Applying to MURAP

Announcement of Summer Faculty Fellowships
MURAP Mentors
May 28-August 1, 2012

The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) invites applications from faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who would like to serve as faculty mentors in our ten-week summer 2012 program. MURAP strives to foster the entrance of talented students from diverse backgrounds within the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts into graduate school and eventually into faculty positions in colleges and universities in the U.S. At a broader level, the program seeks to increase the number of minorities, and others who demonstrate a commitment to diversity, who will pursue graduate work and hold faculty appointments within the academy.

MURAP works to achieve its mission by identifying and supporting students of great promise and helping them to become scholars of the highest distinction. Through the program, talented undergraduates (rising juniors and seniors) are introduced to the professional work of university scholars and teachers while learning about the opportunities and challenges of graduate studies in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. MURAP student fellows work on intensive original research projects under the guidance of UNC-Chapel Hill faculty mentors.

Faculty fellows carry out two major roles: they each direct two students in an independent research project from conception to completion, and they also work on the development of their own research projects. Mentors who join the program are expected to meet with two student advisees at least three times per week to provide regular and detailed feedback on students' projects, and to discuss various aspects of the profession and the professor's own interests as a teacher and researcher. In addition, mentors must attend a three-hour seminar on Tuesday afternoons during each week of the MURAP program, when students and mentors come together to present and discuss their work. The MURAP stipend is meant to free mentors from summer teaching so that they can devote themselves to their research and their mentorship. Faculty mentors who still elect to teach in the summer are asked to consider the Tuesday 2-5 pm commitment when selecting their schedules for teaching and child care.

For faculty mentors, the program will begin on Monday, May 28th and conclude on Wednesday, August 1st (students will arrive on Sunday, May 27nd and depart on Thursday, August 2nd). MURAP faculty mentors must, therefore, be in residence in Chapel Hill throughout this period, and must be willing to participate in all required program components. Faculty mentors are also expected to attend the annual two-day MURAP academic conference, which will be held on Thursday and Friday, July 26-27, 2012.

The summer stipend for faculty fellows overseeing two students' independent research projects and participating in all aspects of the program will be $8000, subject to deductions for benefits and taxes. Stipends will be paid in two lump-sum supplements to regular faculty salaries.

To apply please submit the following materials by January 20, 2012:

1. A cover letter indicating your interest in serving as a Fellow and your willingness and ability to follow the requirements listed above.
2. A copy of your current curriculum vitae.
3. A two-page description of your proposed research plan for the summer, including a list of research field/areas in which you would feel comfortable mentoring a student.
4. A description of your previous experience serving as a research mentor for undergraduates as well as any professional activities that demonstrate your commitment to educational diversity.

Faculty who have previously served as MURAP mentors are eligible and welcome to apply again. We also welcome applications from first-time applicants. In order to ensure that we receive student applications from candidates whose fields and interests are compatible with yours, we encourage you to help with our recruitment efforts by forwarding the Student Announcement to students and faculty with whom you are acquainted, both locally and throughout the United States.

Students will be applying from a wide range of undergraduate institutions and majors; all of the successful applications will have competitive academic records. Every effort will be made to match faculty fellows and student applicants whose research interests overlap.

Applications should be emailed to Ms. Elizabeth Moore, MURAP's Program Coordinator (murap@unc.edu). If you would like more information about MURAP, please consult our website at http://www.unc.edu/depts/murap.

Deadline for applications is 5:00 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012