UROC Scholar & Faculty Mentor Agreements
The UROC Scholar Agreement and UROC Mentor Agreement below describe in detail the expectations of both Scholars and Mentors who are associated with the UROC/McNair Scholars program. These documents are typically reviewed in detail and signed at a meeting shortly after the Scholar is accepted into the Scholars program. At this meeting, the Scholar, Mentor, and a UROC Staff person review the expectations outlined below and discuss the resources and guidance UROC provides to assist Mentors and Scholars in achieving these goals.
The expectations outlined below represent a combination of activities that can be accomplished on both short and long time scales. UROC Scholars are not expected to accomplish these goals all at once. Instead, UROC expects consistent progress to be made every semester towards these goals.
UROC Scholar Agreement
UROC Scholars are expected to excel academically and to serve as exemplary members of their respective communities within UROC, CSUMB, their research disciplines and beyond. In all matters, Scholars will apply themselves to the fullest, demonstrate scholarship and leadership, and maintain the highest academic and ethical standards. In their actions they will exhibit maturity, honesty, sound judgment, and respect for others. This is a big investment and a brilliant future that YOU need to drive. your initial responsibilities and deliverables are listed below -- this list will grow and evolve as you begin working with your Mentor.
Students who are unable or unwilling to perform at this level will not continue to receive funding for research or ravel. Repeated failure to meet the standards described in this document may result in dismissal from the Scholars program.
Connecting to your research and/or Faculty Mentor is central to your success as a Scholar – this requires intellectual engagement and leadership on your part. You are responsible for organizing meetings with your Faculty Mentor, generating the agenda, and providing follow-up emails summarizing each meeting, next steps, responsibilities, and timeline.
You are expected to participate in the RSCH courses (see below) as well as a variety of UROC activities that will enrich and challenge you and your peers to build a community and collaborate to achieve scholarly excellence (e.g. writing groups and outreach events).
This four semester research (RSCH) seminar series is the cornerstone of your UROC scholarly community, designed to build your scholarly identity and sense of academic ownership. In order to remain in good standing with the program and to continue to receive research and travel funding, you must earn credit (CR) in each required RSCH course and submit all major deliverables. All Scholars are expected to:
- Identify and apply to conferences, fellowships, scholarships, and summer research and graduate programs that match your strengths and professional goals.
- Identify the academic and personal strengths that will serve you well in graduate school and develop strategies that will help you address any weaknesses.
- Develop a curriculum vitae (CV) that highlights your academic accomplishments, leadership, and scholarship..
- Develop a powerful statement of purpose (SoP) and an online presence through a portfolio (e.g. ePortfolio) that presents your personal, academic and professional strengths.
- Write engaging and professional correspondence and successfully contribute to dialogs with peers, mentors, graduate students, UROC staff and others.
- Ensure your summer research project is rigorous and impactful through the development of a research planning guide (RPG) or graduate school planning guide (GSPG). Note: Preparing an RPG and GSPG requires deep thought and reflection from the Scholar and should be developed in collaboration with your mentor(s
Working with your UROC Faculty Mentor, your research network and UROC Staff, secure a summer research placement that aligns with your research interests, builds critical skill sets, develops your professional network, and connects you more deeply to your discipline. This requires that you schedule any external commitments (e.g. family vacations, summer courses, summer jobs, etc) around your commitment to conduct summer undergraduate research for a minimum of 2 summers.
Presenting at national-level conferences and/or publish with your faculty mentor(s). Aim to produce high-quality products that articulate your research.
Striving for a high GPA makes your application for grad school and research experiences competitive. If your semester GPA falls below a 3.0, you will be expected to work with your Faculty Mentor and UROC staff to identify and implement strategies for increasing your GPA. See the UROC policies webpage for additional details.
You will identify strategic activities related to your research interests that inspire you to become a leader and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. These activities should address at least one of the National Science Foundation broader impact themes (e.g. advance discovery while promoting teaching, training and learning, broaden the participation of underrepresented groups, etc.).
