Introduction

  • This election is for College of Arts and Sciences Special Election for Council for Undergraduate Research. The rules for this election are listed below.
  • The nominees for the College of Arts and Sciences 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 Arts and Sciences Special Election for Council for Undergraduate Research are:

Kevin Aptowicz
Eric Dodson-Robinson
Maureen Knabb
James Mc Laughlin
One R. Pagan
Heather Wholey

Nominations close Sep 23, 2013.
Regular Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences 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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Kevin Aptowicz


Department: Physics

Undergraduate research can be an extremely powerful educational experience that plays a significant role in the career trajectory of a student. That was certainly true for me as I think back upon my career path. Since joining the WCU community in Fall 2005, I have been deeply invested in undergraduate research including mentoring eight undergraduate researchers. These research opportunities have led to undergraduate coauthored peer-reviewed papers, talks given by undergraduates at national conferences, as we well as undergraduate led collaboration with scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. With a history of dedication to undergraduate research, I would be delighted serve on the Council for Undergraduate Research at WCU and continue to strengthen and improve undergraduate research opportunities here at West Chester University. Beyond achieving the goals mandated by PASSHE for this committee, I would serve as an advocate for the faculty in supporting and evolving a culture of undergraduate research.


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Eric Dodson-Robinson


Department: English

I have a strong commitment to involving students with my research, and I would be honored and enthusiastic to promote and support undergraduate research at West Chester by serving on the Council. I have relevant experience as an organizer, adviser, and mentor: I have served as official faculty mentor for three undergraduate guided research courses I designed at the University of Texas. In addition, I have organized informational workshops at WCU for students pursuing graduate level study, and I have advised and written successful recommendations for students interested in pursuing research internships and advanced studies. I was recently appointed as Assistant Coordinator to the English Department Graduate Program as a result of my mentoring initiatives and cooperative committee service. I look forward to the opportunity to further undergraduate research at WCU through work on the Council.


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Maureen Knabb


Department: Biology

Undergraduate research has been an important focus of my work and I would like to serve the University on WCU-CUR. As teacher- scholars, WCU faculty often involve students in their research. I have been fortunate to offer research opportunities for undergraduate biology students since I started at WCU in 1986. I have attended several NCUR conferences, not only with Biology students but also with WCU students from other disciplines. Unlike many disciplinary conferences, NCUR offers opportunities for undergraduate students who are involved in a wide array of creative and research activities. I am particularly interested in establishing a summer research institute at WCU.


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James Mc Laughlin


Department: Mathematics

I am very interested in working to increase the level of undergraduate research at West Chester University.

There are several problems to be overcome in developing a sustained university-wide undergraduate research program.

On the one hand it would clearly be beneficial to find ways of getting more students interested in undergraduate research and making them aware of the various benefits to them, including a deeper understanding of their subject, increased skills and abilities in their field, and an "edge" over the competition when seeking employment.

On the other hand it would be desirable to find ways to assist more faculty members to become more involved in undergraduate research. One difficulty in some disciplines is that of actually finding problems suitable for students to work on. I am very interested in developing systematic ways, depending on the discipline, of finding problems suitable for students to work on.

Not every student will be interested in conducting research, so there is also the initial problem of somehow "casting a wide net" that would make a large number of students aware of the possibilities for student research.

I look forward to tackling these and other difficulties that may arise as we develop a stronger culture of undergraduate research at West Chester University. I look forward to engaging with other faculty as we work together to strengthen and develop undergraduate research initiatives.

I have supervised a number of undergraduate research projects in different areas of mathematics. I have also supervised graduate research in mathematics, research which resulted in a Master’s thesis.


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One R. Pagan


Department: Biology

I would be honored to serve in the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR). One of the most remarkable aspects of WCU is that here I do not have to choose between teaching and research; I can excel in both. This makes sense, since research is merely the extension of the frontiers of knowledge, which will inevitably result in an improvement of teaching. I have experienced firsthand the enthusiasm, responsibility and imagination of quite a few undergraduate students that have chosen to do research in my laboratory. Moreover, since 2005, I have published 12 peer-reviewed papers, 8 of those with research done completely at WCU. All those papers include undergraduates who earned their right to be coauthors. I do not merely think that the mission of the CUR is worthwhile, undergraduate research is an integral part of my academic life. I hope that you give me the opportunity to serve.


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Heather Wholey


Department: Anthropology.Sociology

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. I am committed to fostering undergraduate research and creative inquiry as a campus wide initiative. I was a member of the WCU-CUR in 2007/08 when it was an ad hoc committee. I am a member of the Research Consortium and I have worked with the Student Research and Creative Activities committee as well as the College of Arts and Sciences in mentoring my own students in their submission of research for awards and support. I regularly mentor students within my department and from related disciplines on campus, as well as from other institutions within my discipline. Faculty and students in involved in collaborative or faculty led research benefit mutually. Students engaged in discovery and creative inquiry benefit through enhanced communication, independent thinking, creativity and problem-solving. They also garner an experience profile that boosts their professional and academic credentials for future employment and/or scholarship. If elected to CUR, I would work with campus organizations, and faculty and students to achieve its main goal of developing a Summer Research Institute. Such an Institute would be valuable in validating student-faculty collaborations, promoting student-student collaborations and providing access to resources needed to support student research and creative activity.


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