The 2015 Student Arts and Research Symposium (StARS) was held in the Moakley, Hart and Burnell Hall buildings and a record 775 graduate and undergraduate students participated.
This was the first year that both graduate students and undergraduates presented together.
Dr. Jenny Shanahan, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, welcomed members of the university community to the opening session of the ceremony and told the audience, “Whenever we go to national conferences people ask us ‘How does it happen there?’ Truly, we have remarkable students here and we have tremendously dedicated faculty. We also have had, from the beginning, tremendous support from our president, and I say that to everyone who asks me how we do it. I tell them, ‘Our president believes in us,’” she said.
The program began under former President Adrian Tinsley, which at first drew only 50 student participants. When President Dana Mohler-Faria took office 13 years ago, he was asked to increase support for undergraduate research.
“Without hesitation, Dr. Mohler-Faria moved immediately to institutionalize the program – to establish an office, to hire a director and to provide administrative support in order to establish a viable presence for undergraduate research on the campus,” Dr. Shanahan said. “Ever since, our program has had the strongest support possible from the entire university administration and faculty. And that’s why we have 775 students presenting today and many others who are doing research under the auspices of this program. It is an honor for me today to say to Dr. Mohler-Faria, ‘Thank you for your remarkable support throughout your presidency and for your unfailing faith in us.’ I believe one of the key aspects of your enduring legacy will be the success of this program.”
In his remarks, President Mohler-Faria spoke of the institutional importance of graduate and undergraduate research.
“As president, as members of the senior administration, our job and our focus needs to be on creating the right environment for our students and our faculty to do the work that they do best and succeed in that work. What really makes this program so outstanding is the quality of the people who are involved in it. It is remarkable to me to come to these programs throughout the academic year and see evidence of the passion and commitment of our students and their mentors,” he said. “When I am off campus and am asked the same question that Jenny Shanahan mentioned – which is, ‘How do you people do this?’ I have a different response that Jenny has. I simply say, ‘We have amazing students and faculty at Bridgewater.’”
President Mohler-Faria talked of the program’s origins: “I remember sitting around the table years ago with Adrian Tinsley and several others as we debated the question among ourselves, ‘Is Bridgewater ready for this kind of project? Could we really get our students engaged in research?’ That discussion lasted a couple of months before we decided to go ahead and see what response we would get. The response was so good that we knew its prospects were good and now, looking back over the time this past since then, it’s so heartening and rewarding to see what an enormous impact this initiative has had at Bridgewater. Now we are recognized around the country for the quality and the scope that students and faculty achieved together.” – (Story and photos by David K. Wilson, ’71, University News)
