Faculty and Student Research

Funded by the Abshire, Hubbard, and Soden endowments, these awards support up to 80 hours of student contributions to a professor’s research project per semester. 

Abshire/Hubbard awards fund projects in all disciplines. The Soden award is available to faculty-student teams in the Arts and Humanities division, with preference given to research work on German philosophers. 

Priority application deadlines are November 1, 2025 for the Spring 2026 Semester and May 1, 2026 for the Fall 2026 Semester.

Faculty apply for research positions and then advertise those to students once approved. To apply, please fill out the In-Semester Faculty-Student Research Form and upload the required documents:

1. A 1-2 page proposal about the research that explains:
   
   • The nature of the project and how it fits in your wider research agenda
   • The project’s expected outcomes
   • How a student will contribute to the project and an anticipated timeline of the work across the semester.

Please keep in mind that faculty on the granting committee may be unfamiliar with research methods in your discipline and provide detail accordingly.

2. A hiring plan that lists relevant student qualifications and skills and explains how you will recruit in an equitable, transparent way (typically this will include posting on Handshake, but in some cases a department-specific routine may be an appropriate substitute).

The committee will use the following criteria when reviewing applications:

2. • Connection of the project and its methodology to the professor's research agenda
   • Potential for genuine collaboration and intellectual engagement of the student
   • All faculty, regardless of status, are encouraged to submit applications. Some consideration is made for tenure-track faculty, especially pre-tenure, and for creating research opportunities across divisions.

Most funding will be awarded to applications that come in by the priority deadlines. A small percentage of funding will be available for projects that emerge later in the academic year.

History of Abshire Award Recipients

Funded substantially by the Perry endowment, Faculty-Student Summer Research awards provide a faculty stipend, hourly compensation for students, and limited funds for supplies, travel, or other expenses necessary to advance a research project. Collaborations can be of varying durations but often make up full-time summer employment for the student. 

Priority Application Deadline: November 15, 2025
Most funding will be awarded to applications received by the priority deadline. 

Secondary Application Deadline: March 31, 2026
A small percentage of funding will be reserved for projects that emerge later in the academic year.

Faculty apply for research positions and then will advertise those to students once approved. To apply, please fill out the Faculty-Student Summer Research Form and upload the required documents:

1. A two-page proposal about the research that includes an abstract of no more than 150 words. In your proposal, please explain:
   • How the project fits into your broader research agenda
   • The significance of your research project within your wider field
   • The expected outcomes of the project
   • How a student (or students) will contribute to the project
   • How you will promote student safety, if research involves travel or work in remote areas

Please keep in mind that faculty on the granting committee may be unfamiliar with research methods in your discipline and provide detail accordingly.

2. An approximate timeline of the work. The strongest proposals provide a description of specific stages of research and the time involved. Projects may not begin prior to May 9 and must be completed by September 8.

3. A proposed budget that includes:
   • Total student hours requested, with a break-down of anticipated hours per student (limit of 360 hours for any individual student; students are paid Washington’s minimum wage)
   • Itemized supplies request (up to $1,000)
   • Itemized student travel request (up to $1,000)

4. A hiring plan that lists relevant student qualifications and skills and explains how you will recruit in an equitable, transparent way (typically this will include posting on Handshake, but in some cases a department-specific routine may be an appropriate substitute).
5. The report from your most recent summer research award, if applicable.

When reviewing applications, the committee will use the following criteria:

• Connection of the project and its methodology to the professor's research agenda or teaching interests
• Potential for genuine collaboration and intellectual engagement of the student
• Presentations or publication resulting from previous Faculty-Student Research award, if relevant.
• All faculty, regardless of status, are encouraged to submit applications. Some consideration is made for tenure-track faculty, especially pre-tenure, and for creating research opportunities across divisions

History of Summer Research Award Recipients

While most collaborative research advances faculty scholarship, the Adam Dublin Award funds students’ original work, under the mentorship of a professor.

Supporting scholarly or creative work relating to multiculturalism in the United States or abroad, the Dublin Award was established in the fall of 2003 by then Board of Trustees Chair-elect, Kari Glover, '72, and her husband, Thaddas L. Alston. The Award is named for the late Adam Dublin, '96, in memory of his positive spirit and his commitment to diversity while a student at Whitman.

Applications are due November 1, 2025

The grant will be divided into two $1,500 stipends, one for the student and one for the faculty member. In addition, up to $2000 may be used to defray documented expenses of the project such as art supplies or research materials or for required travel. The application must include an itemized request for expenses.

The types of projects that can be funded include:

• Quantitative or qualitative research projects
• Senior theses
• Creative writing projects
• Visual arts projects
• Musical compositions or lecture recitals
• Video documentaries
• One-act plays
• Others as deemed appropriate by the selection committee

All current students and faculty at Whitman College are eligible to apply. It is expected that the project will be completed before the student graduates and within a year of notification of the award at the latest. Proposals must be signed by both the student and the faculty member. A complete proposal will consist of the following:

 The members of the team and their qualifications.

• The nature and scope of the project, identifying the main issue it will cover.
• The significance of the project.
• The timeline and process for completing the project (no later than two semesters from application and prior to the student's graduation)
• If necessary, an itemized budget of expenses.
• The form that the public presentation will take.

When evaluating applications, the ASID committee will look for evidence of collaboration between students and faculty. Even if the student is ultimately responsible for the writing of the project (as in the case of a senior thesis), the committee will be interested in how the faculty advisor will be helping the student and how the student’s research affects or informs the faculty member’s work. 

The award will go to the one or two projects that address issues of global multiculturalism in the most challenging, original, and well-prepared way. Academic rigor and creative originality will be criteria. Projects may focus on a particular ethnic or racial community in a specific country or look more broadly at the interactions between communities. Projects may concentrate on the United States or study issues of multiculturalism in other countries or at the global level. 

A public presentation of the research or creative project is required at the end of the academic year in which the award is given. Both the student and the faculty member should speak at this event.

Submit Application

History of Dublin Award Recipients