Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program (URCPP)

The Labor Program Office provides funds for the Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program. The goals of this mentor-apprentice summer program are:

  • to enhance student learning by providing opportunities for the engagement of challenging, collaborative and directed projects in an apprentice-mentor relationship with faculty;
  • to foster student-faculty interaction in creative work;
  • to help students understand the critical interplay between collaboration and independent thought and action in any team effort to engage a complex, open-ended project;
  • to enhance students’ communication skills;
  • to provide experience that would be helpful to students who wish to pursue subsequent research and learning/creative opportunities (e.g., off-campus, summer research programs, or international learning opportunities);
  • to allow students to build their self-confidence to pursue careers and further study beyond Berea; and to supply experience that will help students make informed career and graduate school decisions.

Students participating in this program receive valuable research experience. Projects are faculty-initiated and coordinated through the Office of the Academic Vice President. Students may not be enrolled in a course while pursuing a URCPP experience.