Undergraduate Research Faculty Initiatives Program Coordinator


Position Overview

The Faculty Initiatives Program Coordinator is a staff position within the Center for Undergraduate Research and reports to the Director. This position is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating Mentor & Instructor programs for the Center for Undergraduate Research.

The University of Kansas offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, 9 paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a great retirement program, medical and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options and state of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. The University of Kansas also offers employees educational opportunities and is a great place to work!

About Lawrence, KS

The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, a community of about 95,000. Only 35 miles west of Kansas City and 20 miles east of Topeka, you will never be far from barbecue, jazz, museum culture, and more. Lawrence has a lively downtown and a thriving arts and music scene, and its local government has enacted ordinances supporting equality for all members of its population. Lawrence locals covet the numerous sports and recreational opportunities, local shops, and a wide range of locally-owned restaurants.

Job Description

Instructor Support 20%
  • Conceptualize and implement programs and initiatives to promote best practices with individual instructors interested in incorporating research into their undergraduate classes.
  • Develop content for, coordinate, and assess the impact of the Research-Intensive Course Grant Program.
  • Work with academic departments and other university offices to promote the inclusion of research skill development into departmental curricula and other university initiatives, such as first-year seminars.
  • Onboard a portfolio of 3-5 undergraduate research-intensive courses each semester.
Mentor Support 20%
  • Conceptualize and implement programs and initiatives to promote best practices with mentors who work with KU undergraduates involved in research outside the classroom.
  • Oversee or assist with the faculty components of the Center’s student programs, such as the Emerging Scholars Program.
  • Maintain and oversee online research postings through Center’s website.
  • Develop guidelines for and facilitate evaluation process for faculty and graduate student mentor awards.
Faculty and Department Outreach 20%
  • Implement recruitment activities to encourage KU faculty and research staff to engage in undergraduate research.
  • Collaborate with academic departments, schools/College and other KU units to promote undergraduate research.
Undergraduate Research Program Coordination 20%
  • Develop and coordinate the implementation of all student and staff communications coming through the office, including website, social media, newsletters, press releases, and print materials.
  • Develop innovative ways to communicate undergraduate research stories to a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
  • Develop, implement, and assess strategic goals for communications.
  • May supervise undergraduate student employees.
Undergraduate Research Awards 15%
  • Manage and implement the Undergraduate Research Award Program twice each academic year.
  • Develop and update proposal guidelines and evaluation rubrics.
  • Develop educational materials and facilitate workshops for students to prepare research proposals.
  • Facilitate faculty review process of proposals.
  • Review student proposals and make final funding decisions.
  • Oversee application process and award distribution.
  • Evaluate outcomes of program and make adjustments as needed.
Other Duties 5%
  • Contribute to strategic planning and assessment initiatives for the office.
  • Oversee the judging component of the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
  • Contribute to planning for student-focused programs.
  • Assume responsibility for special assignments as requested by the Director.
  • Attend relevant unit meetings.
  • Participate in department and campus meetings and trainings.
  • Participate in relevant professional development annually.
  • Other duties as assigned by Academic Success Leadership.

Position Requirements

  1. This position requires working on-site.
  2. Travel is less than 25% for occasional outreach or professional development with advance notice.

Required Qualifications

  1. Master’s degree OR Bachelor’s degree plus three (3) years related experience.
  2. One (1) year of experience with classroom instruction.
  3. Experience with experiential high-impact teaching/learning practices as evidenced by application materials.
  4. Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by the application materials.
  5. Experience using the Microsoft Office Suite.
  6. Demonstrated experience with academic research in a university setting.

Preferred Qualifications

  1. Experience working independently and being detail-oriented, with high attention to accuracy.

Additional Candidate Instructions

A complete application includes:
  1. Cover letter addressing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
  2. Resume.
  3. Contact information for three professional references (including at least one previous or current supervisor).
  4. Completion of the online application.
  • Application review begins Thursday, June 15, 2023 and continues until a pool of qualified applicants is identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Alison Olcott, olcott@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

Minimum $51,000, final determination commensurate with experience

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8am to 5 pm. Travel is less than 25% for occasional outreach or professional development with advance notice.

Application Review Begins

Thursday June 15, 2023

Anticipated Start Date

Saturday July 15, 2023

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Posting Information

  • Posting ID:  25155BR
  • Department:  Undergraduate Research
  • Primary Campus:  University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
  • Assignment:  Hybrid
  • Reg/Temp:  Regular
  • Employee Class:  U-Unclassified Professional Staff
  • Review Begins:  15-Jun-2023

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