Feb. 13, 2007 A new summer grant program supporting student research has been announced by Presbyterian College.
The PC Summer Fellows Program will provide opportunities for current students to enhance their academic experience at the college by allowing them to work on research with faculty mentors during the summer.
Each student researcher will be provided a $2,000 stipend for the eight-week program, which will include weekly lunch seminars, participation in a concluding seminar, and a presentation at the college’s annual Honors Day Symposium each spring.
Participants also will be provided free on-campus housing during the summer program and assistance with costs associated with presentations at off-campus professional meetings or student research symposiums.
College provost Dr. Robert Holyer said the Summer Fellows Program emerged as a natural extension of PC’s academic strengths – including a faculty that already works closely with students doing research – and his own experiences developing a summer research program at Randolph-Macon College prior to joining the college as provost in 2006.
Last fall, Holyer and Dr. Bob Freymeyer, a sociology professor and director of undergraduate research, met with faculty interested in expanding the college’s student research opportunities.
“The response to that invitation was just very positive,” he said. “And because of the level of enthusiasm, I tried to find additional funds this year to begin this summer.
Holyer said he hopes students will be equally enthusiastic embracing a new opportunity to pursue research at the undergraduate level,
“Presbyterian College has had a strong tradition of honors research during the academic year,” he said. “Several departments have had a strong tradition of student research – and a summer research program just adds the next dimension of a comprehensive student-faculty research program.”
The college hopes to attract students from all disciplines to the Summer Research Program – even those pursuing creative work as a research project. PC also hopes the program will encourage even more faculty members to work with students on research, especially those who have enjoyed their own undergraduate research opportunities.
Students interested in becoming a PC Summer Fellow should contact a college faculty member to discuss potential research projects. Applicants must submit an application form available at:
http://www.presby.edu/acad/prog/documents/HonorsProgramApplication.doc
Students also must submit a research proposal detailing the nature of their project, including a discussion of the methods to be used, and a brief letter of support from their faculty mentor. Applications must be submitted to the Office of the Provost by Thursday, March 1, 2007. Decisions will be announced by Friday, March 30. For more information, contact the Office of the Provost or Dr. Freymeyer at rhfreym@presby.edu. | 
