Rollins Undergraduate Scholarship for Archival Research (RUSAR)
Applications are open for the Rollins Undergraduate Scholarship for Archival Research (RUSAR) at Olin Library, and are due Saturday, November 1, 2025.
This opportunity is open to all currently enrolled undergraduates of any major and provides support and mentorship for students to create and conduct their own original research using materials in the Rollins College Archives & Special Collections in spring 2026. Upon completion of their research, recipients will receive a $500 stipend at the end of the spring semester.
The newly launched RUSAR provides support for undergraduates new to research to frame their own questions and creative projects using archival materials in the collections, both through one-on-one mentoring and through the library subject area support in our academic community. If selected, students will undertake a semester-long, hands-on research project under the supervision of archival staff and faculty mentors.
Through regular meetings in the College Archives, student scholars will learn how to turn an interest in a topic into a research question and conduct actual research using the primary source materials from archival collections. They will also summarize their work in a final written report to be added to the College Archives, and share their learning experiences through archival blogposts, or library exhibitions, and make public presentations of their research findings at Olin Library in April.
Completed applications will include:
- A short research statement (500 words or less) describing a topic or question you are interested in exploring through the collections and why that topic is meaningful to you. How did you become interested in it? What excites you about looking into it further? Ideas of specific collection materials or areas of interest are helpful, and we recommend speaking to our archival service team in advance of applying to identify and explore materials in the collection that might fit your research interests.
- A Resume or CV, uploaded as a Word document or a .pdf file.
- A short, one-page letter of recommendation from a Rollins faculty member with expertise in the subject area of your research proposal
If you have any questions, please contact the Archives by calling 407-646-2421, emailing archives@rollins.edu, or stopping by to speak with the personnel of the Rollins College Archives.