Joe Trimmer, emeritus professor of English at Ball State University, has been selected as the 2022 Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) – Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awardee.
Trimmer mentored hundreds of undergraduate students, including many dozen Honors College undergraduates at Ball State University. For many years and into retirement, Trimmer continued his passion for mentoring students. In a course that analyzed the literature on family history, he guided hundreds of students to create individual family portfolios based on interviews and other research. Trimmer is also a celebrated writer, known for designing his publications to inspire and deepen critical and creative thinking, writing skills, and of course, research methods and synthesis. These publications include the River Reader, a collection of expository prose geared toward modeling how writers turn empirical observation into artful and significant writing, and the composition textbooks Writing Arguments and Writing with a Purpose.
Trimmer helped found CUR’s Division of Arts and Humanities. This community continues to support undergraduate research in the areas of arts and humanities by highlighting models of success, training future mentors, and supporting current student researchers. In turn, this CUR division urged the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts to build undergraduate research into their funding programs. His work with CUR has also involved direct assistance to students doing undergraduate research. Along with his wife, Carol Trimmer, they created gifts to fund student travel to national and international conferences. Trimmer has been active in CUR for almost 20 years and served as a member of the Executive Board from 2016 to 2020.
Said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer, “Professor Joe Trimmer’s innovative interdisciplinary work and commitment to the long-standing mission of CUR has inspired undergraduate researchers and faculty members alike. His publications have provided invaluable resources for faculty and administrators wishing to nurture undergraduate research in the arts and humanities. Trimmer’s active roles within CUR, the CUR Arts and Humanities Division, the Indiana Humanities Council Board of Directors, and the National Humanities Alliance have helped to build dynamic communities supporting undergraduate research.”
The CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Award was established in 2018 through an endowed gift by 2012 CUR Fellow Joyce Kinkead (Utah State University) to nurture undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry in arts and humanities disciplines.
Trimmer will be celebrated virtually at the upcoming CUR Spring Celebration on April 21, 2022, from 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET. This celebration is open to the undergraduate research community. You can RSVP here.
Founded in 1978, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) focuses on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity. Among the many activities and networking opportunities that CUR provides, the organization also offers support for the professional growth of faculty and administrators through expert-designed institutes, conferences, and a wide-range of volunteer positions. The CUR community, made up of nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals, continues to provide a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research. CUR’s advocacy efforts are also a large portion of its work as they strive to strengthen support for undergraduate research. Its continued growth in connections with representatives, private foundations, government agencies, and campuses world-wide provides value to its members and gives voice to undergraduate research. CUR is committed to inclusivity and diversity in all of its activities and our community.
CUR focuses on giving a voice to undergraduate research with learning through doing. It provides connections to a multitude of campuses and government agencies, all while promoting networking and professional growth to its community.