A new undergraduate award will provide hands-on research opportunities to talented and inquisitive students beginning with the incoming Class of 2022, Gustavus Adolphus College announced today.
In its first year, the Arthur L. Johnson Research Fellowship will provide 10 students with $10,000 each to be used during their time at Gustavus for a collaborative summer research experience with a faculty member. The award includes funding for the research experience and supplies, a stipend for the student, and a research stipend for the faculty adviser.
The research fellows will be selected from among the top academic applicants from the incoming class, drawn from the students who are already competing for President’s Scholarships at Gustavus. During the same interview, students will be considered for the College’s prestigious Trustee and Promise Scholarships. The fellowship will be given in addition to any other merit-based scholarships that students earn.
While all the students considered will be well-prepared for the College’s rigorous academic setting, grades and test scores are not the only factors that will be considered.
“Gustavus attracts students who are intellectually curious and highly motivated,” Director of Undergraduate Research and Professor of Classics Eric Dugdale said. “These students seek out opportunities to work closely with faculty on research that goes beyond the term paper. The Johnson Research Fellowship program allows select students to come to Gustavus knowing that the College has committed to supporting their research interests.”
The new program is the result of an anonymous $200,000 gift that will fund 10 students each for the first two years of the research fellowship program with the goal of endowing it permanently. It is named in honor of 1941 Gustavus graduate Arthur L. “Batch” Johnson, a longtime University of Minnesota sociology professor who also served on the Gustavus Board of Trustees from 1991-1994.
“At the heart of the liberal arts tradition is the pursuit of intellectual interests wherever they may lead. For faculty and students alike, research often ranges beyond disciplinary boundaries and is especially impactful for students because of the high degree of one-on-one faculty-student collaboration, including direct training and mentorship,” Dugdale said. “The Johnson Fellowship program represents an exciting expansion of the capacity for supported faculty-student collaborative research at Gustavus. It will have a transformative impact on the academic and professional preparation of the student fellows.”
To learn more about research opportunities at Gustavus, visit the College’s undergraduate research website.
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