How UC's Undergraduate Research Program Compares to Those at Similar Institutions
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Abstract
By Nichelle Lyle, Anthropology
Advisor: Megan Lamkin
Presentation ID: PM_C14
Abstract: UC is among the top research institutions in the country, ranking #54 in research & development out of more than 4,600 colleges and universities. Although there is a long, rich history of students engaging faculty for research experiences at UC, a centralized program dedicated to ensuring equitable access to opportunity is relatively new (3 years with a full-time employee). Because many universities have more established undergraduate research programs (or offices), we have an opportunity to learn from them and adopt successful models. I conducted a literature review and gleaned information from offices of undergraduate research from 10 academic institutions that are similar to UC in terms of research activity. Key differences between UC and institutions with more established programs are that the more established programs have: (1) multiple full-time and part-time personnel; (2) budgets substantial to provide dozens of research stipends each year; and (3) technical support to develop and maintain web-based learning modules and job boards. These results indicate that UC's centralized undergraduate research program could better serve the diverse needs of our institution with additional personnel and funding to develop and manage programs common at other research universities.