Faculty Assistant Mentors
Faculty Assistant Mentors submit a Faculty Application that includes sections on student responsibilities and appropriate outcomes goals (i.e., students shouldn’t spend this devoted research/creative activity time making photocopies or grading tests). The URCA coordinator will review each faculty application to make sure an appropriate research/creative activity experience will be gained by the student. Once approved, faculty are responsible for ensuring that the actual experience matches the proposed experience. In addition, faculty members taking URCA Assistants for the first time will be required to attend a brief meeting at the beginning of the semester to ensure they understand what entails an appropriate research experience for the students.
The URCA Coordinator will briefly check-in with all Assistants and their mentors at the semester’s midpoint. If it becomes apparent that the student is not receiving an appropriate experience, the position will be pulled. Faculty who’ve had positions pulled will be ineligible to reapply for URCA Assistant positions (paid or unpaid for three years).
Faculty Mentors are able to apply for as many students they can appropriately mentor on their project. However, each approved faculty mentor will likely only receive one funded position (up to 90 funded assistants per semester), so remaining positions will be volunteer positions. The faculty will choose which student receives the award based on random selection, strongest applicant, or knowledge of student’s financial needs. The award cannot be split or shared among students.
Requirements:
- Full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member (only those working in academic units are eligible for funded URCA Assistant positions).
- Submit Faculty Application for the semester (Dr. Belasen sends out to all faculty through email) Can apply even if on sabbatical (must still be able to adequately mentor and have weekly meetings with Assistants).
- Can apply for multiple semesters—must submit a new application each time
- Can apply if receiving alternate funding for projects ONLY IF funding does not already pay undergraduate student researchers (e.g., project has been awarded grant money for supplies and a graduate assistant)
Benefits:
- Get word out about research and creative activity programs
- Mentoring undergraduates outside of the classroom is an experience that benefits faculty in tenure, promotion papers, and annual reviews
