Montana State’s Gregory Young Selected as the 2021 CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awardee

Gregory Young, professor in the School of Music and founding director of the Undergraduate Scholars Program at Montana State University in Bozeman, has been selected as the 2021 CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awardee. The award consists of a plaque and $1,000 for the recipient’s work with undergraduate researchers.

A member of the Montana State faculty since 1988, Young also has served as assistant dean of the College of Arts & Architecture and director of the School of Music. In addition to working with undergraduates on collaborative projects, he played a crucial part as vice provost for undergraduate education in requiring research of all undergraduates—the first public university to do so—and established Montana State’s McNair Scholars Program to encourage underrepresented students to engage in research. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Western Ontario, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in music from the University of Michigan. Young has lectured or performed on five continents and is a clarinetist with the Intermountain Opera and Bozeman Symphony Orchestras. See a video of Young describing his interdisciplinary projects with undergraduates.

Said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer, “Dr. Young’s innovative interdisciplinary work has inspired undergraduate researchers and faculty members alike, fusing music with fields such as architecture, economics, history, and neuroscience. His involvement in the CUR publication Creative Inquiry in the Arts and Humanities: Models of Undergraduate Research and other books have provided invaluable resources for faculty and administrators wishing to nurture undergraduate research in the arts and humanities. Dr. Young’s active roles with the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the British Conference of Undergraduate Research, and similar events have helped to build dynamic international communities supporting undergraduate research.”

Said Royce Smith, dean of the Montana State University College of Arts and Architecture, “Professor Young’s award serves as a timely and well-deserved recognition of his vision of research as a unifying force in the university community. His efforts democratize scholarship for students such that inclusivity, interdisciplinarity, and intellectual rigor can all contribute in equal measure.”

The CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awards were established in 2018 through an endowment by 2012 CUR Fellow Joyce Kinkead (Utah State University) to nurture undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry in arts and humanities disciplines.