CNU students chosen for research in Belgium

Media Contact:
Karen L. Gill
karen.gill@cnu.edu
Office of Communications and Public Relations
(757) 594-8428

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Three Christopher Newport University students have been selected to study as research assistants in Brussels, Belgium, during summer 2006.

Chosen for the International Research Assistantship are Lauren Strack, Jennifer Vencill and Justin Pritchett. The six-week summer program allows CNU students to work as research assistants at the Brussels School of International Studies. Activities include assisting in research design; engaging in data collection; analyzing primary and secondary data sources; and collaborating with supervising faculty in the drafting, reviewing and editing of scholarly articles and reviews. IRA applicants come from a variety of backgrounds and majors. This is the only program of its kind in which undergraduate students work in this capacity in a graduate program.

The CNU Honors Program accepts applications for this program, which covers students' expenses, each year. The awards are not limited to Honors Program students.

Lauren Strack, of Plainfield, Ind., is a junior with a double major in French and political science. Jennifer Vencill, of Bristow, Va., is a junior psychology major with a minor in philosophy and religious studies. Justin Pritchett is a sophomore with a major in religious studies and a minor in leadership studies, and he is from Spotsylvania, Va. Vencill and Pritchett are Honors Program students.

Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 4,800 students in programs through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Luter School of Business and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.

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