Research Fellowships

Introduction

We are very pleased to announce that during the spring 2013 semester we will once again fund Hunter College Undergraduate Research Fellowships. Based on last year’s successful pilot, this initiative will provide another opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct research alongside Hunter College’s outstanding faculty.  This document contains details and information about applying for these fellowships.  For additional information, please visit the Undergraduate Research Initiative’s website at www.hunter.cuny.edu/ugresearch, send an email to ugresearch@hunter.cuny.edu, or see the 2013 Undergraduate Research Fellowships - Request for Proposals

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 good 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 2013 semester, we are offering fellowships that require a time commitment from the faculty mentor and student of 6 to 12 hours per week, for 10 to 12 weeks. At the time of application, faculty will be asked to specify the number of hours per week (between 6 and 12 hours) and the number of weeks during the semester (between 10 and 12 weeks) during which the student will participate in the fellowship.

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. 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*

• 6-12 hours of research per week (determined at the beginning of the fellowship)
• $10 per hour
• 10-12 weeks (determined at the beginning of the fellowship)

Faculty Stipend**

• One-time $750 stipend

* Students will be paid bimonthly for their hourly work, as College Assistants.

** Faculty will be paid as Non-teaching Adjuncts in June 2013.

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 or new student(s). Being previously awarded a fellowship does not guarantee future fellowships 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 the additional funding, and, if applicable, the need to work with the same student again.  

Student Eligibility

Students must be full-time students (enrolled for 12 or more credits) to be considered for a fellowship.

Faculty should choose students for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship based on the requirements of their research. 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
• Junior or Senior status
• Declared major in the faculty mentor’s discipline or a closely related area

Additional information

• Only one fellowship per student will be awarded.
• Students must be undergraduate students who are enrolled and taking courses at Hunter College during the spring 2013 semester.
• Only full-time students are eligible.
• International students are eligible to participate if they already possess an on-campus work certification and a social security number.

2013 Fellowship Timeline

* This is an approximate estimation of processing time and may vary due to the workload in the Office of Human Resources. The sooner hiring paperwork is completely submitted, the more quickly Human Resources can process the information.

** Students will receive their first paycheck within approximately two pay periods (4 weeks) after the fellowship start date.

Submitting a Fellowship Proposal

To submit a proposal for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the Faculty mentor must complete the 2013 Undergraduate Research Fellowships - Request for Proposals, and return it via email to ugresearch@hunter.cuny.edu by October 22nd, 2012. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate toe call the Office of the Provost (212-772-4150).