I’m excited to share a new research-based opportunity for Mendoza students in the new year — the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. But before I discuss the details of this program, I would like to provide some context for the structure of the program. 

As has been highlighted frequently by Provost McGreevy and Dean Cremers, research engagement can be a valuable part of the academic experience. It allows students to progress in their scholarly journey from being a recipient of knowledge to an active creator of knowledge. In addition to learning the research process, students engaged in research also gain a more comprehensive and contextual understanding of the field or discipline of interest. 

That said, because important problems are not necessarily neatly confined to a particular discipline, there is considerable benefit to being exposed to and incorporating more interdisciplinary perspectives. Oftentimes, as faculty researchers progress in their careers, they evolve to appreciate and even draw on theories and research methods developed and used in other disciplines. By engaging in interdisciplinary research, they can address questions in richer ways, resulting in a more robust understanding of business than would be possible with more separated, individualized research approaches. 

To provide opportunities for our ambitious undergraduate students to engage in business-related research in a collaborative and interdisciplinary way, the Mendoza College of Business has started a collegewide Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) that will have multiple goals:

1. Broaden undergraduate students’ awareness of academic research related to business, including potential implications for business decisions and the effects on the economy as well as society as a whole. 
2. Deeply engage students in business research, as both consumers and creators of knowledge in a structured and relevant manner. 
3. Focus students’ attention not only on major-specific or even department-specific research areas but also on the interdisciplinary nature of research to broaden students’ perspectives and potential interests, including areas outside the College that inform business research.
4. Provide students with a shared signature experience, where students from across Mendoza engage in lively and constructive research discussions with one another, from the interdepartmental introductory research course to the final thesis development and feedback stage.
5. Provide a pathway for ambitious students to explore a graduate school-like experience, preparing them to be competitive in top doctoral programs. 
6. Create a pipeline of Notre Dame undergraduate students who pursue a Ph.D. in business at top programs and are competitive as faculty candidates at Mendoza.

Before the launch of this program, we have already had some success in engaging our undergraduate students in business research. In particular, some departments have been teaching research-focused courses and some faculty have served as mentors for ambitious and research-oriented students (both Mendoza and non-Mendoza students). 

However, we hope to formalize this research engagement so that many more students become aware of the importance of research, different ways to engage in research while undergraduates and possible pathways to graduate school and research-based careers. By designing the program as a collegewide research program, we also hope to expose students to a broader set of research areas and ideas than they might have otherwise considered.  

Importantly, this program coincides nicely with the University’s new Strategic Framework by combining Goal 2 (Offer an unsurpassed undergraduate education that nurtures the formation of mind, body, and spirit) and Goal 4 (Advance human understanding through scholarship and research that seeks to heal, unify, and enlighten).

More information including curricular details about the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program is available here.

I am very grateful to Ahmed Abbasi, Brad Badertscher, Jason Colquitt, Martijn Cremers, Zhi Da, Frank Germann, Vamsi Kanuri, Ken Kelley, Cindy Muir and Adam Wowak for their helpful input and participation in the program. I would also like to extend an extra thank you to Ken Kelley for all his help with drafting the program proposal. I’m honored and excited to lead this unique new program. 

Sincerely,

Hal

Hal White, PhD, CPA (inactive)
Faculty Director of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program
Vincent and Rose Lizzadro Professor of Accountancy
Mendoza Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP)