Robert Fine Faculty Endowment Award (Spring 2026)

Established by Peter Fine to benefit junior untenured faculty members at SUNY Cortland who require additional financial support to improve teaching techniques, enhance the classroom experience, provide student-faculty interactions beyond the classroom, or support research and publication efforts, with preference given those activities that involve undergraduate students. The fund is also intended to recognize in perpetuity the generosity of former Cortland student Peter Fine, and his subsequent academic and career accomplishments, particularly in providing affordable housing for New Yorkers. The fund is named in honor of the donor’s father.

The Robert Fine Faculty Endowment Award supports pre-tenure, tenure-track faculty by allowing for a one-course, one semester reduction in teaching load. The award is funded by the Robert and Bette Fine Faculty Development Fund, established in 2003 by Dr. Peter Fine. Applicants for this award must complete one year of teaching at SUNY Cortland before applying.

The Robert Fine Faculty Endowment Award is a competitive award that allows for a decrease in course load to accommodate the pursuit of superior teaching practices, methods or techniques for use in the classroom. Application materials for the following academic year this spring is Tuesday, March 24, 2026.