ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY FELLOWS PROGRAM

The St. Lawrence University Fellows program aims to:

• Provide new opportunities for student intellectual growth.
• Promote close student-faculty collaboration outside of the regular academic calendar.
• Enable students to explore lines of inquiry without the immediate expectation of academic credit, in order to lay the foundation for future integrative, credit-bearing work.
• Encourage interdisciplinary lines of inquiry, as well as those within traditional disciplines.
• Recognize seriousness of purpose in students who seek to build imaginatively on their past achievements.

The following guidelines apply to the St. Lawrence University Fellows program:

• Eight to ten weeks of full-time study during the summer months are normally required.  If on campus, the work must be completed by July 30, 2010. 

• Students awarded a Fellowship receive a $3,500 stipend to replace earnings from summer employment.  (The IRS requires the university to withhold 14% on stipend payments to international students, but the U.S. has tax treaties with some countries that exempt this tax.  International students should contact Carol Gable, Associate Vice President for Finance, for further information).  Unless otherwise arranged, it is expected that fellows will spend the preponderance of the grant period on campus working in close contact with their faculty mentor.  Room on campus is provided but the project must be conducted when the residence halls are open Wednesday, May 26, 2010 through Friday, July 30, 2010.  If the work must be completed off campus, a $500 housing allowance may be requested.  Such support, however, is exceptional, and a rationale should be provided with the application.  Students are expected to provide for their own board out of the stipend received.

• An additional award of up to $250 is available to reimburse project-related expenses, such as travel and supplies.  Application for such support should be made concurrently when applying for a Fellowship.  Capital items purchased under this award remain the property of the sponsoring department.  Those seeking exceptions to the guidelines for funding should provide substantiating evidence to the program review committee.  All students receiving funding must submit the appropriate expense report to the Academic Dean’s Office (Vilas 103) in order to be reimbursed.

• In order to minimize conflicting and competing time constraints that might interfere with successful completion of the Fellows project, students chosen as SLU Fellows may enroll in only one summer session course or work on campus for up to eight hours per week.

• Normally, the project mentor will be a full-time teaching member of the St. Lawrence University faculty, in a continuing position.

• Faculty mentors will help shape each student’s project and work actively with the student, as appropriate to the nature of the project and the discipline(s) involved.  Normally, this will entail several meetings per week.  For this reason, it is expected that students will work with only one faculty mentor.  For his/her mentoring, the faculty member will receive an honorarium of $1,250 per student.  If a student has a compelling rationale for working with more than one faculty mentor, the rationale must be fully addressed in the student’s proposal.  In this case, the per-student stipend will be shared by the faculty mentors.  Normally, no faculty member will supervise more than three students annually.  Mentors are responsible for forwarding a 500 word student project summary to the Department’s website coordinator to be posted on their web page. 

• SLU Fellows will report collectively on their Fellowship projects during a public presentation in the semester following their completion.  The presentation will likely take place at the Honors Reception during Family Weekend.  A poster or PowerPoint presentation, performance, or other form appropriate to the discipline(s) may be agreed upon by the student and mentor(s).  The final $250 of the student’s stipend will be withheld until all requirements of the Fellowship have been completed.

• Many projects culminate in a final research paper, a collection of findings, digital media, exhibitions or performances, or other types of creative projects.  By two weeks after the end of the grant period, students must submit a 500 word summary of their accomplishments to their faculty mentor and the Academic Dean’s Office (Vilas 103).

• Application forms for the St. Lawrence University Fellows program will be available starting Monday, November 9, 2009 from the Academic Affairs webpage (http://www.stlawu.edu/acadaffairs/) .  The completed application form must be submitted electronically to the Academic Dean’s office (Vilas 103) no later than midnight on Monday, February 15, 2010. 

Applications consist of the following:

a. A completed SLU Fellows Application Form.

b. Proposals will be evaluated upon the following criteria (see the Scholarships, Fellowships and Grants Committee evaluation rubric for details):

• The student has played a primary role in the project’s design.
• Research question, hypotheses, and method are clear.
• Quality of writing is concise, clear for a general audience with a comprehensive bibliography.
• Central research question is clearly communicated, demonstrating sophistication of thought.
• The student is prepared academically and personally to succeed in the project.
• The project’s scope is feasible within the outlined time period for the work.
• Mentor and faculty recommendations are strong.
• The student receives faculty mentoring while staying on campus.

c. An unofficial academic transcript.

d.  Completed recommendation forms from the faculty mentor and a faculty member who  can speak to the quality of the student’s work and the student’s ability to work independently.

Applications will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants Committee, which will make recommendations to the Dean of Academic Affairs.  SLU Fellowships are for students who have demonstrated seriousness of purpose and initiative during their college experience.  Such demonstration may include, but shall not be limited to, consideration of their grade point average.  The Committee will give priority to students who have not previously been funded under the SLU Fellows program.  In some cases, the Committee may give priority to students who use this project in preparation for integrative work with St. Lawrence University faculty during their senior year.

 

 

 

 

For further information or questions, please call the Academic Dean’s Office at x5993.