NCUR/LANCY INITIATIVE

Program Announcement:  NCUR/Lancy Initiative 2007

THE PROGRAM

The Board of Governors of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the Trustees of the Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation issue a call for proposals for the 2007 NCUR/Lancy Initiative.  The Initiative is designed to provide exceptional undergraduates with the opportunity to do original work in close collaboration with faculty mentors. The program will make grants to institutions only. The initial award will be $40,000 for the summer of 2007, to be used primarily for the support of student creative and scholarly work. Awardee institutions may apply for an additional $22,500 for the summer of 2008, providing they have made acceptable progress during the first year of the award. 

The NCUR/Lancy program encourages colleges and universities to devote additional attention and resources to undergraduates showing promise of exceptional achievement. The program focus is on helping to build communities of student and faculty scholars spanning the academic disciplines but working on a unifying theme . An institution that receives an NCUR/Lancy award will have a cadre of faculty with the time, energy, and interest to supervise six to ten undergraduates for a period of eight to ten weeks during the summer, and an administrative support structure that will nurture this activity. Scholars supported by an NCUR/Lancy award are expected to present their work at the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research .

A recipient institution will have a stated plan to use its award as “seed-money” to build or expand a perennial summer program. In this regard, the program aspires to catalyze efforts of faculty, administrators and development officers to build a sustainable program.

Both NCUR and the Lancy Foundation are committed to the notion that a broad interdisciplinary perspective is vital for an educated member of contemporary society. Thus, NCUR/Lancy summer support is available to students majoring in any discipline, and proposals must stipulate how interdisciplinary representation in the sciences, humanities, arts, and social sciences will be achieved. Institutions should propose summer research programs with a cohesive theme, a single project that may be evaluated and researched by students from a variety of disciplines

Proposals should consider the interests of the Lancy Foundation and NCUR, stated below, in structuring their narrative. Only one new proposal or renewal may be submitted by an institution.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Send, via email, an “intention to submit” statement to Mike Nelson at nelson.mich@uwlax.edu no later than 1 August 06 .  Include the title of the project and the name, address, and email of the project director. Submit, by 15 August 2006 , the application package (one electronic copy [email to Nelson plus attachment]), and one hard original copy,to:

Michael E. Nelson
NCUR/Lancy Initiative
645 Popes Valley Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80919

APPLICATION PACKAGE

A one-page endorsement letter signed by a senior officer of the institution

A cover page containing:

  • The institution's tax ID
  • The name, title, phone number, fax number, address and email address of the Project Director
  • The dates covered by the project
An abstract not to exceed 300 words

A narrative with the following format and content:

  • Five (5) page maximum; single-spaced with 12 point font or larger; minimum ½ inch margins
  • A description of tangible (e.g., NCUR participation) institutional commitment to undergraduate research and creative activity. ( No more than one page. )
  • A description of the project emphasizing the coherent theme and how a sense of community will be developed among participants ( This is the most important part of the proposal .)
  • An indication that the outcome of the proposed work will lead to an appropriate scholarly product (ex. publication, conference presentation, exhibition, etc.)
  • Identify the Project Director, faculty mentors and their disciplines.  Indicate their prior experience mentoring undergraduates, and describe their roles in the proposed program.
  • Describe the procedure that will be used to recruit and select students. The selection process may give preference to students who are eligible to receive financial aid at their institutions.
  • Describe procedures for monitoring and evaluating the success of your program.
  • Describe the funding plan that will sustain an undergraduate research program that is consistent with the NCUR/Lancy philosophy after the NCUR/Lancy funds are exhausted.

A commitment to establish a NCUR/Lancy web site on the University server by 15 June 07.  The web site shall remain current for the duration of the grant and shall document progress on the project.  In addition, human interest stories concerning the project may be posted.

Budget (maximum 2 pages):

  • A competitive student summer stipend is very important. The student stipend should be sufficient (a minimum stipend should be $2500) to allow the recipient to work full time on the project without encountering financial hardship.  Please list the magnitude of the student summer stipend.
  • Indicate amounts allocated for food and housing allowances, if any.
  • Travel costs for each student to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research should be budgeted.
  • In lieu of indirect costs, institutions may request up to 15% of the total award for administrative purposes. This will not change the total amount of the award. Up to $4,000 of these administrative costs may be used for the Director's compensation.
  • Reasonable expenditures for equipment and supplies are permitted and should be described.
  • List institutional financial commitments to the program.
  • Items that should not be charged to NCUR/Lancy include: faculty stipends; faculty travel costs to NCUR; tuition.

RENEWAL APPLICATION PROCESS (Institutions receiving initial funding in 2006.)

  • Submit a two-page progress report on the first year of the NCUR/Lancy Initiative.
  • Indicate changes planned for 2007.
  • Submit a budget for 2007.
  • Submit the University URL for the NCUR/Lancy project.
About the Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation

Students selected for an award are to be designated Lancy Scholars to honor Leslie Lancy, whose estate provides the funds and whose memory inspires the effort to launch this program.

Prior to World War II, Lancy financed his own education at the university in Budapest by working in a metal finishing plant. His studies ultimately earned him a doctorate. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1938, Lancy worked as a farm laborer and then as a metal finisher. His intuitive understanding of the chemistry of metal finishing attracted investors who assisted him in establishing a plating shop with a small laboratory to work out specialized processing techniques. He patented numerous inventions in the field of electroplating, but, increasingly, Lancy's attention turned to the problem of the, usually toxic, wastes produced in metal finishing.  Years before there was an EPA, he became a leader in designing methods that minimized pollution and that recycled chemicals economically. Eventually, he founded the Lancy Laboratories, which earned an international reputation for technical innovation. Throughout his life, Dr. Lancy hired a legion of bright, young students with limited financial resources who, like himself years earlier, were working their way through school. Lancy gave away many of his innovations to others to assist in establishing new ventures and to speed adoption of improved processes. Despite his success as an electrochemist and businessman, Lancy retained a love for the arts. He amassed a varied art collection and was a life-long student of Rembrandt.

To his death in 1996, Leslie Lancy was modest about his accomplishments. He was fiscally conservative and an astute investor so that, despite a disdain for “business,” his estate was substantial. His heirs thus have the privilege of perpetuating his gift for developing youthful talent. It is hoped that those who become Lancy Scholars will be inspired by his example and will “pay back” their mentors by sponsoring and supporting future generations of scholars and artists.

About the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research

The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR®) is a not-for-profit organization committed to the promotion of undergraduate research and creative activity in all academic disciplines and at all institutions of higher learning. To date, its primary outlet for this endeavor has been an annual conference, held for two-and-one-half days in the spring on a college or university campus, that brings together participants from all across the country.  The main function of the conference is to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to present their scholarly work in an environment that is similar to what exists at professional conferences. Faculty and administrators also attend to communicate their ideas about undergraduate scholarly activity in sessions that focus on such topics as: the establishment and funding of undergraduate research programs; the expansion of undergraduate research to all disciplines; and the introduction of the excitement and critical-thinking components of undergraduate research into other college courses. NCUR's annual conference provides a rich and energizing experience for its participants, serves as a valuable conduit for the dissemination of useful information on the role of investigative learning in pre-baccalaureate education, and creates a coherent framework for advancing the theme of research in the undergraduate curriculum.