Fewer undergraduates may be spending time on research projects this summer. Lack of state funding and the poor economy have forced the College to cut funding for summer 2002 undergraduate research.
The summer research program, which was established two years ago, awards students $2,200 for research projects. Last summer, of the 45 students who applied for funding, 13 were awarded grants.
Cutting funding is "an emergency thing we have to do right now," Associate College Dean Richard Handler said.
Handler said he is not particularly concerned about the lack of funding in the short term and does not think the lack of funding this particular summer greatly will hurt the University.
"It's too small a thing to hurt," Handler said.
But he said he was very concerned about the current state budget situation. "If a program is interrupted temporarily, it's not good, but the crisis is the big picture, not the smaller details."
Discontinuing funding for undergraduate research funding marks just one recent instance of how the University has been forced to tighten its belt and conserve its funds in recent months.
"We are trying to protect spending on undergraduates above all else, but the cuts have been so hard on the College that we have nothing else to cut," College Dean Edward L. Ayers said.
"I'm very saddened to have cut this money," he said. "Those of us in the dean's office believe strongly in undergraduate research and hope to expand it as soon as we can acquire funding."
Other officials agreed. Lack of funding for undergraduate research programs "has nothing to do with our desire," Handler said.
But "we can't spend money we don't have," Handler added.
This "just highlights how serious a budget problem we have," Faculty Senate Chairman Robert Grainger said.
Despite the budget problems, over the long term, undergraduate research is something "we will improve and strengthen here," he said.
Officials now are working with the Arts and Sciences Council to implement a "student-run research office with a Universityrun component to it," Grainger added.
He said he thought there were many ways the University could get support from agencies outside of the University for the undergraduate research programs.
The proposed office would "bring in all those extra ways to get support," and would be independent of the state, he said.
In the meantime, even though the undergraduate summer research program will not be in operation this summer, the College will continue to offer "small grants" of a few hundred dollars for research projects, Handler said.
Also, students still will be eligible for the undergraduate research Harrison Awards, Grainger said.
Harrison awards are $3,000 research grants from the Harrison family, run through the Faculty Senate.
Last summer, 23 students received Harrison awards. In the summer of 2000, 25 students received them, Handler said.
Harrison awards are "protected," because "they are not linked to the state budget as tightly," Grainger said.
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