CURF Mission Statement
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) supports all students as they pursue transformative experiences through fellowships, scholars programs, and undergraduate research. CURF promotes connections between faculty and students, encourages mentorship, and educates the Penn community about opportunities for all students and alumni.
CURF Values Statement
Respect and Integrity
- We cultivate respectful and collaborative relationships as we support and empower students and alumni to be actively self-reflective, relentlessly curious, intellectually adventurous, and prepared to take ownership of their academic and personal explorations.
- We value individuals’ backgrounds, life experiences, goals, and dreams.
- We commit to honesty, integrity, and an ethical orientation to others and to our work.
Access and Success
- We ensure access and remove barriers to pursuing and participating in research and fellowship opportunities that enable discovery about oneself, others, and the world.
- We invest in applicant success by focusing on process rather than outcome, which prioritizes ongoing academic and personal development over securing a “win.”
- We enable participants in this process to become engaged citizens of the world who recognize “failure” as a necessary component of embracing the challenging and unfamiliar.
Collaboration and Impact
- Recognizing the importance of diverse perspectives and expertise, we collaborate with campus partners and alumni to provide holistic and culturally relevant support to applicants pursuing transformative scholarly experiences.
- We look to our community to measure our effectiveness, both qualitatively and quantitatively.