Faculty Fellows Program

DEADLINE: Applications for 2025-2026 Faculty Fellows DUE March 14, 2025. (scroll down for application instructions)


The Civic Engagement and Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship is for faculty who would like to develop new learning opportunities for their students in collaboration with off-campus community partners.

Are you a faculty member who would like to:

  • provide students with a deeper, experiential academic understanding of the world in which they live and their power to be positive agents of change?
  • integrate community engagement and service learning into your course?
  • enhance your engaged research with a community partner you already work with, and strengthen the relationship between your engaged scholarship and your teaching? 
  • develop or adapt a course that would meet requirements for the Certificate in Civic Engagement and Public Service?

If you are interested in any of the above, the Civic Engagement and Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship allows you to:

  • Connect with like-minded faculty from departments across campus.
  • Explore methods for mutually beneficial relationships with communities.
  • Learn to apply a high-impact, transformative pedagogy for social change relevant to any discipline.
  • Help your department contribute to all four student learning goals of the UMass Strategic Plan:  Community, Agency, Responsibility, and Proficiency.

CESL Fellows attend monthly meetings, and work on new or existing syllabi with a diverse group of faculty from across campus. Fellows are awarded a $1000 stipend that is transferred to their home department and can be used as research funds, or as one-time additional compensation subject to appropriate taxation and other deductions.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR COURSES IN SPRINGFIELD OR MT. IDA CAMPUS: If you are interested in developing a Service-Learning course taught at the UMass Amherst Center at Springfield or at the Mt. Ida campus please document that in your proposal ($3000 stipends are available for these types of courses).

Monthly seminars are on Fridays, and meet from 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm. SEE APPLICATION FOR AY 25-26 DATES  

APPLY

2025 - 2026 CESL Faculty Fellows Program for Individual Faculty Members or Teams of Faculty

PLEASE ACCESS THE APPLICATION HERE

DEADLINE: please submit this on-line application by 5PM, Friday, March 14, 2025. 

DATES FOR AY 25-26: Orientation/retreat on Friday, August 22nd 2025, from 12:00 - 4:00 PM, then the 8 monthly seminars (on Fridays, from 12:00pm - 2:30pm): September 26th, October 24th, November 21st, December 12th, January 23rd, February 27th, March 27th, April 24th.

Besides filling out the fields/boxes in the linked application, the applications also includes:

1.  A proposal document of approximately 500-1000 words that describes:

  • INTRODUCTION: a short description of the new or revised course you intend to develop through this fellowship
  • LEARNING GOALS: how your course learning goals might be changed through the addition of community engagement.

  • COMMUNITY PARTNER: what type of community partner you hope to collaborate with, or if you already have a partner in mind, please share that information. Also include how the proposed course will contribute to community or community partner goals.

  • STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: what type of civic work, engaged research, or service placement do you anticipate for students, and how might it be incorporated into the course.

2.  A Commitment Form (DOWNLOAD FORM HEREthat verifies:

  • Participation in an introductory retreat and eight monthly CESL Faculty Fellows seminars in the Fall and Spring semesters.
  • Submitting a course syllabus for a Civic Engagement (CE) or Service-Learning (SL) designation and a final report on the fellowship at the completion of the program (May 2026).

  • Teaching the course at least twice over the next three years.

The commitment form must also be signed by your Department Head or Chair noting that they support your proposal and agree that the course supported through this fellowship will be offered at least twice in the next three years.

Current Faculty Fellows

Sasha Adkins

Sasha Adkins, Senor Lecturer

Senior Lecturer

Environmental Health Sciences

ENVSCI/PUBHLTH 333: Environmental Poisons

Camille Barchers

Camille Barchers, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning

SustComm 110: Transforming Your World: Introduction to Community Engagement

Christian D. Guzman

Christian D. Guzman, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Civil and Environmental Engineering

CEE 577 Surface Water Quality Modeling

Maxine Oland

Maxine Oland, Lecturer

Lecturer

Commonwealth Honors College

Empowering Diverse Communities Through Civic Engagement

Veronica Martin Ruiz

Veronica Martin Ruiz, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Marketing

MKT490M: DEI and Marketing in Multicultural Marketplaces

Previous Faculty Fellows

Previous Faculty Fellows

The following list of previous faculty fellows is ordered as Name, Department respectively for each member. 

