Center for Student Research and Scholarly Engagement

As part of Academic Affairs' restructuring this year, the Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement has become the Center for Student Research and Scholarly Engagement, (pronounced SIR-see) taking on graduate research support and fiduciary responsibility for the Graduate Student Association alongside our existing work. Here's what's changed, what's new, and what it means for you and your students this fall.

This is one piece of a university-wide reorganization. For the full picture, including new organizational charts, leadership changes, and the rationale behind it, see the Provost's Advancing the Academic Affairs Vision 2026 update ↗.

If you have specific questions about CSRSE's new responsibilities or about our center in general, please reach out by emailing [email protected], or completing our Faculty Interest form.

Faculty Interest Form

The new name reflects an expanded portfolio, not just a rebrand. Including “Student Research” signals support for every student pursuing research, undergraduate and graduate alike. Keeping “Scholarly Engagement” preserves our commitment to academic excellence, nationally competitive fellowship support, best practices in research mentorship, and student engagement in the broader scholarly community.

• July 2026 - The Center is renamed. Graduate student grants are aligned with CUSE's existing timelines and assessment practices.
• August 2026 - The Presidential Research Grant Review Committee expands to be representative of graduate program disciplines.
• August 2026 - Announcement of the Experiential Learning Student Showcase scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd, 4-7 p.m., City Campus.
• September 2026 - Collaborative onboarding of Graduate Student Association leadership and advisors.
• Fall Semester 2026 - A needs assessment of graduate student research will be conducted. A formal report will be available in early 2027.

Concretely, that means the Center now has:

• Responsibility for Graduate Research, previously coordinated through the Graduate School.
• Fiduciary responsibility for the Graduate Student Association (GSA).

The Center continues to house:

• The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
• The Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships

Academic Conference Fund (ACF)

Graduate and undergraduate students now use one unified application.

• A brief faculty endorsement is submitted directly within the application, replacing the old letter-of-recommendation upload.
• Graduate recipients now complete a post-trip survey focused on outcomes and reflection, as part of their grant responsibilities.
• Application periods align with the former undergraduate ACF funding quarters — applications are reviewed by quarter and submitted in the quarter corresponding to the conference travel dates.

Presidential Research Grant (PRG)

Now fully online at gvsu.edu/gradresearch/presidential-research-grant-10.

• Submitted via web form, with instructions on the site.
• Updated deadlines — for example, the Fall application deadline is July 31, 2026.
• Purchasing and reimbursement now aligned with other CSRSE grant procedures.

The PRG Review Committee is being expanded to reflect the disciplines of the graduate programs.