Sustain and Support the Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships Impact Fund

Significant equity gaps in access, experience, and outcomes persist in higher education for traditionally undeserved students including students with financial need, students who are the first in their families to attend college, and BIPOC students. The UO Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships unit -- part of the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success -- responds directly to these challenges to ensure all students enjoy the full opportunities offered by a public liberal arts and sciences research university.

The Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships Impact Fund will support foundational and often transformational opportunities, ensuring students engage broadly with the community and world during their academic career and participate in creating new knowledge.

Your donation will support the following:

• Undergraduate Research Fellowships and Small Grants
• Travel to Academic Conferences and Distinguished Scholarships Interview Sites
• Access to Phi Beta Kappa by Defraying National Society Membership Fee
• Undergraduate Research Symposium Presenter Awards

Thanks to the generous support of Sue and Todd Ringoen, all gifts up to $10,000 will be matched. You can double your impact when you donate today.

"We believe in the power of education. The well-orchestrated programs overseen by UO’s Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships team remove barriers, enhance educational experiences and give every student an equal chance of success, particularly students who have traditionally been underserved."

Undergraduate Research has been classified as a “High Impact Practice” by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Boyer Commission, and The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), “, especially for those students from demographic groups historically underserved by higher education.”

CUR, and our experiences at the UO, have found that participation in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative work across disciplines benefits students by:

• Enhancing student learning through mentoring relationships with faculty
• Fostering a greater sense of belonging
• Increasing retention and graduation in academic programs
• Increasing enrollment in graduate education and providing effective career preparation
• Developing critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence
• Developing an understanding of research methodology
• Promoting an innovation-oriented culture
• Developing competencies that speak to career-readiness

Our alliance is built around access to programs such as The Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement; The Office of Distinguished Scholarships; The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program; DucksRISE; The Undergraduate Research Symposium; Phi Beta Kappa; and Academic Research Communities.

In addition to helping sustain equity-minded outreach, advising, coaching, funding, and instruction, your gift to the Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships Impact Fund helps ensure that all students benefit from the full opportunities offered by a public liberal arts and sciences research university.  

• The Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement 
• The Office of Distinguished Scholarships
• The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program
• DucksRISE  
• The Undergraduate Research Symposium
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Affiliated Students of Undergraduate Research and Engagement 
• Academic Residential and Research Initiatives / Academic Residential Communities

Learn more about the programs your gift supports and how they benefit students.