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Faculty Mentors

Guidelines for Mentors of the McNair Summer Fellowship

Fellowship Objectives

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is a graduate school preparation program for underrepresented (low-income/first-generation and/or racial minority) undergraduates. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to increase the number of underrepresented individuals pursuing and obtaining doctoral degrees and entering careers in academia.

The UNH McNair program aims to promote and nurture the next generation of faculty, researchers, and scholars through academic and social support services provided as part of a fellowship in which participants engage in an integrated, intensive eight-week experience.

Schedule

For the purpose of instructional offerings, the summer session will formally begin Sunday, June 1 and end Saturday, July 26, 2008. However, the specific length of the research experience shall be agreed upon by both the student and the faculty and shall be not less than eight weeks. For research projects being conducted on the campus of the University of New Hampshire, faculty will attend the Luncheon Seminar Series sponsored by the McNair Program with the McNair participant. The Luncheon Seminar Series are weekly during the summer and bi-weekly during the academic year. Attached is a preliminary calendar of events.

During the summer, each Fellow is expected to spend a minimum of 40 hours per week on McNair Program academic activities. [If enrolled in a full load of McNair sponsored courses, he/she should be spending 20 hours a week on the research project. (This time may include, weekly meetings with mentors to discuss and monitor project progress, as well as time to discuss academic and professional goals.) The remaining 20 hours will be spent on classes, workshops, seminars, and self-directed activities aimed at the successful completion of the goals outlined in the Educational Action Plan (EAP).]

In addition, please note that during the summer all Fellows are required to attend the workshops, discussion group and advising sessions that have been planned as part of the McNair experience. We have made every attempt to schedule these workshops and events in a manner that will maximize the time allotted for uninterrupted research. The following list represents those items in the summer schedule that are optional, but which are strongly recommended for the participants:

During the academic year, participants are required to spend a minimum of 15 hours per week in the execution of the research. Students must enroll in an independent study (preferably in the major area of study) for the purpose of conducting the research project. Fellows are also required to attend the Luncheon Seminar Series.

Mentoring

A major component of the McNair program and the graduate school preparation process is a directed research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Mentors assist McNair scholars by introducing students to the nature and rigors of research, serving as role models, helping to build professional networks with other scholars in the fields, and participating in social as well as academic activities with the protégés.

Since the program's inception at UNH in 1991, more than one hundred faculty members have served as McNair mentors, as well as numerable graduate students. By joining them, you will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with an academically gifted individual and to help make a real difference for the mentee.

Mentor Responsibilities

During the spring semester Mentors will discuss research ideas and possibilities with the mentee to sketch out the development of a project that is interesting and that can be developed into a research grant proposal. Research grant proposals are due in the McNair office not later than March 15. For non-UNH students, the research experience shall be constrained to not less than an eight-week time period of the summer. For UNH students only, the research project must encompass at least two consecutive semesters (e.g. summer/fall, fall/spring). The mentee will need guidance to develop realistic timelines and strategies for completing the research project (particularly given other program and academic commitments). In order to best assist the mentee, we ask that you:

Meeting With Your Mentee

Mentors are expected to meet physically with mentees weekly. We have found that Fellows are most comfortable (and best kept on track) if mentors meet with them in person at least once a week. Obviously, depending on the nature of the research and the needs of the student, you may need to meet with the student more often. Please meet with the mentee more often if you feel it necessary or if you so desire.

Summer Fellowship

Many McNair mentors regard the summer fellowship as an independent study. However, you should be aware of significant differences regarding the work expectations of McNair students as opposed to students participating in other programs or projects where a research study is the sole focus. In addition to their research, McNair fellows may be devoting significant time to weekly classes and meetings (please see calendar for details). Fellows are awarded a stipend and provided allowances for room and board. These enable students to devote full-time effort to the program. (Limited funds will also be available to the Fellows to support their research projects at the execution stage.) Fellows are not allowed to take classes (besides the McNair curriculum) or hold employment outside of the McNair Program. They are expected to regard their fellowship as a full-time (a minimum of 40 hours per week) commitment.

Research Responsibilities

McNair participants will begin the research process by drafting a research grant proposal to investigate a topic in which to conduct further research. Scholars will design and construct a research project and draft a proposal during the spring. Fellows will execute their research in the following summer and/or academic year.

Research Proposal: Each Fellow must submit a comprehensive research grant proposal. The proposal, including budget and timetable, is due March 15 at 4 pm. The proposal must be submitted via electronic media to the McNair director. Mentors should discuss with the mentee budget issues, including all supplies, materials and/or travel. You should have reviewed the proposal and given feedback regarding its content [The proposal requires faculty mentor approval and a letter of support sent directly to the McNair director.] Notification regarding proposal funding will be made by April 15.

