Information for SOAR Applicants

The goal of the SOAR application process is for students to showcase how deeply they have thought about their project and communicate that to an audience that may not be familiar with their discipline.

If you are interested in applying for a SOAR Project Grant, the first step is to identify a potential faculty mentor and discuss the project with them. If they agree to mentor you through the process, then your first step towards applying is drafting a proposal. As you can see below, the SOAR proposal has many steps to demonstrate the feasibility of the project. As you draft each part of the proposal, ask your mentor for feedback, keeping in mind that one of the challenges is communicating your project to people outside of your discipline.

Once you have your proposal in good shape, you can attach it as part of your application, which you will complete on the VCSU Jobs website. The application (with proposal) is due by the first Monday of November or April, depending on whether you are applying in the fall or spring.

Proposal Application

Students will develop a 4-6 page proposal that has a structure consistent with:

Abstract – a concise description of the project.
Process/methods – overview of the methodology, and/or strategy for completion.
1. If your project will include human participants, you should will need to include IRB-approval in your planning.
Timeline/benchmarks – weekly timeline of effort with benchmarks/milestones indicated.
Budget – documentation of the project labor, materials, and travel expenses.
Dissemination – identify potential outlets to present, e.g. conference.
Educational objectives – short prospectus on the project’s alignment w/ educational goals.
Integrative Nature of work – description of multiple disciplinary knowledge harnessed.
Bibliography – well-formatted sources/references.
General Professionalism – high quality proposal documentation and presentation.

All projects will be scored by the SOAR Advisory Group using the SOAR Scoring Rubric, attached along with exemplar proposals from previous students attached to this solution.

Faculty mentors should work with students on the proposal development allowing students to be the principal author.

Faculty members will recommend their student’s works through the submission of a Faculty Mentor Recommendation Form (linked on the Faculty Information page) that includes an evaluation of the student’s work and capacity to complete the proposed activities. Some research may require an Institutional Review Board approval.

To submit your application information, follow this VCSU link: Job ID 2954493 (Fall 2024)