2023-24 Faculty Fellows

Alicia Johnson, Marketing

Jallicia Jolly, Black Studies & American Studies

Anna Marie LaChance, Chemical Engineering

Kirsten Leng, Women, gender, Sexuality Studies

Sally Linowski, Health Promotion and Policy

Sara Mamo, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Christina Metevier, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Sindiso MnisiWeeks, Political Science

Sheila Pennell, Nursing

Cheryl Sabola, Nursing

Boone Shear, Anthropology

 

2022-23 Faculty Fellows

Lisa DePiano, Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Tal Goldfajn, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures; Spanish & Portuguese Studies

River Strong, Environmental Conservation

Cara Takakjian, Languages, Literatures, & Cultures

Candice Travis, Civic Engagement and Service-Learning

Ruth-Ellen Verock-O'Loughlin, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

 

2021-22 Faculty Fellows

Maria José Botelho, College of Education

Kelsey Whipple, Journalism

Kelly Klingler, Environmental Conservation

Tara Mandalaywala, Psychological & Brain Sciences

Martin Hunter, Biomedical Engineering

Elizabeth Chang, Music & Dance

Ayano Kataoka, Music & Dance

Jerry Levinsky, Labor Studies/Sociology

Enrique (Henry) Suárez, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies

 

2020-21 Faculty Fellows

Stephen Fernandez, College of Engineering: Office of Equity and Inclusion Program

Jeffery Kasper, Art

Karen Kurczynski, History of Art & Architecture

Ruthanne Paradise, Chemistry

Whitney Russell, Sociology

Julie M. Skogsbergh, UWW Adult Degree Completion Program/Interdisciplinary Studies

Paul Wolff, Environmental Conservation

Weiai Xu, Communication

 

2019-20 Faculty Fellows

Theresa Austin, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

Laura Ciolkowski, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies

Jane Degenhardt, English

Stephanie Fetta, LLC

Aline Gubrium, Health Promotion & Policy

Toussaint & Losier, Afro-American Studies

Ide O Carrol, Sociology

Jana Silver, Art

Arturo Luis Valdez, Health Promotion & Policy

Terre Vandale, Arts Extension Service

Christopher White, Music & Dance

 

2018-19 Faculty Fellows

Dee Boyle-Clapp, Arts Extension Service

Chrystal George Mwangi, Educational Policy, Research, & Administration

Molly Christie Gonzalez, Dance

Keisha L. Green, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies

Janis Greve Sr., English

Agustín Lao-Montes, Sociology

Cristiano A.Mazzei, LLC

Nicole Nemec, CHC

Jennifer L.Nye, History

TreaAndrea Russworm, English

Danielle Thomas, LLC

Erika Zekos, Architecture

 

2017-18 Faculty Fellows

Lucia Carvalho, College of Nursing

Tamara Drummond, Athletics

Julie Hemment, Anthropology

Moira Inghilleri, LLC/Comparative Literature

Elizabeth Krause, Anthropology

Judith Bruno LaBranche, Kinesiology

Rebecca Lorimer, English

Joel Saxe, Communication

Kristie Soares, Spanish/Portuguese

Shaheen Pasha, Journalism

Razvan Sibii, Journalism

Amilcar Shabazz, Afro-American Studies

Ashley Woodman, Psychological & Brain Sciences

 

2016 Faculty Fellows

David Bloniarz, Environmental Conservation

Cheryl Brooks, College of Engineering

Codi Carron, Aerospace Studies

Michael DiPasquale, Landscaper Architecture and Regional Planning

Jen Dolan, Public Health

Bogdan Prokopovych, Isenberg School of Management

Tom Schiff, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Elizabeth (Betsy) Schmidt, Center for Public Policy and Administration

