Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program
The Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in high-level scholarly research and scholarship that is typically only available at the graduate-school level.
True Collaboration
The Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program is not designed to merely provide faculty with the opportunity to pursue their research with student assistants. Rather, the intent is to provide students the opportunity to pursue genuine scholarship with faculty collaborators.
Beyond the Classroom
Program participants learn to think critically, engage in real-world problem-solving, expand their academic interests outside of the classroom, and collaborate in the creation of new knowledge.
A Competitive Edge
Participating in the program enhances a student’s position when applying for competitive scholarships, fellowships, graduate programs, or employment opportunities.
Featured Project: A Visual History of Winter Park
Sydney Marshall ’15 and Danielle Johnson ’16 are on their way to authoring two books on Winter Park as part of the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program.
About the Program
The Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program at Rollins offers students the opportunity to participate in high-level scholarly research that is typically only available at the graduate-school level. What sets Rollins’ program apart from similar programs at other colleges and universities is that this program is a collaborative project between the student and a faculty member, not just a student project, or an assistantship to a faculty member’s own research.
Each spring, a faculty committee meets and reviews the proposals and based on the quality of proposals, funding is awarded to as many projects a possible. The research program is funded for eight weeks in the summer and student and faculty participants are each given a stipend so that they can pursue scholarly work as partners. Students also have the option of living on campus during the summer. Students are expected to work on their research for longer than the eight-week period, continuing to do research, write papers and present at conferences throughout the year. Students are eligible to participate after their freshman year.
The anticipated outcome of every project is a peer-reviewed publication or the professional equivalent for scholarship in the arts, co-authored by the students and faculty member.
Benefits of Program Participation
Tomorrow’s leaders are today’s undergraduate students. By participating in exciting original scholarship and research with a faculty member, a Rollins student will be challenged and energized. They will learn how to think critically, participate in real-world problem-solving, expand their academic interests outside of the classroom, and collaborate in the creation of new knowledge.
Graduate schools, professional schools, and business leaders all look for graduates who have participated in a collaborative project during their undergraduate years. Most schools ensure that students get this experience collaborating with other students in the classroom. The difference at Rollins is that this collaboration is with a member of the faculty and the work is high-level original scholarship. Many of the students who participate in this program graduate from Rollins having already published an article in an academic journal.
Participating in the Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program also enhances a student’s position when applying for competitive scholarships, fellowships, graduate programs, or employment opportunities. Many of the students who have participated in this program have gone on to win prestigious national scholarships or fellowships.