Departments & Programs

CAS Student Research Fund

The College of Arts and Sciences has established an undergraduate student research fund to support student research or creative projects and travel to professional meetings. This fund is supported by the Ruth Blanchard endowed fund, Faculty/Staff Appeal, and Dean’s office funds. The purpose of the fund is to support and encourage student research, creative, and professional activity under the guidance of sponsoring faculty members. Undergraduate majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are invited to apply to the Associate Dean for funding for the following purposes:

• to buy books, materials, supplies, or small equipment for a specific student research or creative project
• photocopying necessary for a specific student research or creative project
• the cost of data collection or data analysis for a student research or creative project
• publication costs for publication in a professional journal
• travel related to a special research or creative project, such as to a library, archive, or museum, or to interview/work with a noted scholar, artist, or expert
• travel to present a paper, project, or artwork at a professional conference
• travel to attend a professional conference with a faculty member
• travel to a workshop or seminar which will provide special knowledge or skills for a research or creative project

Amount of Award

The maximum award is $500.00 per request; that is, one individual may request up to $500, and one group may request up to $500 for a group project.

Eligibility and Restrictions

All College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate majors with a minimum GPA of 2.0 may apply.  Funding is not available for majors from colleges other than CAS.

Students must be registered for classes when they apply and not yet graduated when they receive the award.

• Undergraduate students who have graduated may not apply.
• Graduate students may not apply.
• Students may not apply for more than one award per semester.
• The fund supports students working in individualized, long-term research or creative projects of at least one semester in duration, under the careful supervision of a faculty member. Ordinary term paper, laboratory, and studio assignments or costs associated with required internships are not eligible for support.
• The fund supports travel to professional conferences and presentation at professional conferences under the guidance of a faculty member.
• If more than one student is traveling to the same conference with the same professor, their travel is considered to be one group project eligible for one award for the group.

Students whose faculty advisor for a particular project is currently serving on the awards committee may not apply.

The application must be approved by both the faculty project advisor and the department chairperson. Department chairs are encouraged to submit the application electronically to bfindora@wcupa.edu. If you would like additional information regarding student research actitivies being offered by each department within the College of Arts and Sciences, please click here.