CBLR Fellows work with faculty on planning and/or implementing specific engaged courses. While fellows’ responsibilities vary, they may serve as important peer mentors for students enrolled in the course to which they’re assigned, as well as liaisons between students, faculty, community partners and Swearer Center staff.
Swearer Center for Public Service
Community-Based Learning and Research Fellowship
Structure
In addition to supporting students' ongoing involvement with community partners or topics that are important to them, this leadership experience should ideally align with the student's academic interests and enhance their communication, partnership-building, organizing, and problem-solving abilities. Although the duties of fellows differ slightly from one course to the next, they all require approximately seven hours per week.
- Curriculum development (e.g., identifying relevant course resources, designing assignments or reflective activities, etc.).
- Facilitating specific class discussions, reflection sessions, and/or holding student office hours.
- Cultivating and coordinating relationships with community partners.
- Mentoring students around community engagement components of a course.
- Documenting and disseminating the results of engaged courses.
- Supporting longer-term engagement with community partners.
More than one fellow can be matched with faculty of larger courses so that each fellow is responsible for no more than 20 students.
Funding
CBLR Fellows receive a $1475 stipend for each semester.
Students as Colleagues
The Swearer Center understands the work of CBLR Fellows as partners in community-engaged teaching, learning and research, peer mentors and leaders, reflection leaders and engaged scholars.
The CBLR Fellowship is a leadership opportunity where student fellows are colleagues working alongside faculty and community partners; thus, the Swearer Center is intentional about the program being called a fellowship rather than a teaching assistantship. The word “fellow” signifies the more broad-ranging work that a student participates in alongside their faculty partner — with an emphasis on the peer-like connotations of the word “fellowship” (i.e., being a peer mentor and support person for students enrolled in their assigned courses).
In some courses, CBLR Fellows also may be collaborating with a teaching assistant.
Apply
Applications are currently closed.