The Office of Research and Creative Arts (ORCA) believes that research and creative work is integral to the development of the student, both as a budding scholar and as an individual, and that engaging in student research is a transformational experience that is highly beneficial to students, faculty and the greater university community. We focus on the use of research and creative work as an opportunity for high-impact, active learning that provides both disciplinary and life tools, allowing students one-on-one experience with faculty mentors in their disciplines as well as real-life experience with critical thinking, intellectual independence, problem solving and creative solutions.
ORCA is committed to inclusive excellence, and strives to increase engagement from LMU’s entire student body, including first generation college students and students from underrepresented groups. The goal of ORCA is to provide opportunities for all LMU students to raise the quality and profile of their work and to disseminate their research and creative results within and beyond LMU.
The Rains Research Assistant Program supports faculty research by providing financial support for faculty to hire a student research assistant. In addition, the program allows students to develop research experiences and close collaborations with their faculty and other members of their research group. The program follows the academic calendar, Summer Session I - Spring Semester.
This program is available to all full-time tenured & tenure-track faculty. Faculty members on a leave of absence are not eligible.
PLEASE NOTE THAT RAINS has multiple submission and review dates. These dates are not strict deadlines, but should be used by faculty as guidelines on when they will hear back about their applications. The date of faculty submission (not Chair approval) will be considered for review dates.
- Submissions submitted by May 15, 2026 will be reviewed by June 1, 2026
- The application will temporarily close after May 15, 2026 and will reopen August 1, 2026
- Submissions submitted by August 21, 2026 will be reviewed by August 28, 2026
- Submissions submitted by September 4, 2026 will be reviewed by September 11, 2026
Note: Due to an increased demand in Rains funding and in an effort to ensure funds are equitably distributed, the review periods will be limited this year. The application period is dependent on funding availability.