Proposing a Project

If you have a project or program that you think would work well in partnership with an academic course or research project, contact the CUPS office (656-0095; partnerships@uvm.edu) or complete a Community Partner Interest Form.

Decide on a Project: Projects typically fall into three categories: a service, a task, or a study. Services include assisting in day-to-day activities or programs in your organization, such as providing direct services to your clients. Tasks include discrete projects that can be completed by the student, usually over the course of a single semester (about 10 weeks). For example, students may develop new communication materials or redesign your organization's website or newsletter. Many organizations find that students help finish projects that have been "put on hold." Studies address research needs identified by your organization and may consist of - gathering information, conducting analyses, and/or making recommendations about a problem or topic of interest to your organization. Contact us at the CUPS office for help identifying appropriate projects.
Choose Important Projects with a Flexible Timeline: The projects you propose should be important, but not urgent. Project importance ensures that you and your colleagues will put in the time needed to inform and monitor student work; it is also motivating for the students to know that their effort makes a difference. Urgent projects are not appropriate because it can take some time before a proposed project is matched with the appropriate university course, and students may not be qualified to address projects with legal or political urgency. The project should be flexible enough to be easily modified to accommodate unforeseen events and to allow for delays.
Be Patient: It takes time to identify an appropriate course and faculty member to work with your organization, and, once that match is made, it may take a faculty member at least one semester to integrate your project into a course. September and January (in preparation for the following semester), or during the summer, are good times to submit a new project proposal or to check in about the status of an existing proposal.