An ad placed in The Chronicle of Higher Education and other academic publications by The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) identifies BSU as a leader in undergraduate research.
Bridgewater is among 57 institutions cited as tops in “providing significant numbers of… students with an opportunity to present their work at the National Conference on undergraduate Research,” the leading national venue for the presentation of student research.
Dr. Jenny Shanahan, director of undergraduate research, said being highlighted by such a prestigious organization is a credit to BSU.
“Bridgewater has invested in students’ scholarly opportunities as a matter of social justice,” she said. “ensuring that our students have outstanding faculty mentorship and the necessary financial support to conduct significant scholarly work in any major — the kinds of experiences traditionally reserved for students with a legacy of higher education in their families and the resources to seek out unpaid, highly selective research placements.”
The results of BSU’s commitment to student research is reflected in the number of participants in the program and their corresponding success. Each year, more than 1,200 students present their research and creative scholarship on campus. Of those, more than 400 students over the past decade have had their research accepted for presentation at NCUR, reflecting a 94-percent acceptance rate, well above the national average. And 900 students have presented their work at national and regional professional meetings (other than NCUR) in the past 10 years.
“This recognition, and our years of success in undergraduate research and creative scholarship, show what bright, motivated students can accomplish with great mentoring and a campus culture that supports their scholarly pursuits,” Dr. Shanahan said. (Story by John Winters, G ’11; file photo, University News)