The Committee on Creative Work and Research has worked out the guidelines. This Committee will also adjudicate the proposals and applications.

Annually, $10,000 will be available in support of undergraduate research:

       $5,000 for student expenses
       $5,000 for faculty development and support

Funds from faculty development can be allocated to students at the discretion of the Committee.


STUDENT EXPENSES: The funds will support ten or more awards with a soft cap of $500 each. If awarded, students could use these funds for equipment purchases, supplies, photocopying, or other research needs or for travel, meals, or lodging to present their findings at conferences.

Student applications will require a letter from the faculty sponsor. Students can apply for this award more than once if the first award is for research supplies and the second for, say, travel to a conference to present the research findings. Funding for the second award will obviously be contingent on completion of the research supported by the first award. Students may not obtain two awards to support their initial research.


FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: The funds will support up to five awards each year with a hard cap of $1,000 each. If awarded, faculty can use these funds:

1. to develop new courses that incorporate undergraduate research,
2. to enact curricular revisions that enhance undergraduate research on campus,
3. to initiate innovative plans to stimulate undergraduate research across programs or departments, and/or
4. to cover expenses and modest stipends associated with such courses and projects.

The application/award cycle for these grants will follow those of other CWR grants with both a fall and spring application deadline. For format and application cover sheet, please contact the Office of the Provost.


ELIGIBILITY

Students: All full-time undergraduate students. Faculty: All faculty on continuing appointments; and part-time faculty who have taught at VU for three years, and have reasonable expectations of teaching at VU in the following academic year. (Approval signature required for part-time faculty.)

The Committee also states the following:

1. The motivation for these awards clearly is to enhance and facilitate more undergraduate research at Valparaiso University.
2. The Committee will be learning through the process during the first 2-5 years and may revise the size of the awards, the balance between student awards and faculty development, the application deadline dates, etc. in the future.
3. Undergraduate research must involve substantial original research and may not merely be studio work or creative work
4. The Committee will give higher priority to original, student-initiated research proposals as opposed to student work on faculty projects. Nevertheless, the Committee encourages proposals of all types.
5. During the next few years, the Committee will give higher priority to new projects for stimulating undergraduate research, but will also support existing/ongoing projects as appropriate.
6. Depending on the demand and availability of funds, the Committee may favor expenses over stipends.