Information for Applicants Information for Faculty Frequently Asked Questions Mission The VCSU Student Opportunities for Academic Research Program (SOAR) will provide opportunities for innovative collaboration with faculty and staff in ethical research, scholarship, and creative activities that prepare undergraduate students to be lifelong learners in their professions and communities. Vision The VCSU SOAR program will facilitate and showcase innovative undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative activities that promote lifelong learning through advanced research and ethical service. SOAR is a student-focused, high-impact learning program at Valley City State University. Outline of the Process The Student Opportunities for Academic Research program supports faculty-mentored research, artistry, and creativity projects for undergraduates at VCSU. Students interested in pursuing mentored research or artistry should consult with a prospective faculty member on the project idea, then work together on the development of a short proposal that communicates the essence and scope of the intended work, and submit that proposal through the VCSU HR jobs website by application deadline in November or April. The Advisory Committee will review the proposal and respond with feedback, regardless of whether the applicant is awarded a grant. Awardees may begin work on their project the subsequent semester. Application cycle deadlines First Monday of November (fall, for projects that begin in the spring); first Monday of April (spring, for projects that begin in the summer or fall). For the 2024-2025 school year, the application deadlines are November 4th and April 7th. Committee Members The chair of the SOAR Advisory Committee is Travis Knapp (travis.knapp.1@vcsu.edu) Michelle Abshire (Science; michelle.abshire@vcsu.edu) Gratia Brown (Art; gratia.brown@vcsu.edu) David DeMuth (Science; david.demuth@vcsu.edu) Yang Du (Computer Systems and Software Engineering; yang.du@vcsu.edu) Emily Fenster (Sociology/Social Science; emily.fenster@vcsu.edu) Alexander Jorgensen (Political Science/Social Science; alex.b.jorgensen@vcsu.edu) Wesam Helmi (Business; wesam.helmi@vcsu.edu) Steven King (History/Social Science; steven.king@vcsu.edu) Travis Knapp (Language and Literature, Linguistics; travis.knapp.1@vcsu.edu) Lindsey Leker (Psychology/Social Science, lindsey.leker@ndus.edu) Susan Pfeifer (Computer Systems and Software Engineering; susan.pfeifer@vcsu.edu) Jenni Russi (Communications; jennilou.russi@vcsu.edu) Hilde van Gijssel (Science; hilde.vangijssel@vcsu.edu) Emily Wicktor (Language and Literature; emily.wicktor@vcsu.edu) Casey Williams (Fisheries and Wildlife Science; casey.williams@vcsu.edu) Link to the application Information about Past Projects (coming soon!)

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 as a OneStop Form. 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. 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, fill out this application form.

SOAR Mentorship Responsibilities SOAR Mentors serve a pivotal role in the success of student research projects. They help students conceptualize their projects, develop (but not write) student proposals, and, if awarded, develop benchmarks for completion and oversee that students make progress towards completing those benchmarks. Mentors may also help identify outlets for students to present their research, such as noting conferences or journals that feature undergraduate research. Mentors should be encouraging, but realistic, pushing students to think deeply about their ideas and research. The duties for the mentor vary, depending on whether students have been awarded a project grant. Before the application, mentors should help applicants with the development of their proposal. They should also complete a Mentor Reference Form (see attached) and e-mail it to the chair of the SOAR Advisory Committee (travis.knapp.1@vcsu.edu). Your oversight is required in the development of the project proposal, ensuring that the proposal follows a structure consistent with: Abstract – a concise description of the project. Process/methods – overview of the methodology, and/or strategy for completion. (This may include IRB approval) Timeline/benchmarks – weekly timeline of effort with benchmarks/milestones indicated. Budget – documentation of the project labor, materials, 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. Encourage student researchers to author their proposals while referencing the Scoring Rubric (see attached). You should also help guide the student through the IRB process, if their project involves human participants. (If so, IRB should be included in either the process or timeline part of the application) If the student receives an award, the Mentor should continue to oversee the project and do the following, as necessary: Identify a schedule of consulting personnel to work with the student as needed. Provide advice to the student on material purchases and, if appropriate, facilitate the purchase. Material purchases are often reimbursed, but you can use a P-card (yours or your department's) to shorten the process. With student, establish benchmarks for work and award disbursement. Complete and submit Personnel Action Forms as appropriate to HR. Use campus calendaring to schedule regular meetings with the student and ensure progress. Work with the student in preparing the final report. Evaluate the student’s work and final report. Help find a classroom, seminar, community group, and/or research fair opportunity for the student to talk about their research experience, such as the Barnes County Lecture series. Include the student’s name among the list of authors or appropriately on any of your own work that may be or become related.

