Student Research Assistant Program

This program ordinarily provides funds each semester (fall, spring, and summer) for up to three faculty members to hire student assistants to work for as many as five hours per week to assist with research and associated clerical work. Students may work fewer hours per week; they may not work more hours. Students may not start their employment before the first day of classes in the semester. Their work must be complete by the last day of classes in the semester. Summer employment may not begin before June 1 and must be complete by August 31.

The student receives the Maryland hourly minimum wage. Awards are for a single semester or summer and may be renewed.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be full-time Loyola faculty members (including full-time affiliates) in the humanities.
• Students must be full-time at Loyola during the semester or summer of the grant. If employed under a separate work study grant, they must not work more than ten hours total per week.
• The Center only funds assistantships for work directly related to a faculty member's academic or creative scholarship. The Center does not fund assistantships for work related to a faculty member's teaching, service, or administrative duties. 

Standards for Proposals

• Awards of these grants will be based on the quality and promise of the applicant's current research project(s), his or her past accomplishments, and his or her plan for employing student help.
• The student's assignments might include clerical jobs of various sorts, library expeditions, bibliographic work, editorial work, and/or modest analytic tasks (e.g., summarizing secondary materials). Student assistants might also help with some other clerical work, such as gathering library materials for course preparation, if that, too, would free up some of the faculty member's time for research. This clerical work must be no more than a small part of the student's assistantship, and the faculty member must clearly explain what specific creative or scholarly research activities will be undertaken with this freed-up time. Applications should explain how the student will benefit from the experience, though the evaluation of applications will focus primarily on how a research assistant will benefit the faculty member.

Procedures

Applications must include the following:

• An application for student assistant form. This includes a brief description of the applicant's current research, a brief description of the student's proposed duties, and the signatures of both the faculty applicant and the student. Faculty who have had student research assistants through this program should indicate as much on the form. They also should attach a copy of their latest final report detailing their use of a research assistant;
• The applicant's curriculum vitae;
• It is the faculty applicant's responsibility to locate and hire the student on the basis of his or her qualifications (e.g., academic abilities, computer skills, transportation), to supervise the student and approve the student's Workday entries, and to submit a one-page report at the end of the semester or summer describing the type of work done by the student, how helpful the assistance was, any unusual tasks or arrangements (and whether they were successful), and any problems encountered. The report should also include the total number of hours the student worked;
• The student must also submit a one-page report at the end of each semester or summer, commenting on the experience from his or her point of view. This report can be submitted through the faculty member or directly to the Center;
• The program initially provides funds for three student assistants per semester (fall, spring and summer). Members of the Steering Committee may apply for student assistants and for each one awarded to a member of the Steering Committee, another slot will be added for regular faculty, if needed.

Deadlines

Applications must be submitted electronically to the Program Assistant of the Center (esgarrett@loyola.edu) by the last working day of November for the spring semester, by the last working day March for the summer semester and the last working day of March for the fall semester.

Application

Download application form