1978

RC helped found Council on Undergraduate Research.

In 1978, Brian Andreen, Research Corporation Program Officer (and later Vice President), was one of the founding members of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).

The initiative originated as a result of a faculty member’s request to Andreen for information on chemistry research being done at private, undergraduate colleges. At the time, little information was available from either government or private sources. Andreen suggested surveying college science departments to determine the extent of research activity. The result was a directory that could put college researchers in touch with one another.

And the Council on Undergraduate Research was born.

At the first meeting of the organization the following year, Michael Doyle was elected President; Jerry Mohrig was elected Secretary; and Andreen was elected Executive Secretary.

Although the organization was originally aimed at chemists from private liberal arts colleges, today all disciplines and all types of institutions are included.

The Council on Undergraduate Research’s mission is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. Today CUR is a national organization of individual and institutional members representing over 900 colleges and universities.