Here's a list of common questions about SOAR. They are in no particular order. If you don't see your question addressed, feel free to send it to the chair of the SOAR Advisory Committee (travis.knapp.1@vcsu.edu). note: as of Spring 2025, SOAR is transitioning from using the VCSU HR website for application purposes to OneStop, so some of these processes may change for projects that begin in Fall 2025. How long should a project last? Ultimately, a project's length is up to the student and the mentor. You have until you graduate to finish your SOAR project. Many students do their project in a semester, though others stretch theirs across multiple semesters. The committee generally recommends a project be about 60-100 hours of work. Do I have to have a certain GPA or number of credit hours to apply? No. Any current VCSU student can apply. Your application consists solely of your project proposal and mentor recommendation form. Can I turn in my application early? Please do. The committee realizes that the first Mondays in November and April can be busy times of the semester. You can apply at any point before a given semester's deadline. When will I hear back? The committee aims to have responses for applicants around two to three weeks after the deadline. Once applications are submitted, they have to be collected, distributed to committee members, graded and scored, and then discussed. Once discussed, then the chair of the committee works through the VCSU HR system to notify applicants of their status, providing feedback on their proposals. How is my application judged? You submit your application through the VCSU jobs website and your mentor emails their mentor form to the SOAR Advisory Committee chair, who then collects all the applications and distributes them to members of the SOAR Advisory Committee. Application Proposals are scored according to the SOAR Rubric (see Information for Applicants page). Once all applications If accepted, how or when do I get paid? As part of the application process, you and your mentor set up benchmarks for the project. If your project is awarded a grant, you will then revise those benchmarks and determine how to distribute the $1,000 across those benchmarks. Once those benchmarks are satisfactorily met, your mentor will submit a Personnel-Action Form (PAF) for you to be paid. You will be paid via VCSU Payroll, which will be set up through HR after your application. This means you may have to complete some mandatory employee trainings. Starting Fall 2025, students will be paid directly through Accounts Payable and not through Payroll, meaning that students will need to complete a W9 and a Verification of Services form for payments to be distributed. How can I use my $250 for materials and expenses? Generally, expenses are reimbursed. You and your mentor should forward your receipt to the SOAR committee chair who will then forward it on to the business office. Alternatively, your faculty mentor can use their Purchasing card (P-card) and, when it comes time to reconcile the bill, have the Business Office charge the SOAR account. For questions about this process, ask the SOAR chair or Nickki Brockopp [nichole.brockopp@vcsu.edu]. I want to travel to a conference and it will cost more than $250. What should I do? Unfortunately, the SOAR funds only cover $250 for expenses. We encourage you and your mentor to find alternative funds to help pay for conference or presentation travel. We do not recommend using the $1,000 to cover those expenses, but ultimately that is up to the student. Who can be my mentor? How do I find one? Any faculty member currently employed at VCSU can serve as a SOAR mentor. The committee generally recommends starting by asking faculty members who know you. You can also look at the list of SOAR Advisory Committee members, which includes their disciplines, to ask their recommendations. Does my project need to go through the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process? Research proposals involving human participants, or their personal identifiable information, requires approval from VCSU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the research begins.You do not need approval to submit a grant proposal, but your application should acknowledge whether you will go through the IRB review process. Your faculty mentor should be able to help with this. The use of human subjects in research is governed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to protect them from any potential harm in the research process. More information is available from the following links: Institutional Review Board FAQ Does my research activity need IRB approval? Additional IRB-related questions can be sent to the chair of the IRB, Dr. Kerry Gregoryk (kerry.gregoryk@vcsu.edu). If my proposal is not accepted, can I apply again? Yes! If your apply and your proposal is not accepted, your notice letter will contain feedback from the committee on what they saw in your application and how it can be improved. Can I do multiple SOAR projects? Sure - just not at the same time. You would have to go through the application process again. My project is taking longer than expected; can I get another grant to finish the project? No. Part of doing research is managing time expectations. The same project cannot receive multiple grants, but if you want to do a new project based off a previous project, you are welcome to submit a proposal for it. Can two people both receive money for a joint project? Sometimes, though grants are awarded to the project itself. In most cases, this means both students would split the $1,000. The committee contemplates this on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the nature of the work involved, a faculty mentor can make the case to the committee that both students should be awarded a full grant, but there is no guarantee that the committee will agree. Return to: SOAR Overview Information for Applicants Information for Faculty