For Faculty

Allocation and Recruitment 

Allocation

The Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship is a four-year doctoral student award designed to recruit world-class doctoral research candidates to Utah State University through a collaboration with the six colleges that award research doctorate degrees: The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, College of Engineering, S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, and College of Science. The program comprises 40 PDRFs spanning the four-year tenure of its fellows, meaning that approximately 10 positions are open for allocation each year.

The Office of Research determines which colleges will receive these openings based on the proportion of PhD students in each college each summer for students starting in the fall of the next year. College deans and associate deans for research are notified of their awarded positions each fall, and the deans allocate them out within their colleges at their discretion. Some colleges run internal competitions for their positions; others identify a specific department, program, or faculty member to recruit a candidate for the position. 

The Office of Research reserves three positions as 'At-Large', and when there are openings for these positions will run an application process university-wide for colleges, departments, or faculty members. Please see the At-Large Application section of the guideboook for information about this process.  

Award Process

When a unit has been identified for any open position, the corresponding responsible party will be notified by the Office of Research and their college's leadership team. That party will then complete an agreement form with the PDRF program confirming understanding of the program's policies and communicating their recruitment plan to fill the position. 

  • College: The Associate Dean for Research should complete the agreement on behalf of the eventual awarded department and mentor. 
  • Department or program: The Department Head should complete the agreement on behalf of the eventual awarded mentor.
  • Faculty mentor: The Department Head of the faculty mentor should complete the agreement after consultation with the faculty member about the terms of the program.

Submit Agreement Form

Each submission is sent to the college's leadership for review and approval or feedback. Only when the dean's office has communicated approval to the Office of Research will the awarded unit be able to commence with recruitment.

Eligibility and Admissions

Eligibility

The Office of Research determines fellowship eligibility criteria in consultation with the deans of the doctoral granting colleges and the Graduate Council.

To be considered for a PDRF, the potential student must meet all minimum admission standards for the School of Graduate Studies, have a cumulative GPA from their most recent degree (undergraduate or master's) of 3.5, and have no prior enrollment at Utah State University. Additionally, they must meet any additional departmental requirements such as a higher GPA, GRE scores, advance degrees, or other criteria.

If a department would like to nominate a candidate that does not meet the GPA minimum or has previously attended USU, they must submit a justification letter with their nomination materials explaining how the candidate meets the PDRF program goals and will benefit the faculty advisor, doctoral and PDRF programs, and USU's overall research community. All other requirements are nonnegotiable. 

Admissions

The admission process for students being considered for this fellowship will be handled slightly differently than the standard doctoral admission process at USU.

Step 1. Application to Utah State University Graduate School

Prospects who are interested in formalizing their offers of the fellowship must apply to the graduate program of their choice by no later than March 15.

Step 2. Nomination of PDRF Applicants

Departments must notify the PDRF program coordinator in the Office of Research when an applicant to its program is being considered for the fellowship by The Program Coordinator (Athena.dupont@usu.edu) will notify the appropriate parties in the School of Graduate Studies.

Nominate a Candidate

Departments are welcome to nominate multiple candidates ahead of making offers. 

Step 3. Eligibility Review

When an applicant is nominated by the department, SGS will confirm eligibility to the PDRF program coordinator. If both SGS and PDRF criteria are met, the college, department head, and faculty mentor will be cleared to make the an offer. The PDRF program coordinator will provide the department with language to include in any offer made to a candidate that will communicate the PDRF portion of the offer package.

If the applicant does not meet all criteria, the department and mentor will be invited to nominate another applicant and are responsible for retracting any informal offers to the ineligible applicant.

Step 4. Department Review

The department will review the candidate for admission and will then notify the Office of Research and the School of Graduate Studies of its decision.

Step 5. Notification of PDRF Award to Applicant

The department will send an email to the approved recipient of the fellowship offer that outlines both the departmental acceptance of the candidate and the details of the PDRF award. This will include the total financial package offered, department and fellowship expectations, and any other information pertinent to the candidate prior to accepting the position. 

Step 6. Acceptance of Award

Each PDRF applicant will be asked to accept or decline the offer of the fellowship by no later than April 16. The applicant must accept admission to USU and to their program by the applicable deadlines in order to be awarded the PDRF.

If the applicant accepts the fellowship, the department should communicate this to the PDRF program coordinator. The Office of Research will reach out to the new PDRF during the summer with further information about the program and what to expect for their starting semester.

If the applicant declines the fellowship, the program, or admission to USU in advance of the deadline, the awarding unit may make an offer to another approved candidate or nominate a new candidate through the online form. The Office of Research will work with the appropriate parties to modify any offer language for a new candidate when approved.  

If the applicant declines the fellowship, the program, or admission to USU after the deadline, the PDRF offer is void and the position reverts to the college leadership. They may choose to allow the unit to make offers to other approved candidates or nominate new candidates, or they may choose to offer the position to another unit or approved candidate. If no approved candidate is identified by May 15, the open position reverts to the Office of Research to be reallocated back to one of the colleges, based on the process above, for the following recruitment cycle. 

Award Overview

Financial Agreements

Each PDRF will have a financial agreement put together during the summer prior to the first semester, outlining the full four-year tenure of the award; it is renewed each following summer. 

  • Departmental Financial Agreement:
    • This agreement is prepared by the Office of Research and sent out via BoxSign (per university online security and signature policies) for signature, in this order, by:
      • Faculty Advisor
        • The primary faculty advisor of the student where already determined, or the departmental facultee assignee for this student until such a time as a primary advisor is selected.
        • If the primary advisor of the student changes at any time, it is the responsibility of the department to communicate this information to the Office of Research. 
      • Department Head
      • PDRF Program Director and Associate Vice President for Research, Dr. Alexa Sand 
    • When signed, copies of the agreement go to:
      • All signees
      • The student
      • The department's GPC and Business Manager
      • The School of Graduate Studies
  • Student Agreement:
    • When the student has received a copy of the signed financial agreement for the year, they will be invited to file an online agreement form indicating that they have received the agreement and understand its terms.

Financial Awards

Each PDRF receives a four-year fellowship. The fellowship will consist of a yearly $10,000 scholarship paid in two equal dispersals at the beginning of each fall and spring semester and a 20 hour/week (0.5 FTE) graduate assistantship. The graduate assistantship will be provided by the college, department, and/or program.

  • Assistantship
    • The graduate assistantship will be provided by the college, department, program, and/or mentor. Regardless of the source(s) of funding, the faculty advisor, department, and/or college must commit to meeting the assistantship rate agreed upon prior to the offer made to the candidate for four years. 
    • Units are required to compensate PDRFs at at least the same rate a student without a PDRF scholarship would be compensated under the principle of equal pay for equal work, pursuant to Federal and State laws cited in USU Policy 303 Section 1.
    • Four years of 9-month assistantship are guaranteed to PDRF students. 12-month assistantships are allowed if additionally compensated, again in compliance with USU policy.
    • Assistantships cannot exceed of 20 hours/week-worked (0.5 FTE).
    • The Assistantship portion of student payment will be paid out in accordance with standard department practices; any questions relating to assistantship pay should be directed to the department's Graduate Program Coordinator.The department is responsible for the EPAF for this graduate assistantship.
    • Payment of the assistantship may not come from funds originating in the Office of Research such as faculty startups or seed grants (GEM/RC/SPARC).
  • Scholarship
    • Each PDRF receives a $10,000 scholarship per year for four years.
    • This will be paid out in 2 equal payments, during the first week of the fall and the spring semesters, starting the first semester that the fellow enrolls.
    • Students may not receive more than $10,000 per academic or calendar year, and no more than $40,000 in scholarship from the Office of Research in total. If a PDRF graduates within 4 years, they forfit any remaining scholarship allocation.
    • Scholarships are applied to the student's Banner account toward any amount due before being reimbursed to the student. If no outstanding balance exists on the account, the scholarship will pay out to the student in full (except where taxes may be withheld; see tax implications below).
    • The Office of Research will set up and distribute the scholarship to the student.
    • The Office of Research PDRF Scholarship is NOT pay for work and cannot correspond to any labor expectations, per IRS regulations (Section 117) and USU policy.

Financial Supports

Two additional, indirect forms of support for PDRFs include tuition and healthcare insurance. Tuition coverage is awarded by the Office of Research, and the healthcare insurance is subsidized by the student's department or college.  

Tuition

  • Tuition awarding
    • Tuition awards for eligible tuition will be applied by the Office of Research staff prior to the start of each semester. Any changes to course loads should be communicated to the office ahead of tuition deadlines so that the award can be adjusted. 
  • Resident and nonresident tuition
    • Domestic students
      • Utah Resident: Tuition awards covering 100 percent of university resident tuition costs associated with program of study during the four-year period of the fellowship will be provided by the Office of Research
      • Nonresident: In addition to covering resident (in-state) tuition, the PDRF tuition award will cover the nonresident portion of university tuition during the first 12 months of the student's graduate program. However,USU requires that domestic, non-resident students become residents of Utah after their first 12 months on campus. Thus, the nonresident portion of university tuition will not be awarded to domestic students after their first year. Residency requirements are outlined in the USU catalog.
    • International students 
      • Tuition awards covering 100 percent of university resident and nonresident tuition costs associated with program of study during the four-year period of the fellowship will be provided by the Office of Research.
  • Domestic Students.
    • Utah Resident: Tuition awards covering 100 percent of university tuition costs associated with program of study during the four-year period of the fellowship will be provided by the Office of Research
    • Nonresident: In addition to covering resident (in-state) tuition, in a student’s first year, the PDRF tuition award will cover the non-resident portion of university tuition. However, domestic non-resident PDRF students are expected to become residents of Utah after their first 12 months on campus. Thus, the nonresident portion of university tuition will not be awarded to domestic students after their first year. Residency requirements are outlined in the USU catalog.
  • Costs covered
    • Fall and Spring tuition
      • Tuition awards may only be applied towards credits for courses listed on the student’s Program of Study.
      • To remain active, PDRFs must be full-time students, as defined by the university catalog, during fall and spring semesters.
      • Any changes to course loads (and thus to tuition charges) after the initial tuition award has been applied to the student's account must be reported to the Office of Research so that the tuition award can be adjusted. If the change is not reported, it may result in a late fee which is the responsibility of the student.  
    • Summer tuition
      • Tuition awards may only be applied towards credits for courses listed on the student’s Program of Study.
      • Summer awards are considered part of the previous year's financial package, meaning that any student who received spring tuition coverage is able to request summer tuition for the following semester. 
      • The PDRF program coordinator must be informed at the point of registration PRIOR TO MAY 12, and any changes to course loads after the initial tuition award has been applied to the student's account must be reported to the Office of Research so that the tuition award can be adjusted. If the change is not reported, it may result in a late fee which is the responsibility of the student.  
  • Costs not covered
    • Differential tuition
      • The student is responsible to pay for any differential tuition charges.
      • Colleges may choose to waive these costs for the student but this is a college-by-college decision. Please check with your college to see if they charge differential tuition and if this will be paid for by the college or the student.
    • Fees
      • Student fees are the responsibility of the student.
      • Additional course or program fees, such as online surcharges for non-residents, are the responsibility of the student.
      • If the department or faculty mentor chooses to cover any additional fees, they should be applied by the departmental business services staff after the Office of Research tuition waivers are applied. 
      • Fees are listed in the tuition and fee schedule.
      • Tuition awards will not be applied to credit for courses added after the fifteenth day of the term (i.e., “Late adds” will not be covered by the tuition award component of the PDRF program).
      • If course changes are not reported to the PDRF program, any late fees accumulated for unpaid tuition are the responsibility of the student. 

Subsidized Graduate Student Health Insurance

  • Requirements
    • USU provides subsidized health insurance to graduate students with a graduate fellowship or scholarship of $10,000 or more and/or a 20 hour/week graduate assistantship. This is attached to the epaf put through by the department's business services staff and its administration is their responsibility.
    • A PDRF is required to carry the insurance unless the fellow provides proof of coverage through another insurance policy that is comparable or better than the plan offered through USU.
    • The student will pay for 20% of the cost and the student’s college, department, or program will pay for 80% of the cost for this insurance.
      • The department may choose to cover a further percentage of the cost, up to the full amount, but the 80% is a baseline requirement.
    • The student’s portion will be assessed as a fee on the student’s account and the department will be billed for their portion of this cost with the assistantship.
    • Please review the graduate student health insurance page for more details on the graduate insurance plan or how to request a waiver.

Tax Implications

The assistantship portion of PDRF financial award will be considered taxable income. Taxes will be withheld and withholdings reported to the fellow by the university (W-2 tax form).

Scholarship payments may be taxable and will be reported to the IRS.

  • Domestic students will not have taxes withheld from their scholarships but may have a tax liability at the end of the year for these payments.
  • International students are taxed directly on their scholarship payments and taxes will be deducted from their scholarship amount.

Students receive a tax document with this information called the 1042-S form. The 1042-S information is reported to the IRS. International students claiming treaty exemptions from the taxes on fellowship payments will also receive the 1042-S form to use for tax filings.

While the Office of Research does not offer tax guidance, there are campus resources to assist fellows. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program housed in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business provides income tax assistance for domestic students at no cost.

 

Responsibilities

As the top graduate fellowship at USU, the PDRF includes several responsibilities for the fellow, as well as mentors and administrators, to best ensure the fellows’ academic success.

Yearly Agreement

Each summer, an agreement will be generated by the Office of Research and will require the signature of the fellow’s advisor, department head, and the PDRF program director. Fellows will be copied on the agreement. Upon receipt of the signed financial agreement, fellows will complete a student agreement indicating understanding of its terms.

Responsibilities of the Fellow

PDRF funding will be renewed annually based on acceptable performance in their research duties as evaluated by their faculty mentor, program chair, and/or department head.

In addition, responsibilities of the fellow include:

  • Make satisfactory progress towards their degree
  • Support graduate and undergraduate research by being engaged in research-related department, college and university events.
  • Provide a report detailing research progress each year. Reports will be submitted to the program coordinator, with a copy submitted to the faculty mentor.
  • Complete the graduate student grant-writing workshop within the first two years of study (as it is offered every other year).
  • Apply for external support (e.g., NSF, NIH grants), if available, within the first few years of study. (NSF Graduate Research Fellows, for example, are required by NSF to apply within the first year of study.)
  • Complete USU’s Research Scholars Certification Program.
  • Participate annually in the Graduate Student Research Symposium (e.g., poster or oral presentation), which is held during Research Week, USU’s annual celebration of faculty and student research.
  • Obtain at least one semester of teaching experience during their degree program at USU.
  • Gain experience in mentoring undergraduate researchers.
  • Serve as an ambassador for the program by, for example, meeting with prospective graduate students or with invited speakers, as requested.
  • Provide the program coordinator information about any change of status that might affect their eligibility for the fellowship.

Responsibilities of the Fellow’s Mentor

  • With their fellow, meet at least once per academic year with the Associate Vice President for Graduate and Undergraduate Research to discuss program experiences, needs, and challenges.
  • Advise fellow.
  • Monitor PDRF progress toward their degree.
  • Provide an annual written evaluation of the progress of the PDRF to the program coordinator upon receipt of the fellow's report.

Responsibilities of the Fellow’s Home Department and/or College

  • Provide feedback to the program coordinator.
  • Support overarching PDRF program goals.
  • Fund subsidized graduate student health insurance.
  • Provide assistantship funding as agreed upon for the fellow.

Responsibilities of the Associate Vice President for Graduate and Undergraduate Research

  • Identify and communicate opportunities for PDRFs (e.g., funding mechanisms, training workshops, presentation opportunities, etc.).
  • Connect university resources inside and outside of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies to promote success among the PDRFs.
  • Nominate PDRFs for any relevant external awards.
  • Oversee the PDRF selection process and communication on allocations.
  • Organize PDRF-specific programming.
  • Coordinate financial award.
  • Coordinate with colleges, departments and PDRF mentors.

Responsibilities of the Office of Research

  • Distribute and collect the signed yearly agreement to each PDRF, the PDRF’s advisor, and the PDRF’s department chair. Share copies with financial staff, Graduate Program Coordinators, and the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Provide additional programming opportunities through its various divisions, including but not limited to:
    • Research Scholar Certification Program
    • IRB/IACUC (human and animal research subjects) training
    • Biennial grant-writing workshop
  • Support marketing and publicity of PDRF accomplishments.

Changes to Fellowship Status

Leave of Absence/Fellowship Hold

The Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship may be put on hold with a written request by the fellow. The department head, faculty mentor, and PDRF program coordinator must approve the request for a leave from the fellowship.

Leaving the Program

A PDRF can withdraw from the program by written request to the program coordinator.

If a fellow leaves the program prior to completing his or her Ph.D., the Office of Research portion of the fellowship financial award and the tuition award cease. Any unused portion of the Office of Research award may not be transferred by the college, department, or program to another student.

Forfeiture of the Award

Fellows may forfeit their fellowships by failing to meet expectations at the department or university level. In this case, the remainder of the Office of Research portion of the fellowship stipend and tuition award will return to the Office of Research.

Contacts and Resources

Contacts

Program Director:
Alexa Sand, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, Office of Research, (435) 797-8549, alexa.sand@usu.edu, Old Main 162A

Program Coordinator:
Athena Dupont, Senior Program Coordinator, Office of Research (435) 797-3762, athena.dupont@usu.edu, Old Main 162

Program Financial Coordinator:
Branden Blanchard, Financial Officer, Office of Research, branden.blanchard@usu.edu, Old Main 164D

Resources