It can often be brought into some semblance of order through the collaborative efforts of a group. The quality and quantity of collaboration between faculty and students is unusual for a college of this sort, says Laurie Crumpacker, dean of the school of arts and sciences and former director of the master s degree program in liberal studies at Simmons College in Boston. This seems to be close to graduate level work being done by undergraduates. Research advantages to the faculty member include the chance to build rapport with students. I get much more joy out of watching a student learn through the research process than I actually do seated at the bench myself, says Tobin-Janzen.
Faculty also gain an opportunity for continued scholarly growth.
Collaborative work with students can help shorten the amount of time required to complete a research project. And when it comes time to publish results in professional journals, many Susquehanna faculty members regularly include or encourage talented student researchers to publish on their own. Such publication is an impressive addition to an undergraduate student s resume Practical Applications Products of such research go beyond the campus to benefit the local community. Sigmund Weis School of Business students regularly conduct original market research to help formulate marketing plans for local business ranging from a Toyota dealer to Walnut Acres, a natural foods mail-order business in nearby Penn s Creek. Jeremy Zeisloft 97 recently completed a summer internship conducting market research for Cole s Hardware, a 10-store chain.