1. Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Education at Queens College
Yasemin Jones (Office of the Provost)
Eva Fernández (Center for Teaching & Learning)

2. Purpose Queens College strategic plan mission goal:
“Prepare students to become leaders of our global society by offering a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences under the guidance of a faculty dedicated to both teaching and research.”
Research opportunities for undergraduate students combined with support for faculty research.
 Faculty’s expertise and research goals combined with students’ interests and career goals

3. Program History Original program: 1994–2004
Program revived in fall by new Provost Jim Stellar
2009–2010: Faculty-led projects
2010–2011: Added new track, student-led projects

4. Current Structure and Process
Part of growing set of initiatives classified as experiential education (Office of the Provost)
Cross-divisional advisory committee including 5 faculty, 2 students, 1 administrator
Calls for proposals in early fall, funding through the end of spring
Research symposium in early fall

5. Proposal Process
Announcements via , College website, word of mouth
Committee reviews: at least 3 readers per proposal
Review criteria:
A. Quality
B. Feasibility
C. Broader impacts of anticipated outcomes
D. Evidence of project's capacity for student engagement and interaction with discipline (i.e., development of new skill sets, participation in paper/lab)

6. “I should mention that as an undergraduate myself, I conducted some research under the advisement of a faculty mentor, and presented my findings at the Hudson River Undergraduate Mathematics Conference. I found this to be an inspiring experience, further motivating me to pursue a career in mathematics. It is my goal to help interested students achieve a similar experience.” (Dr. S. Wilson, Mathematics, URME faculty–led project awardee, )

7. Participation & Cost 2009–2010 2010–2011 Faculty-Led Student-Led
Submitted (funds requested)
51 ($106,000)
23 ($51,800)
31 ($38,750)
Supported
(funding rate)
17 (33%)
16 (69%)
16 (52%)
Total faculty 19 16
Total students 70 45 17
Program cost
$37,000
$30,700
$10,900
$41,600

8. Expected outcomes For faculty: For students: For institution:
Supports tenure and promotion by increasing productivity in research (journal submissions, grant proposals)
For students:
Improves quality of student experience
Improves GPAs and admission into competitive graduate programs
Affords participation in national and international conferences
For institution:
Enhances QC’s reputation
Increases number of undergraduates staying at Queens for graduate work
Improves retention and graduation