Dean's Assistantship

Eligibility

Students with a primary or secondary major in the College of Social Science are eligible to be nominated for a Dean’s Assistantship. Juniors and seniors are eligible. The proposed research project normally will be an independent research project in which the student is the primary investigator. However, students who have primary responsibility for a discrete portion of a faculty member’s larger research project may submit proposals. All student researchers must have a faculty sponsor who has agreed to serve as a mentor for the period of the assistantship.

Nominations

Students who are interested in a Dean’s Assistantship are encouraged to contact faculty to propose projects, refine the research plan, and collaborate on the nomination and application processes. Faculty and advisers also are urged to approach highly qualified students to suggest nomination for this competitive assistantship.

Procedures

• The chair or director solicits nominations for the Dean’s Assistantship from faculty. Nominees must then submit an application for the program to the chair or director. The application must include a research proposal, resume, and a letter of support from a faculty sponsor [the letter must express the faculty member’s commitment to mentor the student during her/his research experience]. The research product or outcome—and the form in which it will be submitted—must be specified in the proposal. The chair or director should only forward nominees to the College who submit a research proposal that promises to make a substantial contribution to the scholarship in the field and which can be completed within one academic year. The role of the faculty sponsor must be clearly established, including mentorship, oversight, ownership of research products, authorships, and other relevant details. The chair or director is responsible for oversight of the student researcher and the faculty sponsor.
   
• The student researcher must meet as per agreement with her/his faculty sponsor, provide bi-weekly reports to the faculty sponsor (including time spent on the project), and deliver all research products as scheduled. Furthermore, a dean’s assistant must apply to present her/his research findings at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) in the spring of the academic year in which the award is granted. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in forfeiture of the student’s assistantship. Students who leave the College of Social Science during the period of the assistantship will thereby forfeit their assistantship.
   
• Faculty sponsors are expected to serve as mentors throughout the duration of the assistantship. They are responsible for monitoring research progress, aiding students in resolving research problems, providing advice on appropriate methods, regulations, and ethics in conducting research, reviewing research products, and maintaining records of student work.
   
• The student researcher and faculty sponsor are required to submit a report to the chair or director at the end of the assistantship. The chair or director will review the report and forward it to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs for review. Chairs and directors should return inadequate reports to the author for revision and resubmission.
   
• Both student researchers and faculty sponsors should contact the chair or director of the sponsoring department or school to resolve disagreements or to report potential violations of University policies. Chairs and directors will consult with the Associate Dean for Academic and Student affairs when such issues cannot be resolved at the unit level.
   
• The student researcher is required to provide the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs with notification of the publication, presentation, or recognition of research sponsored by the dean’s assistantship program.
   
• The student researcher is required to send a letter of acceptance to the Associate Dean of the College of Social Science, upon notification of the assistantship award.

For Students: 
Preparing the Application

A student who has been nominated for a Dean's Assistantship must submit an 8-part application to the chair or director of the sponsoring department or school. The application will consist of a completed application form; a resume; a one-page abstract; an introduction that includes a clear statement of the hypothesis to be tested; a description of the methodology to be employed; a discussion ofthe outcomes and future application of the research; a bibliography; and a letter of support from the faculty sponsor. The application should not exceed 10 double-space pages [12 pt. font], excluding the faculty sponsor letter of support.

Although there is no rigid format for the proposal, the guidelines below should be useful. You may deviate from them where you believe an alternate format will provide a clearer and more convincing presentation of your ideas and plans.

Application Form

The Dean’s Assistantship application form is now available online.  All parts must be completed to upload into application.

Abstract - A brief overview of your project helps to orient the Committee to what will follow. One page is sufficient. Provide a brief statement of the background or context in which your research is set, a statement of the hypothesis (or hypotheses) which you will test, the experiment or project which you will carry out to evaluate the hypothesis, and the way in which the data or evidence will be examined in order to evaluate the hypothesis. Finally, include a brief statement about the scholarly significance of your research. 

Introduction - The introduction should be a review of the scholarship related to your proposed research. Although the final written report of your project should include a scholarly review of relevant literature, the literature review in the proposal is usually far less comprehensive. The introduction should also make the case for the significance of the problem.

Methodology - The methods section should describe the methods you will use to gather data or evidence. A rule of thumb is to include everything that someone else would need to know to replicate your work. If some decisions about the details of the methodology will depend upon work that you will carry out early in the project, be sure to discuss those decisions and how you will go about making them. Finally, acknowledge any rules regarding research with humans or animals with which your research must and will comply, including compliance with MSU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) policies and procedures.

Outcomes - State the specific research product(s) that you will submit to your faculty sponsor at the end of the assistantship [usually an article-length paper, but other formats are acceptable upon approval]. Explain the potential significance of the work, what future research or publications you anticipate will result from it, and whether you believe it will stimulate further scholarly inquiry within your field.

Bibliography - List the references that you cited or consulted to prepare your proposal.

Resume - Copy of most recent resume.

Letter of Recommendation - The role of the faculty sponsor is critical to the success of your project. Although you are expected to take primary responsibility for carrying out your project, it is inevitable that the wisdom, expertise, and resources of your faculty research sponsor will be called upon frequently as you proceed with your work. Although there is not necessarily a “best” model for the arrangement between student and sponsor to ensure appropriate faculty involvement, in most cases students should expect to have significant contact with their sponsor at least bi-weekly. The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and the College Scholarship Committee require evidence of that degree of commitment from your faculty research sponsor. This should include a specific statement of contact hours between student and faculty and a detailed statement of the form and frequency of reports and delivery of written work. The committee also wants to know your sponsor’s appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses, and his/her opinion of your ability to carry out the project that you have proposed.

Note: Submission of an application for a Dean’s Assistantship authorizes the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs to access your student academic records.

Awards

Dean’s Assistantships provide support for one academic year as an Undergraduate Assistant with a stipend of approximately $6,304 - $6,495. The Assistantship is a quarter time appointment, meaning that students are being compensated at a rate that implies an average of approximately ten hours per week spent on the project.

For students who have financial aid packages, this appointment may change the composition of your aid package. Please contact Financial Aid for more information.

The number of proposals funded will depend in part upon the number and quality of the applications.

For more information, contact:

Emily Durbin
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Professor of Psychology

College of Social Science
Berkey Hall
Phone: 517-432-3598
cdurbin@msu.edu