Campus Connection

UW-La Crosse receives prestigious award for undergraduate research

UW-La Crosse will receive a national award for providing high-quality research experiences to undergraduates this April. The university is receiving the 2021 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA) from the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) during a virtual ceremony at 1 p.m. (central time) Thursday, April 21. Those interested in joining the virtual ceremony can RSVP on the CUR website. 

Now in its seventh year, the AURA award draws on CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR), which outlines criteria for exceptional undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity programs. For AURA recognition, campuses must demonstrate depth and breadth in their undergraduate research initiatives and evidence of continual innovation.    

“The 2021 AURA recipients reflect more than exemplary undergraduate research programs,” said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer. “They demonstrate a dedication to the varying participation of students and disciplines, curriculum-based experiences, and opportunities for student-faculty recognition that even amongst this challenging and everchanging world, these universities exemplified steadfast commitment.”

“We are honored to receive this award in recognition of the many innovative programs across the UWL campus that have allowed us to engage diverse groups of students in research and creative activities in and out of the classroom,” says UWL Undergraduate Research and Creativity Coordinator Scott Cooper. 

Cooper says a strong research program cannot happen without quality faculty research and mentorship. Hundreds of faculty and staff have mentored thousands of students over the past several decades. The university is committed to providing these transformational experiences to as many students as possible including first-year students, first-generation, low income, and minority students. 

“UWL is excited to receive this award because we believe it recognizes the countless, unseen hours of faculty working with students across many disciplines,” says UWL Provost Betsy Morgan. “For many years we have been able to celebrate the outcomes in terms of scholarly research, presentations, and the graduate school and career options our students have embraced.” 

UWL stood out among highly-qualified applicants in a number of areas. 

• Leadership in undergraduate research
• Outreach to audiences beyond the university 
• Facilities dedicated primarily to undergraduate research
• Success with competitive external funding
• Strong dissemination through student presentations and co-authorship 
• Effort to develop substantial foundation support for the undergraduate research program 

An exemplary program

In the application process, UWL highlighted a unique and exemplary research program: The Eagle Apprentice Program, which was developed as a collaboration between UWL’s Undergraduate Research and Creativity office, Director of Financial Aid Louise Janke, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Admissions and Recruitment Corey Sjoquist. In the program, high achieving high school students are recruited, paired with a faculty mentor, and supported with a research scholarship. Many Eagle Apprentices indicated that getting to work with a mentor as a first-year student was a factor in their decision to attend UWL. The first cohorts have a 97% retention rate to their second year and an 88% graduation rate.   

UWL student Matthew Wright started as an eagle apprentice as an incoming student in fall 2019. Wright is still pursuing research with his faculty mentor today and "loving every second of it."

"For those future collegiate students who push themselves in academics and are seeking an extra challenge, I believe this program is a wonderful gift that can help push students like myself further," says Wright. "The Eagle Apprenticeship was the main reason I originally chose UWL, and I have never regretted my choice even once."

Cooper says the award should stimulate more interest in UWL programs, enhancing efforts to make research programs sustainable through funding from generous UWL alumni and friends. 

"We are thrilled to receive this prestigious affirmation of UW-La Crosse's leading role in promoting and conducting outstanding undergraduate research,” says UWL Chancellor Joe Gow. “Our faculty, students, and staff are engaged in wonderful collaborations, and receiving this award will certainly create even greater excitement about these activities. We are very grateful to The Council on Undergraduate Research for singling out the great work being done on our campus." 

UWL has continually innovated in research. Highlights include: 

• UWL has supported Course Embedded Undergraduate Research projects, many that involve community partners as “clients.”
• In 1999 UWL Biology Professor Scott Cooper and Chemistry Professor Aaron Monte initiated the UW-System Undergraduate Research Symposium. The 20th annual event will be hosted by UW-Whitewater Friday, April 22.
• Over 20 years ago, former UWL College of Science and Health (CSH) Dean Mike Nelson began the Dean’s Distinguished Summer Fellows (DDF), a program that has recently expanded under the leadership of current Dean Mark Sandheinrich.
• UWL is one of few campuses nationwide to have hosted the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) twice, led by CSH Associate Dean Gubbi Sudhakaran in 2009 and 2013.   
• Led by Tony Sanderfoot, Biology, UWL has been a partner with the Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) since 2008, serving underrepresented students in STEM disciplines.   
• The McNair Scholars Program, a federal TRIO program that prepares undergraduate students for doctoral studies through research and other scholarly activities, came to campus under the leadership of CSH Associate Dean Roger Haro in 2009.
• Haro also created the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, an academic diversity initiative in the CSH where 15 undergraduate students of color have opportunity to participate in career and major exploration activities and enroll in gateway classes together.
• Professor Victor Macías-González and Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion Barbara Stewart designed the Eagle Mentoring Program in 2008, a retention initiative for under-represented, second-year students. It offers students credit while they prepare for research, and explore and apply to graduate school programs. The program has continued with leaders: Former Associate Dean Charles Martin-Stanley from 2016 to 2021 and Director of the Center for Transformative Justic Tara Nelson starting in 2021. 

  

The application for the award was submitted by Cooper, Chandra Hawkins, Bryn Rouse (URC) and Michelle Sturm (IRAP). Read more on the award.