The Public Engagement Fellows Graduate Program will place each fellow in one of our college’s centers, programs, institutes, and labs to further the work of the equity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives of that entity (see a list of participating projects).
Amount
Fellows will receive funding support in the amount of $10,000 for participation in the two-year fellowship ($5,000 per year), in addition to any merit-based scholarship they may receive from their degree program. Each year,
fellows will receive a $2,500 scholarship through Financial Aid as a credit toward tuition and a $2,500 Research Assistantship through their work with the designated center, institute, or lab. Students are eligible for fellowship funding in combination
with merit-based scholarships not to exceed the cost of tuition.
Benefits
Fellows participate in a cohort-based experience that includes a seminar with public engagement leaders, mentorship and networking opportunities, and public events including the executive dean’s award ceremony, which showcases
publicly engaged work.
Requirements
The SPE Public Engagement Fellowship comes with a Research Assistant obligation of approximately 220 hours of project work (110 per year) with the designated center, institute, or lab. Attendance at periodic fellowship
cohort events during each of two academic years; interim and final update about fellowship project; progress toward the master's degree in which fellows are enrolled; enrollment in at least 6 credits per semester.
Eligibility
To be selected for the Public Engagement Fellowship, students must be admitted to a graduate program in SPE and be committed to promoting positive change through EISJ initiatives in partnership with local communities, government agencies, organizations,
businesses, and entrepreneurial initiatives. Fellows must be able to attend in-person a weekly placement with a Schools of Public Engagement center, lab, or institute and on-site monthly events; this applies to both on-campus and hybrid students.
Priority consideration is given to:
- Individuals who identify as from, or have experience working closely with, underrepresented communities in higher education or another context
- Individuals who have faced dynamics affecting their higher education progress, including socioeconomic barriers, personal or group identity, mobility or immigration status, challenges to health or well-being, and other experiences
Only new applicants to degree programs at the Schools of Public Engagement are eligible for the Public Engagement Fellowship. The fellowship is not open to continuing students.
Participating Master’s Programs
How to Apply
The Public Engagement Fellowship Selection Committee will give priority to applications submitted by January 15. Decisions will be delivered to candidates in March.
Please note that although students can apply to all the fellowships offered by the Schools of Public Engagement, applicants will only be awarded one Schools of Public Engagement fellowship.
The application process consists of the following steps:
- Submit a completed application to a participating master's degree program at the Schools of Public Engagement by the priority deadline
of January 15. See the list above of participating master’s programs.
- Submit a Public Engagement Fellowship application form. This form must be submitted after you have created an application account for
a degree program, since you will need to provide your nine-digit application reference number.
In the Public Engagement Application form, you will be asked to submit you and a document answering the following questions:
- What do you hope to gain from the fellowship, and what can you contribute to the cohort?
- Why are you interested in being placed in the center/lab/institute that you ranked as your first and second choices? In your answer please include the following information:
- Why are you passionate about the work conducted by your first and second choices above?
- What experiences (activism, internships, community engagement, work, travel, research, life) make you a strong candidate for your first- and second-choice institute, center, or lab?
- How can you contribute to and advance its mission?
- What specific skills do you bring and what do you hope to gain from participating in the fellowship placement?
Finalists may be invited to schedule an interview with the Public Engagement Fellowship selection committee and/or provide the names and contact information of individuals who are familiar with their work.