Undergraduate Research

The Undergraduate Research Mentorship Initiative (URMI)

What is the URMI?
The Undergraduate Research Mentorship Initiative (URMI) is a new program developed by the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Columbia College Chicago to connect talented students from any discipline at CCC who are interested in the experience of conducting academic research with faculty mentors involved in worthy scholarly and research projects in their areas of expertise.

Students in any major at CCC are encouraged to seek out an URMI in LAS in a field different from theirs as a way broaden academic perspectives.

What is the benefit of conducting research with members of the faculty?
The URMI will give you the opportunity to gain real-world experience and learn research and scholarly techniques from practitioners in academic and integrative disciplines based in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Even in a discipline different from your major at Columbia College Chicago, the experience will enhance your credentials as you enter professional fields or pursue higher academic degrees.

You will work with faculty members whose innovative scholarship or research will have the benefit of your assistance; they, in turn, will serve as mentors to you as you learn about a particular field of specialization within the academic community.

Sounds interesting. What do I do next? How do I apply?
If your instructor has mentioned his or her interest in mentoring
a student through the URMI, work with him or her to prepare your proposal, which the instructor will submit to the LAS Dean’s office by a specified date.

If you do not know an instructor who is interested in participating in the URMI, please contact Sharon Hekman, assistant dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She will attempt to match you with an instructor.

Contact Information for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences:
Deborah H. Holdstein, PhD, Dean
312 344 8219 dholdstein@colum.edu

Neil Pagano, PhD, Associate Dean
312 344 8218 npagano@colum.edu

Sharon Hekman, Assistant Dean
312 344 8841 shekman@colum.edu

Alexandra Garcia, Assistant to the Dean
312 344 8217 agarcia@colum.edu

Page Deulin-Brticevich, Administrative Assistant
312 344 8211 pdeulin@colum.edu