The Marcus Undergraduate Research Assistantship Grant

The Marcus Undergraduate Research Assistantship Grant is an initiative aimed at promoting student research in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Applications for 2027–2028 will open in Spring 2027.

Deadline for submission: To be announced.

Award amount: This grant may fund one or two students to serve as research assistants on their faculty mentor's ongoing project in 2026 – 2027. It awards $1,000 to the faculty mentor and $2,000 to each student assistant.

Timeline: Awardees are typically notified by the end of the spring semester. The Marcus Undergraduate Research Assistantship begins in the following fall and extends through spring of the following year.

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Requirements and Expectations

All tenured and tenure-track full-time faculty members in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts are eligible to apply. This grant promotes scholarly activity conducted by undergraduate students and a faculty member in a partnership. Projects must involve mentoring across a range of research activities.

Research projects are broadly construed to include all disciplines represented in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, and in all cases, students must be learning and practicing research/scholarship skills appropriate to the field of inquiry. 

Faculty Eligibility

• Must be a tenured/tenure-track full-time faculty member in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts.
• The faculty mentor should commit to meeting weekly or biweekly with the student research assistant(s).
• In an effort to spread resources, faculty who have recently been recipients of the Marcus Assistantship Award will be lower priority.

Student Eligibility

• Must be declared undergraduate majors in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts.
• Must be enrolled during both the fall and spring semesters of the awarded academic year.
• Must not be studying abroad in 2026 – 2027.

Expectations

• All student recipients will present results from their project involvement at the Spring 2027 LCA Undergraduate Research Showcase.
• The faculty member will present brief remarks about student contributions at the Marcus Grants End of Year Celebration in May 2027 and submit a 1,000 word report at that time reflecting on their experience.

Application Components

To apply for the Marcus Undergraduate Research Assistantship Grant, you will need to include the following:

1. General Information: Your name and contact information, Department/School, etc.
2. A copy of your most recent CV
3. Project Title and Abstract
4. Project Narrative
5. Project timeline including what will be accomplished by student research assistant(s) at each stage.
6. Faculty Mentorship Plan
7. Name and contact information for your proposed student assistant(s) if you have this information (it can also be added later once the grant has been awarded)
8. Justification for a second student assistant (if applicable)
9. Additional Materials (optional)

Marcus Undergraduate Assistantship Grant: Current and Past Winners