Boone Shear, Student Activities

Lisa Troy, Nutrition

 

2015 Faculty Fellows

Judyie Al-Bilali, College of Humanities and Fine Arts: Department of Theater

Caryn Brause, College of Humanities and Fine Arts: Department of Architecture

Sherry Buskey, College of Humanities and Fine Arts: Department of Music

Richard Chu, College of Humanities and Fine Arts: Department of History

Lena Fletcher, College of Natural Sciences: Department of Environmental Conservation

Rick Harper, College of Natural Sciences: Department of Environmental Conservation

Rus Janis, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Department of Economics

Korina Jocson, College of Education: Department of Student Development

Amanda Marcotte, College of Education: Department of Student Development

Ezra Markowitz, College of Natural Sciences: Department of Environmental Conservation

Melody Slashinski, School of Public Health & Health Sciences: Community Health Education

The fellows were joined by Community Partnership Consultants: 

Wanda Givens, Community Partner Participant, Mason Square Health Task Force

 

 

2014 Faculty Fellows

Benita Barnes, Department: Education, ERPA

Darrel Ramsey-Musolf, Department: LARP

Meghan Armstrong, Department: LLC - Spanish & Portuguese

Lorraine Cordeiro, Department: Nutrition

Lindiwe Sibeko, Department: Nutrition

Florence Sullivan, Department: Teacher Education

Ana Muriel, Department: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Hari Balasubramanian, Department: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Sara Whitcomb, Department: Student Development

Marie C. Polizzi, Department: Language, Literacy, Culture

Jessica Johnson, Department:  History

Robert W. Maloy, Department: Teacher Education & History

Ruth-Ellen Verock-O'Loughlin, Department:Education & History

 

2013 Faculty Fellows

Allison Butler, Department: Communication

Image removed.Kathy Davis, Department: Education

Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Department: Communication

Image removed.Krista Harper, Department: Anthropology and the Center for Public Policy and Administration

Image removed.MaryAnn Hogan, Department: Nursing

Image removed.Laura Lovett, Department: History

Catherine Sands, Department: Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Image removed.Bonnie Strickland, Department: Psychology

 

2012-2013 Faculty Fellows

Image removed.Katie Campbell-Nelson, Department: Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Image removed.Kirsten Helmer, Department: Teacher Education and Curriculum

Image removed.Marky Jean-Pierre, Department: Teacher Education and Curriculum

Image removed.Bernhard Leidner, Department: Psychology (Psychology of Peace and Violence Program)

Image removed.Luis Marentes, Department: Languages, Literatures, and

Rebecca Ready, Department: Psychology

Jonathan Rosa, Department: Anthropology

Jen Sandler, Department: Anthropology

 

2011 Faculty Fellows

Jacqueline Mosselson, Education

Nat Turner, Education

Eve Vogel, Geosciences

Peter Kumble, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning

Miliann Kang, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies

 

2008-2009 Faculty Fellows

Shirley Mietlicki-Floyd, Public Health

David Buchanon, Public Health

Lisa Wexler, Public Health

Demetria Shabazz, Communication

Larry Zacharias, Management

Kim Sherman, Management

Kathleen Brown-Perez, CHC

Carol Soules, CHC

Gloria DiFulvio, CHC

John Gerber, Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences

Glenn Caffery, Resource Economics

 

2007-2008 Faculty Fellows

Chris Overtree, Psychology

Rebecca Ready, Psychology

Amanda Walker-Johnson, Anthropology

Nicholas Bromell, English

Annemarie Heath, Nursing

Leda Cooks, Communication

Millie Thayer, Sociology

Nola Stephen, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

 

2006-2007 Faculty Fellows

Rebecca Ready, Psychology

Chris Overtree, Psychology

Carrie Chickering-Sears, Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Mark Huyler, Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Stephen Purdy, Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Nancy Kieser, Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Annemarie Heath, Nursing and Journalism

