Faculty Mentor Support

Objective

The OURCA Faculty Mentor Professional Learning Grant aims to support faculty mentors through funding for research materials and services, equipment maintenance, professional development, and travel.

Eligibility

All faculty currently mentoring one or more students through an OURCA-funded project are eligible to apply.

Schedule

Fall awarded funds must be spent by June 15 and Spring awards must be spent by November 15. Any funds not spent by this time will be forfeited.
Application Criteria: Applications will be assessed and prioritized for available funding based on the following criteria:

• Potential for impact on the applicant’s research, scholarly, or creative achievement
• Degree of connection to current research, scholarly or creative activities involving undergraduate students
• Potential to positively contribute to current and future work with undergraduate students in
  research, scholarly, or creative endeavors
• Mentors who have not previously received this grant

Award Information

Awards are limited to $1,000 per award for all applicants, although it is possible that awards will be made in amounts less than requested. Multiple awards to one individual in the current academic year will only be considered if there are insufficient applications to fully expend available program funds. Funds may be used to support research materials and supplies, equipment maintenance, professional development materials or registration, and travel. OURCA will coordinate the purchase/payment of approved expenditures following award notification.

Application Questions

1. First and last name
2. NAU email
3. College
4. Department
5. OURCA program for which you mentor (Interns-to-Scholars, Hooper Undergraduate Research Award, Student-led Projects in the Arts, Creative and Scholarly Activity, Urdea Award, Shuler Research Mini Grant)
6. Total amount requested (up to $1,000)
7. Please provide a brief description of how the professional development funds will be used. (100 word limit)
8. How will these professional development funds enhance your research, scholarly, or creative activities, outcomes or impacts? (100 word limit)
9. How will these professional development funds contribute to your current and future work with undergraduate students in research, scholarly, or creative endeavors? (100 word limit)

OURCA is looking for faculty leaders within each college to serve as Faculty Innovators of Experiential Research and Community Engagement Fellows for the 2023-2024 academic year. FIERCE Fellows will be liaisons between OURCA and their respective college to promote the benefits of student participation in undergraduate research and creative activity and support faculty peers as they consider mentoring undergraduates in research, scholarly, and creative experiences. One representative from each college will be selected through a competitive application process. Fellows will receive $3,000 in professional learning funds for their service. Applications are being accepted now until March 31, 2023. Learn more

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity is now accepting proposals from faculty interested in embedding research experiences into existing or new courses. Recipients will participate in a two and a half day training with CURE expert, Dr. Sara Brownell, from May 22-24, 2023, and receive subsequent support from the Teaching and Learning Center and OURCA to develop the curriculum to pilot a course-based undergraduate research experience in Spring 2024. Learn more

Coming in late Spring 2023! The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has partnered with the Teaching and Learning Center and Research Librarians to bring the nationally recognized Entering Mentoring training to NAU. Sessions will be open to all faculty and graduate students who currently work with, or are interested in working with, undergraduates in research, scholarship, and creative activities.