The long-term objective of this application is to continue to increase opportunities or faculty members to engage in sponsored research activities resulting in transforming Voorhees College into a research-oriented institution. As a result, greater number of graduates will attend graduate/professional schools. We believe the best way to accomplish this objective is to engage our students in biomedical and behavioral research opportunities as early as possible in their college experience and to continue to provide research opportunities through their undergraduate education. However, to do this it is imperative that our faculty remain active in their research and invite students to participate in research projects. Dr. Cassandra Smith will continue to provide information that will be vital to the faculty in obtaining support for their research. Implementation of our proposed Instructional Plan will allow us to create an excellent research environment for our faculty and students in the biomedical and behavioral sciences and will help us in achieving our long-term objective. As Chairperson of the Arts and Science, Dr. Smith will assist the faculty in finding sources of funding and in preparing their proposals. There are a number of activities outlined. These activities include: the expansion of collaborative and consortia relationships, research conferences, grant writing workshops on campus and off campus, and the sponsoring of pilot project for young investigators to get preliminary data. This will increase their chances of securing grants to conduct biomedical and behavioral research.
