Newswise — A new White Paper from the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) advocates for proper acknowledgment of faculty mentoring of undergraduate researchers in workload, tenure, promotion, and award systems at higher education institutions.

Recognizing and Valuing the Mentoring of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity by Faculty Members: Workload, Tenure, Promotion, and Award Systems (CUR White Paper No. 2) presents the need for recognition of faculty mentorship of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity; recommends best practices for institutions to adopt (such as adding valuation of undergraduate researcher mentoring to strategic plans); offers a selection of case studies that features some of these practices; and summarizes upcoming challenges.

“It’s vital to acknowledge the substantial role of mentoring undergraduate researchers in faculty responsibilities,” said Janet A. Morrison (The College of New Jersey), chair of the CUR task force that produced the white paper. “This white paper provides practical and easily adaptable suggestions for institutions seeking to recognize this important component in faculty workload.”  

The white paper follows CUR’s White Paper No. 1 on the crucial role of undergraduate research in training a highly skilled workforce.

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