Approvals: If the mentee will be working with human or animal subjects, it is crucial that s/he begin the process of obtaining IRB approval immediately. Full-board reviews can be limited during the summer and failure to obtain appropriate approvals can delay or even prevent the fellow from conducting his or her research project. Also, do not assume that the mentee can work off of any prior IRB approvals that faculty research projects receive. Please contact Julie Simpson, the Regulatory Compliance Manager at the Office of Sponsored Research. Her number is 603-862-2003 and her email address is julie.simpson@unh.edu. [Please note that this step is especially important for non-UNH participants from affiliate institutions who are strongly encouraged to begin that process as soon as possible.]

Research Execution: Participants will carry out the research project under the direction of a faculty through enrollment in an independent study course. Fellows are expected to work full-time (40 hrs/wk) on their research projects (and McNair Program academic activities) during the summer session. During the academic year Fellows are expected to spend at least 15 hours per week on their research projects. Fellows are required to submit weekly research logs demonstrating their progress toward completion of the project. The logs require the signature of the faculty mentor. Fellows must present their research at an academic conference or symposium. The research experience in particular provides students with the opportunity to understand that research requires a great deal of internal motivation and self-discipline. Although the research process may be mostly self-directed, your mentee may need your guidance to stay focused and to realistically assess his/her progress. It is important for the Fellows to learn the entire research process, from planning stages to completion, so they are better prepared for graduate studies.

Article: The mentee will prepare a research article of publishable quality due not more than one week following the completion of the research project as defined by the approved proposal. Articles should be prepared in a style appropriate to the field of study, and of a quality similar to those submitted to professional or undergraduate research journals. The mentor should review the article draft and grant approval prior to submission to the McNair office. [Please note that the article requires the signature of the faculty mentor. The length and style of the paper will depend upon the nature of the project and the field of study, but should be no less than ten pages.] The article must be submitted for publication to at least one research media.

Graduate School Planning

Fellows are required to identify at least five (5) appropriate graduate programs to which they will apply (at least two of which must be doctoral level programs). The names of the schools, the programs of study, tuition costs, and financial aid packages offered must be included in the information submitted. In order to help the mentee in making appropriate graduate school selections consider the below listed items.

  1. Identifying graduate programs: Please talk to the mentee about strategies for researching and identifying graduate programs that are appropriate to his/her needs and interests. You may wish to offer suggestions about the types of information the Fellow should include in his/her graduate application. The McNair program staff will also assist Fellows in this process through workshops and individual consultations.
  2. Uncertainties about graduate study: Please invite the mentee to discuss any concerns s/he may be having with regard to graduate study. This will help the mentee to develop realistic expectations of graduate education and ideas as to how that education will relate to her/his career goals.
  3. Financial support for graduate school: At least two thirds of the Fellows in this program are low-income individuals (as defined by national poverty statistics). It is quite possible that many of them will have incurred debt in order to attend their undergraduate institutions and that they may be quite concerned about their ability to finance the lengthy road to a doctorate. Please discuss strategies with the mentee and help make him or her aware of any scholarships and fellowships in the field to which he/she may apply. The McNair Program staff will also assist Fellows in this area through workshops and individual consultations.

Symposium

Fellows will present the culmination of their work at the Research Symposium and/or Undergraduate Research Conference. The mentee should be assisted in preparing a presentation of work completed to date that is appropriate for and similar in style to the type of presentation expected at professional meetings in his or her field. The mentee should be encouraged to plan and practice her/his presentation carefully, in order to help her/him stay calm and focused, and to help stay within the time limit.

Fellows are encouraged to develop visual aids for the presentation as appropriate. Many students incorporate overhead transparencies or PowerPoint into their presentations, although these aids are certainly not a requirement. For costs associated with preparing visual aids, participants should contact the McNair support assistant.

[A banquet will be held following the Symposium in May to celebrate the participants’ accomplishments and those senior participants who are being graduated.]

Beyond the Research

Fellows will strive to maintain a relationship with mentors after the research project has ended. During the senior year, most fellows begin the graduate school application process and may ask you to assist by providing advice on appropriate programs/schools and/or a letter of recommendation.

The McNair program encourages scholars to attend professional/academic conferences during the academic year to present their research findings. The program also provides limited funding for students to attend such conferences during the junior or senior year. The mentee may seek your assistance in determining which conference is appropriate to her/his field of study. While we prefer that students attend conferences along with their mentors, this is not always possible. Unfortunately, our budget does not always allow us to provide travel funds to mentors attending conferences with their mentees.

If your mentee wishes to attend a conference using McNair funding, s/he must submit a written request to our office that includes the date, location, and cost estimates (travel, lodging, registration, and meals). We will then advise the mentee of any monies that may be available.

Compensation

Mentors will receive $750 for their work as a token of appreciation and will be paid at the completion of the research term in accordance with the normal university pay schedule. (Please note that faculty are required to complete and return a Request for Approval of Supplemental Effort and Compensation form in order to be paid. Also, please note that in order for compensation to be remitted the various approving authorities must consent.)

Question

If you have questions about being a McNair mentor, please contact our office by phone Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, at (603) 862-0088 or via email at mcnair.program@unh.edu .

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