The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) offers consulting and mentoring services to individuals, academic departments, schools/colleges, and entire campuses. CUR provides these services by calling upon academic professionals who share its vision and goals; are experts in undergraduate research theory, practice, and assessment; have an understanding of higher education budget and policy issues; and are leaders in undergraduate education quality and sustainable institutional change. CUR’s faculty and administrative consultants, program reviewers, meeting facilitators, and mentors are experienced in visiting academic institutions, listening to your needs, and providing the help you need. Unlike the departmental program review service, the consulting service targets multi-departmental and/or institution-wide needs.
CUR’s consultants have a wide range of expertise and are recruited from diverse institutional settings. They can help you:
- Design a faculty-mentored research program
- Help upper-level administrators better understand how to support undergraduate research programs
- Enhance an undergraduate research program for nonmajors
- Engage diverse students with differing needs
- Devise a program to revitalize mid-career faculty
- Prepare for an accreditation visit
- Train faculty research mentors
- Enhance grant competitiveness
- Establish a campus-wide undergraduate research office
- Institutionalize undergraduate research
- Set up or review research compliance programs
- Review the activities of sponsored program and/or foundation offices
- Design an assessment strategy or strategic plan
- Set up community-campus research initiatives
- Develop a university consortium
- Help design a fund-raising program
On-Campus Institutes
CUR also offers customized on-campus institutes, where one or more facilitators from national/international institutes and workshops visits your campus to:
- Conduct a one- or two-day on-campus institute for members of your faculty, staff, and administration, or
- Help faculty and administrators implement the plans they made at a CUR institute (e.g., attendees of CUR’s Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs or Transforming Undergraduate Research Culture and Curricula institutes may seek a facilitator for a faculty retreat).
The Process: CUR Works with You
Because the types of consultancies and the amount of time involved in designing and implementing a successful on-campus institute or consultant visit can vary widely, those interested in arranging for an on-campus institute or workshop should contact CUR as soon as possible. CUR will work with you to fully understand your consultancy needs. As part of the consultancy design process, we will ask for background information on your campus and clarify your expectations regarding the outcomes of the consultancy. This process allows CUR to identify the best consultants to meet your needs. The names of several consultants will be proposed, and you can select the one(s) best suited to your needs and schedule. The CUR National Office will then monitor the consultancy design and implementation process as you and CUR consultants devise an on-campus schedule and implement the campus visit. Upon request, CUR consultants will provide a post-visit or institute report and/or will facilitate a post-visit survey of campus participants.
Scope and Fee Structure
- Fees will vary depending on the type and length of the consultancy or institute.
For information on costs associated with on-campus institutes or consulting visits, please contact CUR@CUR.org.
Timing
Institutions interested in arranging an on-campus institute or consultancy should contact CUR six to nine months prior to the expected date of the visit, as scheduling consultants often requires substantial lead time.
Contact CUR@CUR.org to Discuss How CUR Can Help You Improve Your Program Today!