The Engaged Scholar and Artist Awards (ESAA) provides funding to support undergraduate student-led research, creative works or community engagement projects. Projects may be submitted by one individual student or by a team of students. Each project must have one “lead” student and one faculty mentor.

You must be an undergraduate student, in good academic standing, and, if applicable, have completed IRB approval forms prior to the approval of your award.

Yes, Lecturers can serve as mentors.

No, only Faculty members (including Lecturers) can serve as mentors.

ESAA mentors can only receive funding for one Lead student per year. When applying for the award, there is no limit to the number of proposals on which a mentor can be listed; however, only one proposal may receive funding.

Budget revisions must be completed by the Lead student, who will have access to the Engaged Scholar Awards portal in SharePoint. If a Faculty Mentor and/or support students makes budget revision requests, the Lead student will be asked to approve before changes are made.

Up to $500 of the total amount awarded to the Lead student may be used for faculty travel related to the project.

No, the student should take the lead in purchasing, though the ESAA Mentor should serve as a guide in both the decision-making and actual processing of project expenditures. If the student needs help using iShop or other UTRGV software, the faculty mentor can help and/or introduce the student to their administrative support staff in the department/school.

No, all ESAA proposals require the sponsorship of a mentor before applying. If you are in need of a mentor, come by the ES&L Office well in advance of the deadline and we will happily assist you.

No, graduating students must use their ESAA funds before the end of their last semester. Please contact the ES&L Office if you have individualized questions about how to spend the funding awarded.

Deadlines take place throughout the academic year and are strictly enforced. See our policies document for official dates.

Yes. Not submitting Phase I does not disqualify you; however, preference is given to those who submit their Intent to Apply.

Students may request between $500 to $2,000 for their project. Proposals must have a clearly defined budget.

Funding may be used in any combination of: student wages, student travel, allowable materials, and faculty travel (up to $500).

To begin, complete the required paperwork to allocate your funds. You must also complete a service requirement. Our office will be sending a Progress Report Survey, and a Final Report Survey that must be completed before the end of your award period. If you believe that you will not be utilizing all the fund you have allocated, or if your research or project plans have changed, please let our office know as soon as possible. We may be able to assist you with these changes.

To travel, students must complete the Travel Form for either domestic travel or international travel. Once the appropriate signatures have been obtained, the form must be submitted to the Dean’s Office at least 7 days prior your trip. The form must be completed prior to making any bookings (e.g., hotel, car rental, registration), per university student travel policies. Please keep all receipts for any reimbursement requests.

No, students who travel with the award funds must be affiliated with the University.

Yes, as long as the Lead student (awardee) is an undergraduate student, a graduate student listed as a support student is acceptable.

Administrative support may be requested on behalf of your faculty mentor. Like most grants and awards at UTRGV, Administrative Personnel (Administrative Assistants) play a key role by completing the required processes for award distribution and/or use via iShop or iTravel. However, Faculty Mentors may choose to complete administrative requests themselves.

We recommend connecting with your Faculty Mentor prior to requesting any assistance from the Administrative Personnel in your Faculty Mentor’s department/school. Usually, this information is listed on your Mentor’s department website.

Follow the guidance of your Faculty Mentor when requesting assistance from their departmental Administrative Assistant. It is best to contact the administrative assistants after an introduction by and with the support of your Faculty Mentor.

First, setup your profile on Career Connection with the Career Center, which will require that you complete a resume review with the Career Center (We recommend bringing your resume for review during their open office hours – Wednesdays/Thursday from noon to 3:45 p.m.). Simultaneously, complete an I-9 application and background check form with Human Resources (you will be required to visit the HR department to provide identification). Lastly, complete the ESAA Wages Calculator Worksheet available on the ESAA portal, and submit this form to our office to initiate the completion and submission of a Personal Action Form (PAF). Once your PAF has completed the approval process, you will be hired at the University and may begin submitting timecards. No time prior to the start of your employment may be logged for back payment.

It is possible to be employed elsewhere at the University and use wages, but you may not exceed 19 hours per week. (e.g., 10 hours of work in another position and 9 hours of work from the ESAA = 19 hours per week)

No, but you may use your funds for publication purposes.

Every Spring Semester, our office hosts the Engaged Scholar Symposium (ES²). We encourage you to submit your project for presentation. All Engaged Scholar and Artist Awardees must submit an application to present at the Engaged Scholar Symposium.

Yes, to assist you, we host a workshop addressing how to submit an abstract prior our ESAA deadline.

We hope you join us at ES², but there are many other opportunities for you to share your work, such as hosting a workshop, presenting in other local, regional, or national/international conferences. Some students may also be featured on our social media platforms or other UTRGV marketing outlets or profile highlights, such as Humans of UTRGV or the Profiles in Excellence Series.

Yes, however, we encourage for you to obtain IRB approval before starting on your research project. You can find more information in the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research website.

No, we do not fund projects where students are obtaining a grade for a course/course credit.

We do not fund student organizations or clubs. You can find more information at the Center for Student Involvement website.

No, we do not fund projects for graduate students. You can find more information at the Graduate College website.