Complete Schedule
A Rising Tide Raises All Ships: Building a Statewide Framework for Telling the Undergraduate Research Story
Presentation Type
Workshop
Location
Dr. Phillips Academic Commons Room 108
Event Website
https://researchsymposium.ucf.edu/
Start Date
16-10-2026 4:10 PM
End Date
16-10-2026 5:20 PM
Description/Abstract
Undergraduate research programs across Florida contribute to student success, workforce readiness, graduate education pathways, and community engagement. However, many institutions encounter a common challenge: how to consistently measure, communicate, and leverage that impact to advance institutional priorities and secure broader support. This interactive one-hour workshop will bring together undergraduate research leaders and practitioners from across Florida to collaboratively explore the development of a shared rubric and storytelling framework that captures the value of undergraduate research in ways that resonate with advancement professionals, senior leaders, donors, policymakers, and other external stakeholders.
Participants will engage in facilitated discussions and hands-on activities designed to identify common indicators of success, meaningful outcome measures, and narrative elements that demonstrate the educational, institutional, and societal impact of undergraduate research experiences.
Drawing from diverse institutional contexts, attendees will work toward establishing a common language that highlights student achievement, institutional impact, and statewide contributions. The resulting framework can remain adaptable to individual campus missions and goals. The session will focus on how data, student stories, and evidence-based outcomes can be combined to create compelling narratives that support fundraising, advocacy, strategic communications, and partnership development. Together, participants will begin building the foundation of a statewide rubric that can serve as a tool for benchmarking, collaboration, and collective impact assessment.
Grounded in the belief that “a rising tide raises all ships,” this workshop seeks to strengthen Florida’s undergraduate research community through shared practices and common purpose. Participants will leave with practical strategies, new professional connections, and actionable next steps for advancing a more unified approach to communicating the impact of undergraduate research across Florida.
A Rising Tide Raises All Ships: Building a Statewide Framework for Telling the Undergraduate Research Story
Dr. Phillips Academic Commons Room 108
Undergraduate research programs across Florida contribute to student success, workforce readiness, graduate education pathways, and community engagement. However, many institutions encounter a common challenge: how to consistently measure, communicate, and leverage that impact to advance institutional priorities and secure broader support. This interactive one-hour workshop will bring together undergraduate research leaders and practitioners from across Florida to collaboratively explore the development of a shared rubric and storytelling framework that captures the value of undergraduate research in ways that resonate with advancement professionals, senior leaders, donors, policymakers, and other external stakeholders.
Participants will engage in facilitated discussions and hands-on activities designed to identify common indicators of success, meaningful outcome measures, and narrative elements that demonstrate the educational, institutional, and societal impact of undergraduate research experiences.
Drawing from diverse institutional contexts, attendees will work toward establishing a common language that highlights student achievement, institutional impact, and statewide contributions. The resulting framework can remain adaptable to individual campus missions and goals. The session will focus on how data, student stories, and evidence-based outcomes can be combined to create compelling narratives that support fundraising, advocacy, strategic communications, and partnership development. Together, participants will begin building the foundation of a statewide rubric that can serve as a tool for benchmarking, collaboration, and collective impact assessment.
Grounded in the belief that “a rising tide raises all ships,” this workshop seeks to strengthen Florida’s undergraduate research community through shared practices and common purpose. Participants will leave with practical strategies, new professional connections, and actionable next steps for advancing a more unified approach to communicating the impact of undergraduate research across Florida.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/researchsymposium/2026/CompleteSchedule/5