The program pairs faculty with strong potential for gaining external research funding with mentors who have been successful at obtaining funds from federal agencies or other sources and at publishing their research.

The award recipients are:

• Dr. Weihang Chai, Biology, who will be mentored by Dr. James Johnson, Chemistry & Physics.
• Dr. Jane Grassley, Nursing - Denton, who will be mentored by Dr. Charlotte "Barney" Sanborn, Kinesiology.
• Dr. Peggy Mancuso, Nursing - Dallas, who will be mentored by Dr. Patti Hamilton, Nursing - Denton.
• Dr. Junalyn Navarra-Madsen, Mathematics & Computer Science, who will be mentored by Dr. Lynda Uphouse, Biology.
• Dr. Dojin Ryu, Nutrition & Food Sciences, who will be mentored by Dr. Nancy DiMarco, Nutrition & Food Sciences.

Protégés and mentors receive monetary awards funded by the TWU Chancellor's Circle and the TWU Foundation to use for their individual research needs. Mentors assist their protégés in developing their research agendas and grant applications. Protégés are responsible for preparing at least one proposal for external funding during the fellowship year or the following academic year. Both mentors and protégés participate in research roundtables where topics such as finding funding proposals and proposal review and critique are discussed.