dallas fellowship program is designed to enhance the professional development of students as independent scholars. A small group of fellows are assigned to a faculty mentor to engage in research on a particular topic. Each fellow will receive $500 to support participation in a conference presentation on the research (i.e. travel fees, conference registration fees, etc.).  

Eligibility

Eligible students must be currently enrolled as a student in an ACU Dallas program. Additional eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, and length of the fellowship will vary based on the specific fellowship opportunity. Stay tuned for additional information on upcoming opportunities.

Positive Leadership Fellowship 2025-2026

EdD in Organizational Leadership Program 
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kristin (KK) O’Byrne & Dr. Heather Rasmussen

Oxford Research Fellowship 2025-2026

EdD in Education Leadership Program 
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Darlene Breaux, Dr. Jennifer Butcher, Dr. Scott Self, & Dr. Raquel Ellis

 

Dissertation Coach Consultation

Current ACU Dallas doctoral students can receive one-on-one consultation with a dissertation coach at any stage of the dissertation/doctoral project process.
Coaches can offer guidance in the following areas:

  • Research question/hypothesis development
  • Problem and purpose statements
  • Literature reviews
  • Theoretical and conceptual frameworks
  • Research design and methodological approaches 
  • Data analysis plans
  • Preparing qualitative or quantitative data for analysis 
  • Technical guidance in the use of NVIVO, Intellectus Statistics, and SPSS
  • Site permissions and IRB applications
  • Ethical considerations in research 
  • Interpreting and summarizing project results 
  • Project implications and conclusions
  • Project dissemination strategies (i.e. how to turn dissertation/doctoral project chapters into journal articles or books)

Coaches also offer guidance in preparing students for their Project Proposal and Final oral defense, including: 

  • Oral presentation coaching, including mock dissertation/doctoral project defense presentations
  • Preparing presentation slides
  • How to respond to committee member questions 

Please note that students must consult with their assigned Chair (if applicable) prior to scheduling an appointment with a coach. To schedule an appointment with a dissertation coach, please use this link.

For additional student resources, such as data collection and analysis software access, please check out the Resources tab. 

Community Partnership and Research Support

The ARC team, along with participating ACU Dallas faculty, offers fee-based services that support community-based organizations in the use of data and evidence to solve real-world problems, improve programs, and inform policy. These services include:

  • Needs Assessments: Examining whether a program is responsive to the current needs of the focused population and providing recommendations based on findings
  • Process Evaluations: Evaluating program operations, service delivery and implementation, and how recipients experience program services.
  • Outcome or Impact Evaluations: Assessing the effectiveness and impact of community programs or interventions.
  • Data Collection & Analysis: Providing data collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to uncover trends and outcomes that support data-driven decision-making
  • Research Product Development: Develop research briefs, reports, or presentations tailored to different audiences
  • Technical Assistance: Offer consultation on program-led research and evaluation efforts
  • Training and Capacity Building: Training staff in research methods to support the use of data to guide decision-making and continuous quality improvement

If your organization has research needs, we would love to partner with you! Please fill out the form here and we will be in touch.

Faculty Research Funding

ACU Dallas Faculty Internal Seed Grants

Overview

This highly competitive grant is designed to fund three faculty (one faculty per college) who desire to engage in preliminary research (i.e. data collection and analysis) and other preparatory tasks to best position themselves to submit a competitive external funding application.  Funds can be used for course buy-out, research conference travel expenses, and resources to assist with the preliminary research. Each Seed grant award is for $7,000.

  • All current, full-time Dallas faculty are eligible to apply. 
  • The application window for this internal grant is June 16, 2025 through July 18, 2025. Selection decisions will be determined by the ACU Dallas Research Council.
  • Awards will be announced August 1, 2025. 
  • The awarded project period will be from August 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026.
Application Instructions

Faculty should submit the following to be considered for the Seed Grant: 

  1. Seed Grant Application submitted through the Cayuse system
  2. A preliminary budget proposal using the Seed Budget Application Form that explains and justifies the proposed costs. NOTE: The source of external funding must exceed the amount of the internal award (i.e., greater than $20,000) and must allow for the collection of indirect costs at the maximal allowable rate.

 

Research Development Officer Consultation

ACU Dallas faculty have exclusive access to services provided by our Research Development Officer, Dr. Carrie Christensen. Carrie supports ACU Dallas faculty and staff by identifying funding opportunities and guiding them through the full grant development process from the early idea stage to final submission. Her role focuses on developing proposals that serve online students and academic programs through funding sources related to student success, institutional support, faculty research, loan forgiveness, and workforce development, including partnerships with the Texas Workforce Commission.

Carrie can assist with the following:

  • Identifying targeted grant opportunities based on your research interests
  • Assistance with writing and preparing letters of inquiry, concept papers, white papers, and other key parts of full proposals.
  • providing one-on-one support, training, and feedback to improve the strength and quality of proposals.
  • Performing compliance reviews to ensure that all grant submissions follow institutional policies, federal regulations, and funder guidelines.
  • helping troubleshoot complex issues during the grant proposal development process; and
  • coordinating with external grant writers when needed, and serving as a connection between faculty and funding agencies.

Whether you are developing a new idea, improving a declined proposal, or submitting a new proposal through systems like grants.gov or Cayuse, she is here to make the experience clear, collaborative, and aligned with your goals. To schedule a consultation with Carrie, please use this link.

For additional faculty resources to assist in finding external funding and writing grants, please check out the Resources tab.