Introduction

  • This election is for College of Business and Public Affairs Special Election for Council for Undergraduate Research. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the College of Business and Public Affairs Special Election for Council for Undergraduate Research election are listed to the right. The list to the right is not a ballot.
  • This list in not official until nominations have been closed and the list of nominees has been reviewed and verified by the APSCUF Nominations and Elections Committee.
  • The statements the candidates submitted with their nominations are given below. By clicking on a name in the list of candidates, you will be taken to that candidate's statement.
  • Clicking on the words Return to Top will return you to this part of the page.
  • If you are a nominee and wish to modify your statement or withdraw your nomination, click on the "Modify" button. You will need your password to make any modifications.
  • When you are finished, you may choose to view nominees for other elections, nominate yourself, view the list of elections, return to the APSCUF Nominations and Elections homepage, visit the APSCUF homepage, or visit the WCU homepage.
The nominees for College of Business and Public Affairs Special Election for Council for Undergraduate Research are:

Simon Condliffe
Claire L. Dente
David Doorn
Joy Fritschle

Nominations close Sep 23, 2013.
Regular Faculty in the College of Education may be nominated.

Rules for the Election

    • Tenure-Track or Tenured Faculty
    • See Call for Participation (V. Harper/M. De Wet 9-10-13)

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Simon Condliffe


Department: Economics and Finance

I am a current member of the National Council for Undergraduate Research and represented the university at a CUR conference last year.

I have a strong interest in promoting undergraduate research at WCU. Research opportunities for our students provide a rich learning experience and are consistent with our Teacher-Scholar model.

I believe that the outcomes of undergraduate research are manifold. Firstly, the students’ research skills improve markedly. These skills include the use of technology, the ability to think critically, and the capability to express themselves effectively in writing. Secondly, when students present their research at a conference they sharpen their presentation skills. All of these outcomes help to differentiate our students in the job market or further education. Indeed, many students have remarked that the topics that dominate job interviews have been their experience with technology, their skills in written and oral communication and their research.

My commitment to students is evident in my support of their research experience. For the past four years I have organized (with colleagues) trips for the senior class of Economics students to the Eastern Economic Association conference (at various East Coast cities). The students attend seminars, faculty presentations and keynote speakers and also present their research at the conference. This is an invaluable experience for the seniors. Many have commented that it has been the highlight of their undergraduate studies at WCU. It has provided a springboard for the next step in their careers.

I am excited about the opportunity to participate in the WCU-CUR and to continue to promote student research on campus.


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Claire L. Dente


Department: Undergraduate Social Work

I have taught research in the Undergraduate Social Work Department for the past 7 years. I work closely mentoring undergraduate students engaged in conducting research on campus and have been honored to see several of my students receive WCU Student Research and Creative Activities Awards. This role has given me insight into the strengths and challenges inherent in undergraduate student research, including students' understanding of the formal research process, managing their anxiety, and negotiating the IRB/HSC process. I would be honored to bring this experience to the WCU Council for Undergraduate Research to foster greater collaboration between faculty and undergraduate students in conducting research.


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David Doorn


Department: Economics and Finance

I would welcome the opportunity to serve as the School of Business and Public Affairs representative to the West Chester University Council for Undergraduate Research. Although I am only in my second year at WCU, I have had much experience working with undergraduate research during my eight years with my previous institution.

Outside the classroom there were multiple research opportunities for students, including conducting original research projects of their own through the University of Minnesota’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), doing independent studies for credit, and working as research assistants to aid faculty in their research. Each of these provided students with an excellent means of furthering their education and skills development and I was quite involved with a number of students undertaking all of these activities.

The UROP in particular was a great program for giving students the incentive to undertake research into topics that they were interested in learning more about. The University of Minnesota program provided competitive grants of $1400 to support students in the pursuit of their own research projects over the course of an academic year. It also provided an outlet for them to present their results to the campus community and offered additional support for presenting at outside conferences, such as the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). I served as UROP faculty advisor for quite a few students over the years and, while the grants were very competitive, every one of my students who applied was awarded a grant. I would love to play a role in getting a similar program up and running here at WCU.

I have also overseen several students who undertook independent studies with me for course credit. Often this was done when they were really interested in an extension of a course into areas that were not covered in any of the courses being offered at the university. While the ability to undertake independent study for credit is already available to students at WCU, I think perhaps the program could be expanded upon and more widely used.

In the past I have also received several grants that allowed me to hire Undergraduate Research Assistants to aid in my own research efforts. This is another type of grant program that would be great to implement in some way at WCU.

One other area that I had significant involvement with at my previous university was the business school’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER). The BBER typically hired three students each year to aid with their own and with faculty research projects and this employment opportunity extended over the summer. I worked with the BBER on numerous research projects and had significant interaction with and help from the students on these. This seems like a good model for the development of the Summer Research Institute and/or a year-round research center.

In addition to accompanying students to the NCUR in the past, this year I and two other faculty members accompanied a group of our majors to Boston where they presented their own research at the Eastern Economic Association’s undergraduate research conference. This type of event is another great opportunity for students and it would be good to have additional funding resources made available for such excursions.

As you can see, I have significant experience with undergraduate research in a variety of forms and am very excited by the prospect of bringing or expanding upon similar opportunities for our students here in West Chester. If you would like more information on my experience and qualifications, please don’t hesitate to email me for my CV (ddoorn@wcupa.edu). Thank you for your consideration.


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Joy Fritschle


Department: Geography & Planning

I believe undergraduate students should have the opportunity to participate in research. As an Associate Professor in Geography & Planning at WCU, I have demonstrated this philosophy through a number of different activities. For example, I have made a practice of involving undergraduate in my own research projects and I have collaborated with students in research projects of their own creation. I have experience in obtaining external and internal grants for research projects that involve undergraduates as research assistants. I recently published a textbook that was co-authored with a former undergraduate student with contributions by a current undergraduate student. I have regularly mentored student research projects that have received recognition at the annual SRCA (Student Research & Creative Activities) Award on Research Day. In addition, I am Division Editor (Geography & Planning) and Editorial Committee Member of the Keystone Journal of Undergraduate Research (KJUR).

I am excited about the creation of the Council for Undergraduate Research and the opportunity to strengthen the involvement of undergraduates in research at WCU. If elected, I will be honored to serve as the CBPA representative.


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