Undergraduate research has the potential to create tomorrow’s leaders, researchers, and innovators. In 1998, the Boyer Commission report called on universities to create learning environments by fostering a culture where senior researchers guide student efforts, students have access to resources that allow them to pursue research with a variety of options for research, and research provides students with experiences that allow them interact with people whose backgrounds and cultures differs from their own (Boyer Commission, 1998, pp. 12 – 13). The Boyer Commission report furthered the belief that research universities like University of Utah could create an educational experience that furthers the spirit of inquiry and problem solving that will “provide the scientific, technological, academic, political, and creative leadership for the next century” (Boyer Commission, 1998, p. 13). Once a Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program in the 1990s, the Office of Undergraduate Research emerged in the 21st century with dynamic programming, funding, and research dissemination opportunities for students. And to this work the University of Utah, the Office of Undergraduate Research recognizes the vital role of mentors in this process. 

Research shows that undergraduate research has a positive impact on student learning and can foster a greater sense of belonging to the academic institution where these impactful experiences are dependent on the relationships with mentors and who provide effective mentoring (Lopatto, 2007, pp. 303 – 304). Mentoring comprises of the relationships that vary in duration, function, the source of the mentoring, may be formal or informal, and varies in types from individual mentoring to mentoring in a group (Lunsford et al., 2017, p. 317).

Any faculty mentor at the University of Utah may reflect on their own mentoring experiences that led them into higher education, and the lessons learned from mentoring students of the past and present. Recalling my own experiences, my mentors helped me to design my research project, engage rigorously with ideas, and even, imagine a future career in higher education. And now, I have the privilege of mentoring students who work with me on my research or as ambassadors for the Office. At the U, there is a robust culture of faculty mentoring undergraduate researchers.  For 2024 – 2025, the Office of Undergraduate Research worked with nearly 900 faculty mentors (Office of Undergraduate Research, 2025). This issue is the product of dynamic mentoring that is occurring at the U. We are grateful for our mentors of faculty, peer mentors who are students, and staff mentors who support the research enterprise.

As readers peruse each contribution, you will see the named mentors who supported the project. This is also to acknowledge that mentoring is both visible and invisible labor – many individuals are named and unnamed. Therefore, this opening introduction is a deep gratitude to all the mentors who make research happen – from the named to the unnamed, the faculty to the student, to the range of skills and world-readiness that mentors support undergraduate researchers with. The Office of Undergraduate Research could not do this work without you. 

Annie Isabel Fukushima, Ph.D
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the journal student editor America Cox. I also appreciate the Office of Undergraduate Research team who are vital to supporting student success with research: Cindy Greaves (Associate Director), Shelly Parker (Academic Program Manager), Angie Leiva (Academic Program Coordinator), Sara Cody (Academic Program Coordinator), and Cade Faragher (Outreach Coordinator). OUR’s team also comprises of undergraduate leaders who serve as ambassadors for the office during the 2024 – 2025 academic year:  Kalista Leggitt, Megan McCormick, Kian Robison, and Isabella Scalise.

Bibliography

Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates (1998). Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for American Research Universities. Stony Brook, NY: State University of New York. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED424840.pdf 

Lopatto D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE Life Science Education, 6(4), 297-306. 

Lunsford, L. G., Crisp, G., Dolan, E. L., & Wuetherick, B. (2017). Mentoring in Higher Education.  In David A. Clutterbuck, Frances Kochan, Laura Gail Lunsford, Nora Dominguez, and Julie Huddock-Miller (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring, SAGE Publications Ltd. 

Office of Undergraduate Research (2025). Office of Undergraduate Research Annual Report 2024 – 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GBkj1wauvGwsDPzInpHp4nwNs5EmoQZy/view