The program enlists faculty and researchers to mentor juniors through part-time, paid research assistantships. The program provides opportunities for students to experience research first-hand and is intended to prepare students for undertaking senior honors theses.
Students who have attained a GPA in the top 40% of the class at the end of fall term of sophomore year are eligible for the program. Eligible students are notified winter term of sophomore year.
Scholars serve two terms during their junior year as research assistants to Dartmouth faculty members. Scholars are expected to work 7-12 hours per week during each of those two terms. The two terms of the assistantship must be conducted during students’ “ON” terms, unless there are extenuating circumstances and approval is given by both the professor and the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research.
It is expected that James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars will assist faculty in their research. Students participating in this program are not expected to generate their own independent research projects. The nature of the work and the skills required will vary depending on the project, and faculty mentors should be clear about their expectations prior to the start of the assistantship. The faculty mentor and student should set up a work schedule at the beginning of the term, and this schedule should include weekly or biweekly meetings between the student and advisor.
Faculty are invited to list projects on an on-line database which is activated in February. Students can search the database for projects of interest to them. Contact the professor(s) with whom you are interested in working to discuss their project, expectations and interview process. You may contact as many professors as you like, but you may only apply to work with ONE.
You may serve as a James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar to a professor who did not list a project in the database, provided they agree to take you on as a research assistant. A project title and description must be provided to the Undergraduate Research Office on the student’s application form. No other special permission is needed to work with a professor who did not list a project in the on-line database.
Interviews are conducted by the faculty at their discretion. Faculty will not necessarily interview all interested students. The Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research does not coordinate or facilitate the interviews. You should contact the faculty whose projects sound interesting and set up interviews. If you will be off campus during the winter term, you should consider contacting faculty about James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar assistantships via phone or email during winter term rather than waiting until you return to campus in the spring. Faculty are asked to wait until spring term to select a Scholar so that all interested students have the opportunity to interview for the assistantship, but some faculty do opt to select a Scholar during the winter term.
You may conduct an assistantship with a faculty member who is not in you major department, provided the project is academically relevant to your course of study. If you choose a faculty mentor who is not in your major department, however, you will not be able to do a senior honors thesis with that faculty member. You also may not be able to pursue the independent study credit option for the second term of the assistantship. If you are interested in this option, you should check with the department regarding their policy for granting independent study credit to non-majors.
Once a professor selects you as his/her James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar, there are two things you must do. First, print and complete the Acknowledgement & Release form. You and your faculty mentor must both sign this form, and it must be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research. Second, you must fill out the on-line application form. Both of these are available by following the links on this website.
Not necessarily. Selection by a faculty mentor and submission of the required forms does NOT guarantee acceptance into the program. If we have more applications than stipends, selection will be based on factors such as academic standing and the relevance of the project to the student’s major. Applications will be accepted until the program deadline (see website), and notification letters will be sent out 3 weeks after that deadline.
Students are eligible to receive a stipend of $700 for each of the two terms of the assistantship. Stipends are paid as a lump sum through the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research at the END of each term and are contingent on a satisfactory evaluation by the faculty mentor. Students are not required to complete time-sheets. Stipend payments for international students (non-resident aliens) are subject to a 14% tax.
In the second term of the assistantship, students may receive independent study course credit instead of a stipend ONLY IF it is deemed appropriate by the faculty advisor (subject to departmental criteria). Assistantships for which independent study credit is to be granted will typically involve a greater time commitment than non-credit assistantships. The faculty mentor ultimately makes the decision as to whether independent study credit is an option, and the student is responsible for registering for the independent study through the faculty mentor’s department prior to the start of the term. Students should check with the department to be sure that they are eligible to register for independent study. The Office of Advising and Research is not involved in the course registration process.
Transcripts of students who successfully complete both terms of the assistantship will carry the notation “James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar Research Assistant.” Students who complete two terms of the assistantship AND graduate with honors in their major will be designated James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars at Commencement and on their transcripts. Students who complete the assistantship and go on to write an honors thesis are eligible to receive an additional $300 thesis stipend in their senior year. Applications for the honors thesis stipend are available on this website.
Contact the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research:
