Do you want your students to write better, indeed well enough that their essays are of prize-winning quality? If so, read on.

Many of us are asked to be more active in undergraduate research. The success of the two previous COURHC conferences demonstrates continued interest in this topic within history departments and provides a proven means of accomplishing undergraduate research success in a history department. Indeed, the National Consortium on Undergraduate Research in History developed from the February 2006 meeting.

In the Department of History and Geography at the University of Central Oklahoma, faculty members have adopted policies which have led to considerable success for students passing through our program. As UCO is a regional institution with generous open door admission and transfer policies, the model used in this department is broadly applicable to a department with an average student population, not merely one that would succeed only with students who arrive in college with high ACT or SAT scores, or with well-developed research and writing skills.

The colloquium is a working conference of roughly a dozen faculty members from around the nation who come to learn and to share, with the purpose of returning to their home institutions better equipped to produce courses or a program that encourages significant undergraduate research.

Each applicant is required to submit a short statement detailing what his/her department is currently accomplishing in terms of undergraduate research, what goals the department has set for this concept, and what barriers limit the department’s ability to meet its goals. Successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance on or about 15 October 2007. Late applications will be accepted if places remain available.

If you are interested you can register by sending an email to tbaughman@ucok.edu with the subject line “Application for COURHC” and answer the following three questions:

What is your department currently doing with undergraduate research?
What would you like to be doing?
What issues/structures prevent you from accomplishing your goals?

More information is available at ncurh.com/courhc.html