When will you be finishing your thesis? For two-thirds of Trinity students, the answer is, “Never.”
Most undergraduates in Arts and Sciences never engage in a major research project during their time at Duke, but supporters of undergraduate research—including George McLendon, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences—would like to see the statistics change. Expanding undergraduate research is a priority for the new dean, who is working to find funding for more faculty-mentored student projects.
“I do believe that there is pent-up demand for this kind of opportunity,” McLendon said.
Currently, many undergraduates never undertake substantial research. Among the Class of 2004, “33 percent had engaged in some sort of a mentored research project,” said Mary Nijhout, associate dean of Trinity College. Nijhout also heads the Undergraduate Research Support Office, which funds and monitors students who are writing senior theses or involved in research independent studies. “In two to three years I’d like to see 50 percent of the class [doing research],” she said.
Funding to facilitate this substantial increase in numbers is already on the rise. Last summer, 31 students benefited from the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship, a grant in only its third year. The Undergraduate Research Support Program can also provide up to $350 per semester to students, but Nijhout said she believes the amount of money allocated to each student should be higher.
To combat the financial constraints that limit undergraduate research, McLendon has been talking with potential donors but has not yet confirmed any donations. Still, he hopes that contributions will start to arrive early in 2005 and that students will have access to more funds by next year.
With more money, McLendon said, more summer stipends could be made available. He plans to focus particularly on increasing faculty-mentored research, for which encouraging greater faculty involvement is vital. Additional funds could support research grants or a decrease in classroom teaching responsibilities to compensate faculty who devote more time to mentorship.
“Mentored situations are the ones that are the most impactful,” McLendon said.
Some Arts and Sciences departments already support undergraduate research. Honors candidates in the history department can apply to enroll in a year-long thesis seminar, and departmental funding is usually available. By matching faculty members and students with shared interests, the department encourages mentoring relationships to develop.
“The department has had a pretty long-standing tradition of putting resources into the thesis experience,” said Edward Balleisen, associate professor of history and director of the thesis seminar. Still, he welcomes the prospect of increasing undergraduate research. “I’m all for giving more students the opportunity to have this kind of experience,” he said.
Some faculty in the English department are taking mentorship to a new level by recruiting undergraduates to contribute to their own research. Assistant Professor Matt Cohen has undergraduates and graduate students alike helping with his research and editing for the online Walt Whitman Archive.
“Part of what we are doing is teaching the value of research,” said Ranjana Khanna, director of undergraduate studies for the English department. She added that there is a strong emphasis on incorporating research into the classroom—term papers are omnipresent, and professors in some classes focus on developing specific research strategies, even organizing field trips to the library.
Student scholars also agree about the value of research as a component of the undergraduate experience.
“I think that it was the one thing that made me really sure what I wanted to do after Duke,” said senior Jason Lavender, who received a grant from the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship for his research into binge eating. “If they knew that there was funding out there, I think that more people would be willing to pursue it.”
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