Research Fellowships

 

Introduction

 

We are very pleased to announce that during the Spring 2018 semester Hunter College will once again fund Undergraduate Research Fellowships. Based on the last five years of this successful program, the Initiative will continue to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to collaborate with Hunter’s outstanding faculty—across the disciplines—in generating scholarly research and creative works. For additional information, see the 2018 RFP!

 

 

Why Undergraduate Research Fellowships?

As faculty, you know all too well that classroom teaching is only part of what your students need to succeed. Mentoring outside the classroom – especially mentoring provided as part of a collaboration to examine, create and share new knowledge or creative works – can be critical in helping our undergraduate students develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and beyond. You also know that research experiences and one-on-one support and mentoring from outstanding faculty can have a transformative effect on students’ professional and personal lives.  It can awaken a passion for research that students did not know they possessed, and it can help students who did not think they could “do” research to recognize that they can not only do it—they can do it well enough to consider pursuing it as a career.  In addition, there is strong evidence that undergraduate students who participate in scholarly research and creative activity outside of formal classroom settings are more engaged in their college studies, more likely to graduate, and more successful in applying for, and gaining entrance into, graduate school.

 

Fellowship Information

For the spring 2018 semester, we are offering fellowships in which the expectation is that the faculty mentor and student will spend 6 to 10 hours per week throughout the semester working on their research project.  

All fellowships should culminate in a final product (e.g., original art, poster, contribution to a manuscript) to be determined by the faculty mentor and student fellow. During the fellowship period, faculty mentors and students should also consider spending some of their time together discussing the student’s graduate school or career preparation issues.

 

Student Commitment and Compensation

·         The expectation is that it will take 6-10 hours of research per week throughout the semester. Depending on your progress you might be able to complete it earlier. The specific research schedule will be determined through conversations between students and their faculty mentors.

·         Students will be paid $1200 total for their work. Students will be paid via a one-time stipend in the Spring of 2018. 

 

Faculty Stipend

·         One-time $750 stipend for first student; $500 for each additional student funded to work on the same project.

·         Faculty will be paid as non-teaching adjuncts in June 2018.

Please see the 2018 RFP for details regarding the stipend and payment process.

 

Eligibility Information

Faculty Eligibility

All full-time faculty, including lecturers, are eligible to apply for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Returning applicants: Faculty members whose students received fellowships in previous years are eligible to apply. Faculty members who are re-applying may apply to work with the same student or a new student. Being previously awarded a fellowship does not guarantee a continued fellowship and if funding is limited, priority will be given to faculty and students who have not previously been funded through this initiative. Applications from returning faculty will require justification for the need for additional funding, and, if applicable, the need to work with the same student again.  

 

Student Eligibility

Students must be full-time students (i.e., enrolled for 12 or more credits) at Hunter during the spring 2018 semester.

Faculty should choose students for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship based on the requirements of their scholarly project or creative work. You may want to consider the following criteria, which have been used by a number of other successful undergraduate research programs:

·         GPA of 2.8 or above

·         Declared major in the faculty mentor’s discipline or a closely related area

Additional information

·         Only one fellowship per student will be awarded.

·         International students are eligible to participate if they already possess an on-campus work certification and a social security number.

 

 

Submitting a Fellowship Proposal

To apply for a spring 2018 Fellowship, please submit an online application no later than December 1st, 2017. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email [log in to unmask] or call the office of Undergraduate Research at 212-772-5740.