Research and Mentoring

Students walk down a pathway to classThe Honors College values undergraduate research as an important form of experiential learning and encourages faculty to offer opportunities to engage students in undergraduate research in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences.

We are eager to welcome VCU’s top faculty members into the Honors community and to support and reward them for their efforts. The Honors College strives to provide professional development funding to those who offer Honors topics courses and who serve as faculty mentors. The Honors College also recognizes faculty who teach in Honors as Honors faculty fellows and periodically names several Honors award recipients.

Honors faculty mentors who engage in research with our students report their experiences as especially rewarding. Through the Honors Summer Undergraduate Research Program, for example, faculty may be paired with an exceptional Honors student dedicated to assisting with the instructor’s research. Faculty mentors are frequently so impressed with the students’ work that they often continue working with these highly-motivated students long after the summer program has ended.