The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) was founded in 1978 by a group of chemists from private liberal arts colleges who wanted to provide information about research that was being conducted at liberal arts colleges by faculty, often in collaboration with students. (Read the article by CUR's first president Michael Doyle that provides a brief history of CUR.)

 

As the demographics and needs of members have changed, CUR has adapted and expanded to offer supportive environments for a diverse group of individuals and institutions. CUR has grown to include 13 divisions spanning all disciplines, more than 13,000 individual members from undergraduate students to university presidents, and more than 700 institutional members from all types of institutions. Our programs, services, and publication avenues - such as a consulting service for evaluation of institutional programs; a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal; books and other publications, such as newsletters and white papers; and comprehensive social media presence - reach an even larger audience, as CUR’s network spans most disciplinary and higher education associations.

 

After years of collaboration and discussion, including a joint statement on undergraduate research in 2005, CUR and the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research formally merged into one organization in 2011. This merger strengthened the undergraduate research community and expanded CUR’s professional development opportunities to more directly serve undergraduate students.  

 

CUR is uniquely positioned to broadly engage the undergraduate research community due to two main factors: (1) CUR’s divisional structure, which brings together faculty and administrators, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM disciplines, essential for understanding complex issues affecting undergraduate research; and (2) CUR’s direct engagement with undergraduate students, essential for understanding student success and effective learning issues.

 

For a history of CUR's past presidents, please visit the link below: