In the winter of 2020, the Gettysburg College Political Science Department unveiled its new honors track—the Jacober Scholars Program. Each Jacober Scholar will work closely with a faculty mentor to produce a significant piece of original research in a subject area of the Scholar’s choosing. Political science majors with a major grade point average of at least 3.7 are eligible to apply during their junior year. Application information will be distributed during the first half of each spring semester.
Completed application packets consist of a detailed project proposal, an annotated bibliography, a list of resources needed to complete the proposed project, and a list of up to three faculty members with whom the student would like to work. The department will assess the proposals based on their merit and will inform students of the status of their application no later than the week following spring break.
Jacober Scholars and their faculty mentor will develop a research plan that will span from the end of one’s junior year through the Scholar’s senior year. The department will help Scholars obtain the necessary resources needed to complete their projects, such as acquiring access to relevant datasets or respondent pools. Certain projects may also be nominated to attend the undergraduate exposition at the Midwest Political Science Association’s annual conference in Chicago Illinois.
Upon completing their research project, Jacober Scholars will present their results during an on-campus poster conference open to the entire college community. Following a successful poster defense, Jacober Scholars will be recognized during commencement, and their names will be added to a plaque that will remain on display along Glatfelter Hall’s third floor hallway.