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CUR Honors Furman for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

|Dr. Elizabeth Davis

Last updated October 7, 2016

By Tina Underwood

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has named Furman University a winner of the 2016 Campus-wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment (AURA). Only three universities nationwide received the honor .

The annual award recognizes institutions that have developed exemplary programs providing high-quality research experiences to undergraduates. The two other awardees are Clemson University and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The CUR award comes just days after the university unveiled “The Furman Advantage,” a new strategic vision that creates a four-year pathway combining a liberal arts and sciences education with immersive experiences outside the classroom and stresses the importance of undergraduate research.

Dr. Elizabeth Davis

Dr. Elizabeth Davis

“Furman University has a long history of providing extensive research opportunities for its undergraduate students, allowing them to work closely with professors to fully explore their passions and interests beyond the classroom,” said Furman President Elizabeth Davis. “We are dedicated to this type of student engagement, and that is why we are so honored and proud to receive this recognition from an organization that has done so much to support undergraduate research at colleges and universities across the nation.”

Now in its second year, the award is modeled on CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research, a document that presents criteria for exceptional undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity programs. The winners will be honored during the Council on Undergraduate Research Executive Board reception on Jan. 27, 2017, at the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) annual meeting in San Francisco.

“Diversity, interdisciplinarity, and close attention to program assessment are some of the hallmarks of this year’s AURA class,” said CUR’s Executive Officer Elizabeth Ambos and President Susan Larson. “CUR is proud to honor these academic institutions that have embraced and excelled in promoting and expanding undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry on their campuses.”

Furman students work closely with professors during their academic careers.

Furman was cited for its model summer research program.

According to CUR, Furman was selected for “demonstrating a research-supportive environment in a liberal arts and sciences setting—one that is well-funded, integrates research into the curriculum, and provides students with a broad range of dissemination opportunities. Furman’s model summer research program has grown beyond the sciences to encompass a broader reach, engaging half of faculty, and weaving student internships into student research opportunities. Furman’s rich history of summer research growth and development, combined with student and faculty reflection and assessment of learning, make the university’s undergraduate research program a national model for other baccalaureate institutions to emulate.”

AURA recognition requires campuses to have depth and breadth in their undergraduate research initiatives and evidence of innovation of a sustained nature. Nominations are open to all types of higher education institutions. Three awards were made this year to recognize outstanding institutions from different Carnegie classification groups.

For further information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at (864) 294-3107.

The Council on Undergraduate Research: The Council on Undergraduate Research (www.cur.org) supports faculty and student development for high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research, scholarship, and creative activities. More than 700 institutions and over 10,000 individuals belong to CUR. CUR believes that the best way to capture student interest and create enthusiasm for a discipline is through research in close collaboration with faculty members.

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