OURS Faculty Fellow, Dr. Anna Hammersmith, is leading a mentoring community focused on supporting student researchers and scholars. This mentoring community is geared toward new and experienced faculty who are interested in making mentoring of students a significant part of their focus at GVSU. 

The group meets weekly on Wednesdays from 3:00–4:00 PM in Zumberge Hall, Room 3000. If you're interested in joining or learning more, feel free to contact Anna at [email protected].

The Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center (FTLC) has a long tradition of offering themed learning communities for faculty and staff. FTLC described learning communities as spaces to “bring faculty and staff together to foster a 1-2 semester-long conversation on a topic of mutual interest and encourage an application of the knowledge gained.  

Through FTLC, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) hosts several learning communities focused on topics related to research mentoring and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). 

For the Summer Semester 2026, OURS will be supporting two learning communities:

Foundations of High-Quality Practice: A Learning Community for New Undergraduate Research Mentors
Facilitated by Dr. Anna Hammersmith

This learning community is designed for faculty who are just beginning to mentor undergraduate researchers and want to build their practice on clear, research-informed foundations. Participants will explore core elements of effective mentoring, including setting mutual expectations, creating a welcoming and inclusive research environment, planning manageable projects, and using regular check-ins and feedback to support students’ skill development and confidence. Sessions will emphasize practical tools, sample documents, and concrete strategies that new mentors can adapt immediately to their own contexts.

Advancing High-Quality Practice: A Learning Community for Experienced Undergraduate Research Mentors
Facilitated by Dr. Glenn Valdez

This learning community is designed for mentors with prior experience supervising undergraduate researchers who are ready to move beyond basics to more advanced, research-informed mentoring approaches. Participants will examine their existing mentoring philosophies and practices, engage with evidence-based frameworks, and collaboratively troubleshoot complex scenarios such as fostering genuine student ownership, mentoring across difference, and supporting dissemination and next-step opportunities. Sessions will center on dialogue, reflection on case studies and past mentoring experiences, and the use of concrete tools (e.g., mentoring compacts/ agreements, developmental rubrics, scaffolded independence plans) to enhance already strong mentoring relationships.

Descriptions and instructions to apply to join these communities can be found at the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center: Current Learning Communities webpage.