Norman Sims, Nursing and Journalism

Nicholas McBride, Nursing and Journalism

KerryAnn O’Meara, Educational Research, Policy, and Administration

Nicholas Bromell, English

Nicholas McBride, Journalism

Annemarie Heath, Nursing

John Brigham, Political Science

Sarah Marusek, Political Science

Amanda Walker-Johnson, Anthropology

Shakira Alvarez-Ferrer, CHC

Will Snyder, CHC

Leda Cooks, Communication

Millie Thayer, Sociology

Nola Stephen, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

 

2005-2006 Faculty Fellows

Glenn Caffery, Information Technology

Craig Nicolson, Information Technology

Chris Overtree, Psychology

Joseph Krupczynski, Architecture and Design

Lynn Adler, Plant and Soil Science

David Glassberg, History

Stephen Jefferson, Sport Management

Sheranne Fairley, Sport Management

Mari Castañeda Paredes, Communication

Leda Cooks,Communication

Erica Scharrer, Communication

Alice Nash, History

 

2004-2005 Faculty Fellows

Joseph Krupczynski, Architecture and Design

Steven Brewer, Biology

Brooks Williams, CHC

Beverly Bell, Education 

Marjorie Magouirk Colbert, Education

Barbara Madeloni, Education

Ruth-Ellen Verock, Education

Glen Caffery, Information Technology

Jerry Schoen, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning & The Environmental Institute

Suzanne Mente, Carrie Chickering-Sears, Veterinary and Animal Science & Extension

Mari Castañeda, Communication

Millie Thayer, Sociology

Julie Hemment, Anthropology

 

2003-2004 Faculty Fellows

Art Keene, Anthropology

Julie Hemment, Anthropology

H. Martin Wobst, Anthropology

Elizabeth Krause, Anthropology

Lynette Leidy Seivert, Anthropology

Jean Forward, Anthropology

Ventura Perez, Anthropology

Elizabeth Chilton, Anthropology

John Gerber, Plant and Soil Science

Sarah Poissant, Communication Disorders

Shelley Velleman, Communication Disorders

Flournoy Holland, English

Brenda Bushouse, Political Science

Dan Gerber, Public Health

Leda Cooks, Communications

Erica Scharrer, Communications

 

2002-2003 Faculty Fellows

Todd Crosset, Sport Studies

Greg Dabkowski, Polymer Science

Bryan Coughlin, Polymer Science

Maurianne Adams, Social Justice Education

Shelly Velleman, Communication Disorders

Sarah Poissant, Communication Disorders

Alice Nash, History

Marla Miller, History

Nola Stephen, Education

 

2001-2002 Faculty Fellows

William Diamond, Marketing

Easwar Iyer, Marketing

George Milne, Marketing

Vanitha Swaminathan, Marketing

Leda Cooks, Communication

Erica Scharrer, Communication

Anne Ciecko, Communication

Marian MacDonald, Psychology

 

2000-2001 Faculty Fellows

Peter d’Errico,  Legal Studies

Judith Holmes, Legal Studies

Todd Crosset, Sport Studies

Carol Barr, Sport Studies

Stephen Jefferson. Sport Studies

 

1999-2000 Faculty Fellows

Brenda Bushouse, Political Science

Anne Carter, Plant and Soil Science

Judy Flohr, HRTA

Jean Forward, Anthropology

Sally Habana Hafner, Education

James Hafner, Geosciences

Sara Ann McComb, Management

Carl Nightingale, History

Sandra Petersen, Biology

Karen Plotkin, Nursing

Joan Roche, Nursing

 

1998-1999 Faculty Fellows

Todd Crosset, Sport Studies

Daniel Gerber, Community Health Studies

David Glassberg, History

Julie Graham, Geosciences

Patricia McGirr, LARP

Russell Janis, Economics

Rajiv Kashyap, HRTA

Timothy Randhir, Forestry & Wildlife Mgt

Patricia Silver, Education

Susan Whitbourne, Psychology

 

