Diversity Mentoring Program

Supporting diversity in student-faculty research collaboration

Since the Diversity Mentoring program, supported by Blugold Commitment Differential Tuition, was instituted in 2006, participation by Students of Color in undergraduate research has risen from near-zero to a level that is on par with the proportion of Students of Color on campus.

In order to help decrease the achievement gap between minority and majority students, the Diversity Mentoring Program is designed to support students of color and students with low income in student-faculty undergraduate research collaboration. It is funded by Blugold Commitment Differential Tuition. Similar to the Student-Faculty Research Collaboration Grants, these awards are designed to facilitate the initiation and development of student research projects mentored by faculty or academic staff. Projects under this program are intended to provide students experiential experience in the research process. These awards are not intended for support of projects lasting longer than one year. As a condition of the grant, students are expected to present their results at the Annual UW-Eau Claire Student Research Day, or the UW System Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Students are also encouraged to present findings at professional conferences or meetings in their disciplines or at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR); travel funds for this purpose are available through the Student Travel for Presentation of Research Results program.  In addition, it is not uncommon for a student to contribute to or co-author a manuscript for publication that results from their work.

Award:

Student Stipend: For summer projects, grants are limited to the following student stipend amounts per proposal- up to $2,300 per student with a maximum of $6,900 per project. The total stipend for any individual student working on multiple projects may be limited to $3,500 in the funding cycle, depending on the availability of funds. Faculty mentors can submit multiple projects requesting full student stipend amount, awards will be determined based on the availability of funds. 

Academic year grants are limited to the following student stipend amounts per proposal - up to $2,000 per student, with a maximum of $6,900 per project. Students working on multiple projects may be limited to a maximum stipend of $3,000 for all projects in one funding cycle, depending on the availability of funds. Faculty mentors can submit multiple projects requesting full student stipend amount, awards will be determined based on the availability of funds. 

Supplies, Services, and Travel: In addition to the stipends, each collaborative project is eligible to receive up to $600 for supplies, services, and travel directly related to the project (not for travel to present at a conference, see Student Travel for the Presentation of Research Results). 

Eligibility:

Faculty and academic staff with .5 FTE or greater appointments working with UWEC students who qualify as minority or low-income students may apply. Please check with ORSP at 715-836-3405 to determine whether a student qualifies for this program, as students must meet specific requirements. Students are expected to move from this program to other funding programs and are unlikely to receive more than two awards under this program in their career.

Deadlines for Application:

The proposal may be submitted at any time. When applicants submit the form in BPLogix, it will be routed for approval by the department chair and dean (or equivalents) prior to being processed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Application Process/Writing Guide:

The Diversity Mentoring application is processed in BP Logix and must be initiated by a faculty member. Please visit the Using eForms and BP Logix page for a detailed explanation of the eForm system.

Faculty mentors are encouraged to mentor students in proposal-writing as appropriate to the situation. For students, the Center for Writing Excellence, located on the second floor of McIntyre Library, can help at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming and outlining to organizing arguments and polishing claims.

If students are joining a project that already has funding from ORSP, the guide for Existing Projects should be used. If the project is not yet funded, the writing for New Projects should be used.

Go to the eform application for additional application information. 

Apply Here

Existing Projects (Project already has funding from ORSP)

Existing Projects (Project already has funding from ORSP)

The application has six primary sections:

  • Basic Information and Summary includes project title, co-investigators, and a 3-5 sentence abstract.
  • Program: select the Existing Project radio button and chose either Faculty/Student Research Collaboration or Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates from the dropdown.
  • Attachments (2):
    • Narrative: Please describe the role the student(s) will play in the existing project, and steps you will take to mentor that student(s).
    • Faculty Vita: A brief (no longer than 2 pages) faculty vita as a PDF or Word file that documents
      • Faculty expertise in the general area of research propose
      • Past experience as a faculty research mentor
      • Student and/or faculty presentations, publications, etc, resulting from past student-faculty research projects.
  • IRB or IACUC Approval: If your research involves human or animal subjects, it may require IRB or IACUC approval respectively. Please visit the IRB Homepage or the IACUC Homepage for details. If you have any questions, please contact orsp@uwec.edu or 715-836-3405.
  • Budget: Applicants must clearly explain and justify all requested expenses in the budget explanation section of the form.
  • Wage Rates for student researchers: Suggested pay rate for beginning undergraduate researchers is up to $10.00/hr; more advanced researchers can be paid more, to the faculty mentor's discretion. During the academic year it is reasonable for students to work 5 to 8 hours per week, i.e., 75 to 120 hours per semester; more work during Winterim and Interim is possible, but must be specified in the budget explanation.
  • Travel and Supplies: please indicate how cost totals are calculated.
  • Routing: please fill in the appropriate routing order to ensure the application is properly reviewed.
New Projects (Project does not have funding from ORSP)

New Projects (Project does not have funding from ORSP)

The application has six primary sections:

  • Basic Information and Summary includes project title, co-investigators, and a 3-5 sentence abstract.
  • Program: select the New Project radio button.
  • Attachments (3): ** Please note the change; the narrative is now divided into two documents
    • Research Narrative: A PDF or Word document. It is strongly recommended that, whenever possible, faculty and students collaborate on the research narrative. It should be no longer than 3 double-spaced pages (include page numbers; citations may extend beyond the 3-page limit), and must address:
    • Project description:
      • Project aims (e.g., research question, project goal(s))
      • Disciplinary context and significance
      • Theoretical approach, process and/or methodology
      • If this is a continuing project, activity and results to date
      • Larger or longer-term dissemination play for this project
    • Mentoring Narrative: A PDF or Word document no longer than 2 pages (include page numbers) that addresses:
      • Nature of student activities and learning
      • Project steps, including dissemination plan (suggest time-line if possible)
      • Class rank, experience and preparation of students (those already selected or those to be recruited)
      • Research skills and dispositions student(s) will experience/be exposed to
    • Faculty mentoring approaches and activities planned, such as:
      • Structure, nature, and frequency of student-faculty interactions
      • Training and scaffolding of skills (e.g., research methods, research ethics, preparation for dissemination)
      • History of prior activities in faculty-mentored undergraduate research
      • Summary of previous projects (reference faculty vita)
      • Provide highlights of student outcomes
  • IRB or IACUC Approval: If your research involves human or animal subjects, it may require IRB or IACUC approval respectively. Please visit the IRB Homepage or the IACUC Homepage for details. If you have any questions, please contact orsp@uwec.edu or 715-836-3405.
  • Budget: Applicants must clearly explain and justify all requested expenses in the budget explanation section of the form.
    • Wage Rates for student researchers: Suggested pay rate for beginning undergraduate researchers is up to $10.00/hr; more advanced researchers can be paid more, to the faculty mentor's discretion. During the academic year it is reasonable for students to work 5 to 8 hours per week, i.e., 75 to 120 hours per semester; more work during Winterim and Interim is possible but must be specified in the budget explanation.
    • Travel and Supplies: please indicate how cost totals are calculated.
  • Routing: please fill in the appropriate routing order to ensure the application is properly reviewed.

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