Undergraduate Research Creativity Faculty Mentorship Awards

The awards recognize excellence in faculty engagement with undergraduate researchers and are sponsored by Kutztown University's Undergraduate Research and Creativity Faculty Advisory Board and the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects.

Each award carries $500 in professional development funds.

The twofold purpose of the awards is to raise awareness of all the outstanding undergraduate research that is taking place on campus and beyond, whether in local forests or streams, or much farther away, and to reward, recognize and celebrate these impressive achievements. Each year there can be up to four faculty recipients.

New for 2025: Emerging Mentor: This category is intended for early career faculty who have demonstrated exemplary work with undergraduate researchers OR a faculty member who is new to the area of UGRC mentorship 

Deadline for submissions: March 1, 2025

 Submission Form 

Notification of Recipients: on or around April 1, 2025.

Awards Ceremony: 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 17, 2025 as part of the KU Inspires Undergraduate Research Conference.                                                             

Nomination Categories

• Application Categories:
  • Option 1: Colleague nominates colleague. The Awards Team contacts the nominee to have them complete the application.
  • Option 2: Self-nomination.
  • Option 3: Select if you were nominated by someone else.
     

Submission Materials: 

• A personal statement (written by the candidate) of 500 words. The statement should include an explanation of their UGRC mentorship philosophy and how the candidate supports UGRC in teaching. 
  • Candidates should also address how their work corresponds to one or more of the following areas:
    
    • developing and implementing innovative techniques/curricula for directing students toward independent research and creativity;
    • encouraging and facilitating public presentation of research or creative projects;
    • supporting student researchers from underrepresented populations by seeking to eliminate traditional boundaries;
    • establishing programs and pathways to engage a broader audience (entire classes) in research, for example by designing and implementing CUREs;
    • publishing/presenting on best practices in undergraduate research and creativity.
• A c.v., no longer than three pages, that highlights that candidate’s professional work with UGRC.
• Up to three letters of support, one from a colleague, the others are your choice.