11 Characteristics

Creating a campus culture that values and rewards undergraduate research is essential for sustaining a robust undergraduate research program. CUR believes that such a culture emerges when institutions are committed to high-quality undergraduate research for all students.

While faculty members are critical in the implementation of undergraduate research, administrative support, and commitment are essential to sustain the undergraduate research enterprise. Support can be construed in terms of funding, supplies, and equipment, etc.

An essential feature of a supportive undergraduate research environment is infrastructure. Without appropriate space, equipment, and other research resources, even the most talented and creative faculty members cannot sustain productive research and scholarship.

Professional development opportunities are critical to undergraduate research because faculty members who are current scholars in their areas of expertise are able to engage students in research that is relevant and conforming to modern praxis.

An institution that values undergraduate research as a high-priority activity that is integral to its educational mission will provide clear, tangible forms of recognition for faculty and students who engage in it.

External funding is essential for the development of a rich, productive, and cutting-edge faculty-student research environment. Although the availability of funding varies, an institutional culture of supporting the acquisition of external funding is important to sustain research.

An essential element of all research is dissemination. Peer-reviewed publications, juried art and performances are often viewed as pinnacle dissemination. All public dissemination, albeit virtually, on-campus, for community partners, or otherwise, should be institutionally advertised and celebrated.

Undergraduate research is fundamentally a student-centered activity that involves faculty mentoring. Institutions have a responsibility to highlight the educational and professional impact of the activity. Leaders should design experiences that are equitable and accessible, incorporate the best practices in undergraduate education, and highlight the connection to advanced degrees and careers.

Departments and programs should design curricula that expose students to skills necessary to undertake undergraduate research, and curricula should be designed in ways to facilitate and scaffold faculty and student involvement in undergraduate research.

A robust summer research program is essential to a vibrant undergraduate research environment. For students, the summer months offer a time when they can concentrate exclusively on a research project. 

Institutions and programs of excellence will have multiple approaches to assessment to recognize successes, illuminate gaps, and collect benchmarking data. Assessment plans should be appropriate for the context and purposeful in design.