Call for Applications: The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative

Call for Applications: The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative 

Undergraduate Fellowship Program (2022-23 Cohort)

The Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative is excited to invite applications for our 2022-23 Undergraduate Fellows cohort. ESI is a highly selective research program that provides training, mentoring, and financial support to COLA undergraduates as they pursue social justice research and advocacy work.

Over the course of the fellowship year, ESI Fellows learn how to design major community-based projects in partnership with local nonprofits and activist groups. These Capstone projects are shaped both by students’ personal interests and by the needs of the community members or groups students are working with. ESI Fellows gain invaluable professional experience in implementing complex, real-world projects involving multiple stakeholders. They also get the chance to pursue research that is deeply meaningful to them. Many Fellows choose to pursue projects that celebrate their communities, address equity gaps that have long troubled them, or honor cultural experiences that have historically been misrepresented or undervalued in academic spaces.

The ESI program offers students:

  • A yearlong non-credit seminar that guides students through every phase of designing, conducting research, and successfully creating their Capstone projects
  • Individualized mentorship tailored to Fellows’ projects, research interests, professional goals
  • Opportunities to learn from past Graduate and Undergraduate Fellows, as well from a slate of guest speakers including community leaders, activists, and artists
  • Support throughout the graduate admissions and/or job search process
  • Financial support in the form of the ESI stipend of $6000 and a $1000 project budget

Eligibility:

  • Minimum of 3.2 G.P.A.
  • Junior or Senior class standing by Fall 2022
  • Preference will be given to College of Liberal Arts students majoring in Humanities or Humanistic Social Science disciplines
  • Citizens and non-U.S. citizens eligible to apply
  • Must be able to commit to the ESI Fellowship expectations* (see our website for additional details)

* Please note that all Undergraduate Fellows are expected to attend the weekly ESI meeting, a non-credit seminar/workshop series that is designed to introduce students to key questions, challenges, and best practices in community-engaged scholarship. Lack of active participation and involvement with the Cohort may lead to dismissal from the ESI Fellowship.

Who should apply for ESI? 

No prior experience in community-engaged research is required. We’ve made a list below of the qualities we’ve observed help students thrive in ESI. If most or all apply to you, we’d love to read your application.

  • I am a junior or senior with a humanities or social sciences major. I have a 3.2 GPA or higher.
  • I am committed to building a more just world where all people can thrive. I am passionate about honoring, strengthening, or addressing inequities in the communities in which I live and work.
  • I have a clear sense of my intellectual passions and personal values. I know what I care about and why it’s important to me.
  • I enjoy building relationships with other people and learning from others’ perspectives. I’m eager to collaborate with faculty, peers, and community groups who are working on issues I care about.
  • I find it exciting to pursue independent projects where I have to teach myself new skills, evaluate different paths, and persevere through setbacks.
  • I have good project and time management skills (or, I am eager and willing to learn new strategies for effectively managing complex projects).
  • I am not already overcommitted with other jobs, internships, or research commitments. I am confident that I can dedicate 9 hours per week to ESI project work.
  • I can commit to consistently attending the required ESI seminar.

Application Requirements: Interested applicants to apply via this link.

Scroll down to the bottom to upload the following:

  1. Resume
  2. Application form

Application Deadline: October 2nd 2022, 11:59 pm 

Select applicants will be invited for Zoom interviews in late early October.

Questions: Agnes Savich (agnes.savich@austin.utexas.edu)

Website: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/research/engaged-scholar-initiative/. Please visit us on Twitter @UTMellonESI for more information about the program and for testimonials from our current Undergraduate Fellows.