Faculty: Get Involved
Are you a non-STEMM faculty member conducting research during Summer 2025 with interest in guiding and mentoring students through inquiry-based experiential learning?
If so, we invite you to partner with the University Honors Program through our UHP Discover summer research program!
Project Proposal Applications for Summer 2025 will open in December 2024
UHP Discover is grounded in experiential learning, which is central to the UHP's vision of developing students into global citizen scholars who lead innovative efforts towards solving the world’s complex problems. This signature program is a full-time (30–40 hours per week for 10 weeks) summer research experience for undergraduate students in the UHP who have little-to-no research experience.
UC faculty members engaging in summer research with interest in mentoring a student researcher are encouraged to submit a proposal. Research projects may only come from the humanities, social sciences, business, education, music, arts, and other non-STEMM disciplines. Proposals with research projects in STEMM related disciplines are not eligible and will not be accepted. An estimation of 20-30 faculty research projects will be selected and supported for the Summer 2025 session.
- Faculty must submit their research project proposal to the UHP by Friday, January 31st, 2025 @ 11:59pm (EST)
- Summer research projects must be full-time (30-40 hours per week, for 10 weeks)
- The faculty member must be available to mentor and supervise his/her/their student researcher during the student's entire employment period. We recommend, at minimum, scheduling bi-weekly meetings with selected student researchers.
- Research project proposals will be reviewed by a committee of UHP faculty and staff. An estimation of 20-30 research projects will be selected.
- Faculty will be informed of their proposal's status by the end of business on Monday, February 10.
- Selected projects will be posted online by Wednesday, February 12th, 2025 for UHP students to view. Applicants must be current University Honors Program undergraduate students. Students graduating during the summer of UHP Discover will be ineligible.
- Beginning Friday, February 14th, 2025, UHP students can apply to the project(s) of their choosing. Their deadline to apply will be Friday, February 28th, 2025.
- As applications are received between February 14th and 28th, faculty are encouraged to review submissions and reach out to candidates of interest to schedule a one-on-one or group interview.
- Though review/selection can start as applications are received, final selections/matches (meaning faculty can make an official offer to their selected candidate assuming review/interviews have been completed) may not be offered until February 28th through March 12th.
- Students are given 24 hours to accept/decline. If the first student you offer to does not accept, you may offer to the next student and continue this until you and a student match. Please let the students and UHP coordinator know where you are in this process.
- The faculty member will then indicate his/her/their student selection to the UHP Coordinator (Zach Jung) by Wednesday, March 12.
- Students are expected to prioritize UHP Discover and not participate in other full-time jobs, coops, or classes during this experience. Let the UHP Discover coordinator know if this issue arises.
- Students may apply to up to eight (8) faculty research projects. If they are offered more than one opportunity, the student may decide which project to accept.
- The UHP will provide $1000 to the faculty mentor's department for use by the faculty member. The $1000 will be transferred to the faculty member’s department within the month of May to then be available for the faculty member’s use. This funding is transferred from operating funds.
- A salary or stipend is not paid directly to the faculty member by the UHP. If the department chooses to use the $1000 to pay a stipend, it must be used for both salary and benefits. Therefore, the faculty member will not be paid $1000 by the department but rather a smaller amount to also account for required benefits.
- $1000 will be transferred for each UHP Discover project that a faculty member oversees, if a match is made.
- The faculty member's department will be required to hire the student as a student employee, so that the student can be paid to conduct the research.
- The UHP will provide the funding, up to $6000 at a rate of $15/hr for the 10 week research period. We will coordinate directly with your unit's business office.
- The faculty member's department must hire the selected student as an hourly student employee. The faculty member and their department must oversee all aspects of the student's employment, including hiring, clocking in and out/timekeeping, PCR processes, and managing all other HR processes related to hiring and employment.
- The faculty member will indicate how many hours per week the student will work for the ten weeks. This amount of funding will be transferred by the UHP to the faculty member's department, up to $6000, to pay the student. If a student will work fewer than 40 hours per week for the ten weeks, a pro-rated amount will be transferred. If the student works fewer hours than indicated, the remaining funds are to be transferred back to the UHP at the end of the summer.
- Students are not permitted to work more than 40 hours per week. In the event that a student works beyond his/her/their contracted hours, the faculty member's department is required to cover additional costs.
- Students will work with their faculty member to determine their summer schedule. Students and their faculty mentor can determine if work will be remote, on-campus, or hybrid as indicated in the faculty mentor's research project proposal. If students want to complete coursework alongside participation, they are not permitted to take more than 6 credit hours of summer courses while partaking in UHP Discover, as the program requires their full-time commitment.
- UHP students are required to attend professional development sessions on most Friday mornings as a part of their paid work. Faculty must allow students to attend these sessions on the identified Fridays.
- UHP students are required to present their research at the conclusion of the summer to fellow members of the program, mentors, and UHP staff.
- As noted above, the UHP will also transfer up to $6000 (including benefits) to the faculty member's department to cover the student researchers hourly pay ($15 per hour, 30–40 hours per week for 10 weeks, up to 400 hours for the summer). The faculty member's department must hire the student as an hourly student employee and oversee all aspects of the student's employment.
- The faculty member will indicate to the UHP how many hours per week the student will work for the ten weeks. This amount of funding will be transferred to the faculty member's department, up to $6000. If students will work less than 40 hours per week for the ten weeks, a pro-rated amount will be transferred.
- If the student works fewer hours than planned, the remaining funds are to be transferred back to the UHP at the end of the summer. If the student works more hours than planned, the faculty member's department is required to cover costs.
For questions, please email Zach Jung.