"This was our first experience with the CUR site visit consultant program. We were able to choose from among a list of site visitors from institutions similar to our own. Our two visitors had done their homework. They were well-acquainted with our self-study report and came prepared to ask appropriate questions. Their comments and suggestions were specific and relevant, enabling us to complete a successful program review that will have a positive impact on our department."
Kurt Fletcher, Professor and Chair of Physics and Astronomy, SUNY Geneseo |
CUR Consulting Services and On-campus Institutes
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) offers consulting and
mentoring services to individuals, academic departments, divisions, and
entire campuses. We provide these services by calling upon academic
professionals who share our vision and goals, and who have thought deeply
about undergraduate education. Our faculty and administrative consultants,
program reviewers, meeting facilitators, and mentors are experienced in
visiting academic institutions where they listen to you and provide the
help you need.
Our consultants have a wide range of expertise.
They can help you:
- evaluate your
curriculum, program, department, or division,
- assess or
evaluate your undergraduate research program on various types of campuses,
- design a
faculty-mentored research program,
- help senior
administrators understand how to support undergraduate research programs,
- enhance your
non-majors program,
- engage diverse
students with different needs,
- devise a
program to revitalize mid-career faculty,
- prepare for an
accreditation visit,
- transform or
rejuvenate a department,
- train faculty
research mentors,
- enhance your
grant competitiveness,
- establish a
campus-wide undergraduate research office,
- institutionalize
undergraduate research,
- set up or
review your research compliance programs,
- review the
activities of your sponsored program and/or foundation offices,
- organize and
conduct an effective faculty retreat, or provide a speaker for a retreat,
- design an
assessment strategy or strategic plan,
- set up
community-campus research initiatives,
- develop a
university consortium, or
- help you
design a fundraising program.
Some of the benefits of CUR reviews include:
- impartial
third party credibility,
- a
review process that is cost effective,
- structured
review underwritten by CUR,
- sensitivity
to issues relevant to predominantly undergraduate institutions,
- experienced
reviewers whom you select to meet the needs of your institution and
program, and
- availability of
interdisciplinary, multi-departmental reviews.
"The CUR team did a tremendous job in helping us not only document
the many ways in which our faculty already encourage and implement
undergraduate student research activity, but also in highlighting
the opportunities for future development and growth. Their efforts
have helped us launch several new initiatives related to
undergraduate research and faculty development, as well as expand
several ongoing programs. What a great resource!"
Robert
K. Bitting, Associate Vice President, Academic Research, Planning
and Administration, Alfred University |
Reviews
CUR consultants can come to your campus to perform a traditional
departmental or divisional review and provide a report for your department
or administration. CUR can also arrange a review of a particular program
or provide you with expertise in any of the areas listed above.
"The CUR team conducted a comprehensive and instructive review of
our entire science division at Moravian College. Their assessment
and recommendations were clear, informed, and most productive. Our
CUR reviewers suggested a number of important measures for
improvement, but perhaps more significantly, they provided a
framework for ongoing development of our own plans and actions to
strengthen the natural sciences. Their guidance has been timely and
central to our implementation of an institutional strategic
initiative to further develop science programs, faculty, and
facilities at Moravian."
Ervin
J. Rokke, President, Moravian College |
On-Campus Institutes
A new type of consultant visit is one in which one or more of the
facilitators from our popular CUR institute series comes to your campus to
- conduct
a one or two day on-campus institute for members of your faculty,
administration, and staff, or
- help faculty who have
attended a CUR institute implement the plans they made at the CUR
institute (e.g., attendees of a CUR Vital Faculty Institute may seek a
facilitator for a faculty retreat).
The Process:
Because the types of consultancies and the amount of time involved can
vary tremendously, those interested in having a CUR review or on-campus
institute should contact the CUR National Office. We will work with you to
develop a work plan for the consultants including the number of
consultants, time on campus, and reporting requirements. We will ask you
for background information on your campus and what you expect to gain from
the consultancy. This allows us to identify the best people to meet your
needs. With help from the CUR Consultants' Committee, composed of
representatives of all CUR disciplinary divisions and our
"At-Large" administrators and “Undergraduate Research Program
Directors Division” directors, we will propose the names of several
consultants. The National Office and the Consultant Committee will then
monitor the process as you and the consultants set up a schedule and
proceed with the visit.
"The consultants from CUR were insightful and thorough. They not
only helped us strengthen our interaction with students in the
classroom and research settings but also demonstrated new ways the
faculty could connect together as well. It was a most rewarding
experience."
Sam
Lofland, Associate Professor of Physics, Director, Materials
Research Group, Rowan University |
Scope and Fee Structure
Below is the recommended fee structure for CUR-sponsored review or
institute. Modifications can be negotiated depending upon local
circumstances.
- $400
per consultant per day on site
- $300
report writing fee (for reviews only)
- CUR
Charge (No Charge for CUR Institutional Members or $500 for
non-Institutional Members
Using the above figures the
cost of a two day visit with two consultants, including report, is $1,900
for CUR member institutions and $2,400 for non-institutional members.
Additionally, the institution is responsible for all travel and related
costs (housing and meals) for the consultants associated with the site
visit.
A typical review of an academic department may include one to three
consultants for 1 ˝ to 2 days' work on campus. For information on costs
associated with larger reviews (i.e., entire divisions or institutions),
please contact CUR directly.
Timing
Institutions wanting to set up a review or on-campus institute should
contact CUR three to six months prior to the expected date of the visit.
While some visits (especially those involving only one person) can be
arranged quickly, scheduling of several individuals often requires
additional time.
Oral feedback is provided by the consultants at the conclusion of the
visit, with a written report following within three to four weeks.
"Our Mathematical Sciences Department is diverse, comprising
mathematicians, computer scientists, and statisticians. Faced with
impending retirements of nearly half the faculty, the Department
thought it would benefit from an external review, and we turned to
CUR’s consultant program for assistance. A team of three reviewers
did an outstanding job of providing helpful advice for all areas of
our program--offering astute guidance on how to structure future
hires to meet the needs of the Department and College, on how to
promote conversations among the mathematical scientists and other
disciplines, and on how to ensure excellent education for majors and
non-majors while sustaining an active research environment. We are
delighted with the outcome of the process and the quality of the CUR
Consultants, and as a result the Department feels well prepared to
meet the challenges that face it.”
Gary Reiness, Dean, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Lewis and
Clark College |
Contact
CUR Today to Discuss How CUR Can Help You Improve Your Program
Please contact the CUR National Office to ask a
question about a consulting visit or begin the process by completing and
submitting the web form found below.
You may also contact the CUR National Office by telephone or email
at:
Telephone: (202) 783 4810
E-Mail: cur@cur.org
Consulting Web Application
|
General
information
Purpose, structure, size and
composition, preparation. |
Procedures
for arranging a CUR-sponsored review
"Usual" sequence of
events for a CUR-sponsored review. |
Consulting
Service Application Checklist
Information checklist that will
be provided to the consultants prior to their arrival on your
campus. |
For
more information or to begin the consulting process click on
this link and complete the form.
You will be contacted by a
Consulting Committee Representative or CUR National Office
Staff. |
CUR
Consulting Service Survey
To be completed by contact person
at institution who requested a review upon completion of the
review. |
| |
| FOR
CUR ADMINISTRATIVE USE ONLY |
CUR
Consulting Report Summary
To be completed by the lead
consulting upon completion of a review. |
CUR
Consulting Review Timetable
Password protected |
|
