Culturally Aware Mentoring for Undergraduate Research Faculty Fellowship

Eligibility 

• Faculty need to have proven experience in undergraduate research mentoring either at LUC or another institution and must make a commitment to either engaging in or continuing their work in mentoring undergraduate research.
• Faculty must have an ongoing commitment to ensuring that their labs / or research teams & mentoring are fostering an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in their own lab or research team.
• Faculty must be full time. 

Requirements

• If you receive this fellowship, the following requirements are essential and non-negotiable in order to received the $5000 funding award -
• Attendance of an all day training by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research on January 24th, 2025 at LUC and another day long event in Fall 2025. 
• 3-4 meetings per semester with the CAMURFF cohort in both the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.
• Expanding undergraduate research opportunities for students through either beginning or continuing undergraduate research mentoring experiences.
• Creation of an advocacy plan of how you will bring what you learn back to your own departments and help build a larger culture of undergraduate research that centers the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work.

Applications for the CAMUR Faculty Fellowship are collected through this form.  The application is due November 1st, 2024. The application process also requires two letters of recommendation.

• One needs to be from a colleague who can speak to your commitment to undergraduate mentoring and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• One needs to be from a student who you mentored in an undergraduate research experience (within the the last 5 years).

Recommendations can be sent to Celts@luc.edu and should be addressed to Dr. Kevin Kaufmann & Dr. Susan Haarman. 

Feel free to email Dr. Kevin Kaufmann or Dr. Susan Haarman with any questions about the fellowship.

Undergraduate Research mentorships are an evidence-based best practice that support students academic success, retention, and persistence of students (Finley & McNair, 2013). Underrepresented minority students and first-generation students demonstrate the greatest benefits from these experiences. As a result, it is essential that these mentored environments prioritize the values of cultural awareness, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Faculty who are mentoring these undergraduates need the training and support to create and continuously improve their research environments so that students experience them as places of inclusion and belonging.  

The funds for this fellowship come from the READI Innovation Fund - an innovative and exciting program supported by the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. These grants aim to support faculty and staff in pursuit of  institutional priorities with an innovative spirit and imagination.

The goal is to approach DEI opportunities and challenges with an innovative lens to invest in staff and faculty who shape the student experience so that students feel a greater sense of belonging at Loyola.