SURE 2024 Application Guidelines
The official submission of the online application by the faculty mentor must be done by 12:00 p.m. Noon on Monday, December 18, 2023
Application Process
Proposals must be jointly submitted by a student and a faculty mentor. All proposals must be submitted electronically through the online SURE application. The online application will be submitted in a two-part process:
- The student will initiate the application by providing their information and then submitting it.
- The faculty mentor will then receive an email enabling them to review and edit as appropriate the content that already has been entered into the application, and then provide the remaining required information prior to officially submitting it by 12:00 p.m. Noon on Monday, December 18, 2023.
The following documents must be available for upload prior to initiating the online application by the student (i.e., application part 1) and completing the online application by the faculty member (i.e., application part 2). Neither part 1 or 2 of the application process can be saved and returned to at a later time once it has been initiated. The preferred format for the uploaded files is PDF, but Word documents are acceptable.
Student will upload the following two documents when initiating the application:
- Written by the student, answering the following:
- Describe your knowledge and interest in the proposed project and discuss what you expect to gain from participating in research on the project.
- What personal qualities will you bring to the project and how will you contribute to the research?
- The document must conform to the following format:
- Maximum of one page, double spaced, single-sided, one-inch margins on all sides, minimum of 12-point font – Times or Times New Roman.
- One page, single-sided resume of student applicant.
- Resumes should have been reviewed by the Career Development Center prior to their submission.
Faculty Mentor will upload the following three documents when completing and officially submitting the application:
- A description, written jointly by the student and the faculty mentor, of the overall project on which the student and the faculty member will collaborate. Specify the outcome of the project; for example, a conference presentation, an article, a book, etc. If the project has received previous SURE funding, please specify how the proposed project builds on the work completed during former summer(s). For ongoing projects, please address what was accomplished and what will be accomplished.
- Please keep the audience in mind; proposals are reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee, consisting of faculty, administrators and former SURE students. The members of the SURE Review Committee are listed at the end of this page.
- The document must conform to the following format:
- Maximum of two-page narrative limit, including any reference listing/bibliography, double-spaced, single-sided, one-inch margins on all sides, minimum of 12-point font, Times or Times New Roman.
- There is a total two-page narrative limit for responding to the following three prompts:
- Student Responsibilities: Description, written jointly by the student and the faculty member, of the specific responsibilities of the student in the project and the educational benefits that the student will derive.
- Mentorship Plan: Description, in detail, of the specific procedure the faculty member plans to follow in developing the mentoring relationship between the student and the faculty member, as well as the collaborative nature of the project.If the faculty member will be absent during any period of time, describe what plans have been made to provide support for the student during that time.
- SURE faculty mentors are expected to attend all lunches, programming (including the SURE Poster Session in the fall), and be available to the SURE student to provide sufficient mentoring throughout the Program.
- Student Qualifications: Written by the faculty member as if it were a recommendation for a position; highlight qualifications of the student that align with those needed to conduct the proposed project.
- The document must conform to the following format:
- Maximum of two pages to address all three prompts, double-spaced, single-sided, one-inch margins on all sides, minimum of 12-point font, Times or Times New Roman.
- One page, single-sided curriculum vitae of the faculty member.
- Should highlight any previous experience in working collaboratively with individual students.
- Previous SURE faculty mentors should include presentations and publications resulting from SURE research.
Application Deadline
The official submission of the online application by the faculty mentor must be done by 12:00 p.m. Noon on Monday, December 18, 2023. Please plan accordingly.
Application Review & Award Announcement
The completeness of the proposals and verification that each of the uploaded documents comply with all of the required elements is the responsibility of the applicants. Only submitted applications that comply with all of the required guidelines will be considered by the SURE Review Committee. Every effort will be made to announce the awards in late February/early March 2024.
Additional Considerations
Applicants who previously participated in SURE or an affiliated summer research program, should address what was accomplished during the first summer and how the SURE 2024 experience will differ and build upon the initial experience. Faculty who have external grant funds that will either completely or partially support research assistants may apply to have the student brought under the SURE Program.
Criteria for Selection
Proposals are rated on a scale of 0 to 10 on each of the following criteria:
- The suitability of the student for the specific project. Including past academic performance.
- The collaborative nature of the project and mentoring relationship.
- The potential for gaining new knowledge and/or insight within the discipline.
- The expected educational benefit and personal growth to the student.
- The quality of the application as a whole.
A maximum score of 50 is possible. Final decisions will also be based on the faculty member’s prior experience in working collaboratively with individual students and prior experience with the SURE Program. Demonstrated and potential commitment to the SURE program will also be taken into consideration.
SURE Review Committee
- Craig Kelley, SURE Coordinator
- Bonnie Troupe, Office of Research, Grants & Sponsored Projects, ex officio member
- Dan Rogers, Chemistry, representing STEM
- Edward McGushin, Philosophy, representing Humanities
- Youjeong Huh, Management, representing School of Business
- Chris Poirier, Psychology, representing Social Science
- Devin Clemons, Pilgrim Heights Residence Director
- Jamie Baker ’25, Major: Biology
- James Doherty ’24, Major: Finance; Minor: Philosophy
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