Undergraduate Honors Summer Research Grants (2008-2011)
The Honors Program Summer Research Program matches honors students with a faculty mentor in the School of Business. Approximately 20 students are selected University-wide. Since the School of Business began in 2008 to compete in this prestigious program, the number of grants awarded to Business students has increased each year; from two to six grants each summer. Students are selected based on their GPA and an interview with faculty. The students are required to work for six to eight weeks (280 hours) during the summer. Students in the program receive 3 Honors credits, a grade from the supervising professor in the fall semester, and a stipend of $1,500 at the completion of the research assignment.
Students have the opportunity to share the knowledge they have learned at several events after their summer work is completed. The Honors program holds a dinner in which students discuss and display a poster of their summer project. Students and their faculty mentors share their study at an Undergraduate Research Lunch and Learn session during the year. In addition, students display a poster of their research work at the Annual Undergraduate Research and Creativity Forum.
Dr. Elisah Lewis, the Director of Undergraduate Research and Support Services assists in encouraging the faculty to apply for this program as well as recruiting top students to compete for the grants. “It’s a wonderful educational opportunity for students to be able to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor and learn how to conduct academic research. Professors donate their time in this endeavor to assist our undergraduates in learning about research. This is a shining example of the deep commitment the faculty has in enriching our students’ lives through intellectual activities” Lewis said. One of the other important goals of this program is to encourage students to plan ahead in applying to graduate school. As a result, many of the past recipients of the Honors Summer grant have pursued graduate degrees in areas such as Law, Masters in Accounting, MBA’s or Ph.D’s, and credit this program with sparking their interest in scholarly pursuits.