This program and the associated deliverables support students who plan to apply to research-based graduate programs. All Scholars will be expected to develop and submit applications to master’s and/or doctoral programs in RSCH 400 and/or to develop a RSCH400 “for credit” contract that aligns with their professional goals. Note: Any Scholar interested in applying to non-research-based graduate programs should meet with the UROC Curriculum Associate to determine next steps e.g. exiting the program.
We welcome and encourage feedback and suggestions to build a strong, vibrant program. As part of your commitment to UROC and future cohorts of Scholars, you will be asked to participate in surveys, focus groups and interviews. This information not only allows us to report to the granting agencies that fund your research and conference travel, but is also an integral part of how you can contribute to UROC and make it a stronger program.
UROC Mentor Agreement
Faculty Mentor plays a critical role in the Scholars Program. The Scholar’s success depends on an effective Mentor-Scholar relationship. The Faculty Mentor’s goals are to develop the Scholar’s confidence, research skills, communication skills, knowledge of ethical conduct in research, professional networking skills, and critical thinking abilities in preparation for doctoral studies. To accomplish these goals, Faculty Mentors will:
- Meet regularly with the Scholar following a pre-determined meeting schedule.
- Alert UROC staff at the first sign of academic, programmatic, or personal difficulties (such as missed meetings or late assignments). As appropriate, work with UROC staff to develop an intervention strategy.
- Introduce the Scholar to seminal research in their field. Identify scholarly work for the Scholar to review and work with the Scholar to develop their research interests. Recommended deliverable: Literature review or research introduction.
- Assist the Scholar with developing a Research Planning Guide (RPG) and Graduate School Planning Guide (GSPG). The RPG is due 2 weeks after the Scholar starts their summer research experience and is a deliverable for RSCH 294 and RSCH 300. The GSPG is also due 2 weeks after the start of their summer research and is a deliverable for RSCH 394 and RSCH 400.
- Monitor and, as appropriate, guide the research process. Scholars are expected to be engaged in research or creative activity in the summer of 2022 and, if feasible, in the spring of 2022. Note: Scholars have a $2,800 research scholarship available per fiscal year that can be used during the fall semester, spring semester and summer.
- Assist the Scholar in the identification of and with applications to viable summer research experiences. Scholars who graduate after the spring of 2022 semester are expected to submit applications to at least 5 summer research experiences. If an alternative research opportunity is needed for the Scholar, UROC Scholar Faculty Mentors and Scholars must work with the UROC Research Associate, Jessica Bautista, to identify an opportunity. If a research opportunity is not secured, UROC Scholar Faculty Mentors must commit to serving as the Scholar’s summer Research Mentor and work with UROC on a financial plan to support the student’s research
- Assist the Scholar in preparing research posters, oral presentations, and/or peer-reviewed publications.
- Help the scholar identify and apply for undergraduate scholarships, funding for undergraduate research, graduate school programs and graduate school funding opportunities.
- Review and sign the mentor agreement. In order to receive mentor compensation, you must complete the required forms i.e. this mentor agreement and University Corporation hiring paperwork. You can find a full, detailed description of the UROC Mentor Compensation policy at the following webpage: https://csumb.edu/uroc/uroc-policies.
- Monitor and assess the Scholar’s Individual Learning Plan to ensure that it is in line with requirements for graduate study within the Scholar’s intended field of study.
- Acknowledge UROC. During the course of their undergraduate research activities, UROC participants may be supported directly and indirectly by multiple grants stemming from UROC during the course of their undergraduate research activities. We ask that Faculty Mentors acknowledge any and all support provided by UROC when they and/or their students disseminate results of their research (including poster presentations, oral presentations, peer-reviewed publications, grey/white papers, etc.). To this end, we request that you visit the UROC Mentor FAQ webpage https://csumb.edu/uroc/mentor-faqs for more information about acknowledging UROC support and/or email UROC uroc@csumb.edu with any questions or concerns.