Collaborative Summer Research (CSR) Program

The Collaborative Summer Research (CSR) program supports students and faculty doing research together in any area of study. Enabled largely by endowed funds and gifts from generous donors, CSR pays student stipends and essential research expenses for summer projects in which students do real scholarly work alongside their faculty mentor.

Who can apply

Faculty: all faculty members (tenure-track, tenured, MSFEO participants, and non-tenure-track) with at least one contracted year of Macalester service remaining.
Students: any student in good standing who will be enrolled in classes in the upcoming fall semester, at Macalester or on a study away program.
Fields: CSR funds are available for faculty and students in any area of study.

What CSR funds

Funded through CSR

Student stipends at the college-wide standard rate: $660 per week plus 10% fringe benefits for Summer 2026. Students commit to full-time work on the project for 4 to 10 weeks. You can request more than one student, and for more than one project.
Research expenses that are essential to the project, up to the total requested for student stipends, including travel to reach a research destination.

Also provided by the college

Summer housing. Student researchers can have on-campus housing covered for the length of the project, plus 4 extra days for move-in and move-out.
A faculty stipend. Tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty who receive a CSR award and are not receiving salary support from other sources (such as a program or grant) are considered for a stipend from the Provost’s Office, prorated by self-reported effort.

Guidelines for budgets and projects

Dates. Projects can start no earlier than the Monday after Commencement and must end by the last day before fall classes begin.
Budget justification. Explain how each expense is necessary for the project and why it cannot be covered by other means. SPA may recommend partial funding.
Housing details. Students living in the dorms must purchase a meal plan, and additional days beyond the covered period are paid by the student at the Residential Life rate. Under IRS guidelines, summer housing is a taxable benefit.

Not funded

Conference travel, and meals and lodging as research expenses.
Projects with no or limited opportunity for significant student engagement and growth, and independent student projects with only occasional faculty oversight.

How to apply

Faculty apply on behalf of a project. Projects should involve students in scholarly work with their faculty mentor and lead to a creative product by the student, such as a significant artistic production, an honors project or co-authored paper, or a technology application to be implemented by the faculty member.

Two types of projects

Faculty-led projects. You invite students to join a project you have conceived. If funded, you solicit applications for the student positions and select students through an equitable process. The stipend can be transferred to a different student if plans change before the summer.
Student-initiated projects. A student approaches you with a research idea, and you apply with that student named. The application includes a statement from the student and additional questions about the student collaborator. The stipend cannot be transferred to a different student.
Both types are ranked the same way. If you are unsure which applies, talk with the Faculty Coordinator.

Application materials

CSR application guidelines
Application form preview (Macalester login)
Application form (Macalester login)
Past CSR awardees (Macalester login)

Research approvals

If your project involves human participants, live vertebrate animals, or other regulated research, it needs approval before work begins. See Research Compliance for which review applies and whom to contact.

How projects are selected

The elected faculty members of the Strategic Planning and Analysis Committee (SPA) review applications and rank each as high priority, medium priority, low priority, or do not fund. The Faculty Coordinator then funds as many applications as possible following SPA’s rankings while honoring donor intent for each endowed fund. For the Beltmann Fund, which supports the physical and natural sciences, the Chemistry Department Chair is consulted.

Selection criteria

Beyond donor intent for certain funds, SPA considers (in no particular order):

the project’s potential to further the faculty collaborator’s scholarly progress;
how well the project fits the student’s academic or career goals;
the challenge it offers students beyond what normal coursework provides;
the feasibility of progress or completion within the proposed schedule;
the appropriateness of the budget, based on the budget justification;
for student-initiated projects, the student’s suitability for the work, based on criteria set by the faculty member and the student’s statement.

Timeline

Dates for the Summer 2026 cycle.

When	What happens
February 9, 2026	Faculty applications due
Late February	SPA ranks applications; funding decisions shared with applicants
Early March	Recommended campus-wide deadline for student applications to faculty-led projects. Administrative help with recruitment is available.
Mid-April	Students living on campus complete a summer housing application with Residential Life
End of April	Students complete Responsible Conduct of Research training
Sunday after Commencement	Summer housing begins
End of July	Summer dining and summer housing end
End of August	Faculty project reports due
Late September or early October	Students present at the Mac Fest Summer Showcase

If you are awarded

Before work begins, students and faculty complete the CITI training module required by Macalester’s Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research policy.
At the end of the summer, faculty and students each submit a one-page report on project progress and outcomes.
Creative products should be completed by the end of the calendar year.
Faculty and students take part in the Summer Showcase, including an in-person celebration of student summer work, and consent to a student-submitted version of the work appearing on a Macalester website.
Hiring, pay, and housing logistics are covered under Working with Student Researchers.

Questions

The CSR program is managed through the Associate Provost’s Office by the Faculty Coordinator and the Program Coordinator in the Office of Student Research and Creativity (OSRC).

Faculty Coordinator: Dennis Cao, dcao@macalester.edu
Program Coordinator: Liz Bolsoni, OSRC

Previous changes

Updates to the CSR guidelines, most recent first.

January 20, 2026
- Student stipend set at $660 per week for Summer 2026.
October 9, 2025
- Faculty mentoring summer researchers are considered for a stipend from the Provost’s Office.
- Student-initiated projects include a statement from the student as part of the application.

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