Work Study Research Assistantships

Apply Now for 2022-2023

The Center for Research & Scholarship will award five work-study Research Assistantship positions to select faculty to benefit faculty-student research collaborations in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Purpose

Work-study Research Assistants (RAs) are assigned to a specific faculty member to help work on a research project. While much of the work may be basic (entering and coding data, collecting specimens, conducting literature searches, communicating with participants), the goal is for the student to make a meaningful contribution to the project while learning about the process of research or scholarship in the field. We expect for CRS RAs to be fully integrated into research teams or discussions. CRS RAs can also take on additional responsibility for projects as they gain experience.

If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, please read the following guidelines and then submit a position description to crs@liberty.edu.

Faculty Responsibility

The faculty awarded the work-study Research Assistant positions, in collaboration with the student in the position, is responsible for ensuring that the number of hours worked and total gross earned does not exceed the amount awarded. If this occurs, the department has the option of either continuing your assignment and paying 100% from their departmental budget or ending the student’s assignment.

If your application is accepted, please be aware that the student awarded the work-study RA position must have the appropriate financial aid package to meet your desired timeframe.

Application Guidelines

All positions must give the students direct experience with research or scholarship, at a level that is consistent with the student’s skills and interests. These are not secretarial or other administrative support positions. We expect that you will treat the CRS work-study research assistant as a full member of your research or creative team.

Please provide the following information in your request to be awarded a CRS work-study RA position:

• Name
• Position
• School
• Department
• 2-5 sentences describing the research project (in non-technical language)
• Student knowledge and skills required for the position
• Timeline of position (CRS will consider requests for summer coverage.)
• Rationale for receipt of the position
  • Description of how this research collaboration will:
    • Further the University’s mission to impact the world and
    • Provide a student with research knowledge and skills that will translate to future academic or professional experiences (please be specific).
• Contact information
• Approval from Dean to receive this award

Notification of Awards

Selected faculty will be notified of receipt of the work-study RA position within 3 weeks of application submission. CRS will arrange for budget transfer to the faculty school or college. Each faculty member will then work with their school to post the position description and other pertinent details required by HR.

Follow-Up Expectations Changes

Faculty who receive this award will be expected to submit a one-page summary at the end of each semester of the work-study research assistantship position. This summary must include the following information:

• School and department
• What was accomplished by the student to further the research project
• A statement from the student detailing research knowledge and skills that he/she gained through the project (should affirm what was proposed in the application)
• A statement from both the faculty and the student as to how this program might be made more effective

Email your summary to crs@liberty.edu and put your subject line in this format: lastname_firstname_activitycode.

Sponsorship Acknowledgment

Any publication, presentation, public recital, exhibition, or other public display of the faculty’s work made possible through a research award must include an appropriate acknowledgment of the sponsoring department i.e. Center for Research & Scholarship, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Graduate School, Fulbright Program, or the Center for Academic Development.

Although no one format is required, we recommend the following:

This [research, etc.] is made possible in part by support from the [grant program name (i.e. Center for Research & Scholarship)], Liberty University.