1997-1998 Faculty Fellows

Stephen Arons, Legal Studies

David Buchanan, Community Health Studies 

Judith Davidov, English  

Ellen Pader, LARP

Cynthia Rosenberger, School of Education

Kandula Sastry, Physics & Astronomy

Roberta Uno, Theater

Bonnie Strickland, Psychology

 

1996-1997 Faculty Fellows

Arthur Keene, Anthropology

Guy Lanza, Environmental Sciences

Howard Peelle, Education  

Deidre Royster, Sociology

John Stoffolano, Entomology

Gordon Sutton, Sociology

 

1995-1996 Faculty Fellows

Micheline Asselin, Nursing

Robert Colbert, Education

William Diamond, Management

Leda Cooks, Communication

Harley Erdman, Theater        

Ralph Faulkingham, Anthropology

Maureen Groden, Nursing

Laurie Gullion, Sport Studies

Linda Lowry, HRTA       

Sonia Nieto, Education

Richard Stein, Chemistry

 

1994-1995 Faculty Fellows

Ann Ferguson, Philosophy

Atron Gentry, Education  

Eileen Hayes, Nursing

Eleanor Vanetzian, Nursing

Anne Herrington, English

Warren Schumacher, Consumer Studies

Paula Stamps, Community Health Studies

Martha Taunton, Art  

Faculty Fellows FAQ

What is the CESL Faculty Fellows Program?

The CESL Faculty Fellows program is designed to help faculty members implement a high impact, engaged pedagogy that involves students in community-based learning, linked to your course goals, as an integral part of their learning experience.

You will be part of a cohort that meets monthly to discuss the practice of teaching and explore service-learning pedagogy, including:

  • best practices in community partnership development,
  • ways to organize community engagement to support the learning goals of your course and help students to embody the learning.
  • teaching tools to increase student focus, concentration and performance, as well as to guide students through a process of self-transformation and to engage in social change.
  • ways to encourage students to approach the course content as engaged citizens.  

The members serve as peer consultants in syllabus development, assessment practices and the exploration of reflection practices. In addition, the group offers opportunities to read relevant articles and to reflect in writing and in discussions, as well as visits from special guests.

Are there any particular focus areas for this RFP?

No, we are open to proposals from all disciplines that engage with community partners throughout the Pioneer Valley. 
Courses may be undergraduate or graduate level.
Though not a requirement for selection, we are interested in developing, community engaged courses which fulfill Content Area requirements for the Certificate in Civic Engagement & Public Service and CivX Major track with BDIC.  

Do I need to have a community partner and project already in place?

If you have a partner you are already working with that's great but it is not required. One of the ways UMass CESL will be available to support you is by helping identify possibilities and develop partnerships with community organizations. UMass CESL maintains connections with dozens of organizations in the Pioneer Valley and participates in several local networks to assist in making the best possible connection for your course. Once you have connected with a partner we do look to you to maintain and build that relationship, as the partnership is key to effective practice. 

Will my students need to be able to go to a community partner site every week?

Not necessarily.  The service requirements vary course by course and often are dictated by the community partner's needs and availability. We are most interested in the depth of the experience and the impact on both the student and the community.  Also, some courses involve project-based engagement with a community partner identified project. In these cases, the students generally spend time getting to know the community served by the partner, as well as the partner's mission and goals. They meet with the partner on and off during the course but they complete the bulk of the work associated with the project on their own time, here on campus. 

What are examples of Project based service-learning or community engagement courses?

Professor Luis Marentes's Spanish Translation course

Professor Laura Lovett's History course

Are there different types of community-engaged courses? 

Yes, CESL Faculty Fellows can develop either Civic Engagement courses or Service-Learning courses. Both types of courses are designated as course attributes by the UMass Registrar's office and are searchable on Spire. 

What’s meant by a Civic Engagement (CE) course and a Service-Learning (SL) course?

More info about these Designations is here.

What are the Content Areas for the Civic Engagement & Public Service Certificate?

There are 5 required content areas as part of our CEPS Certificate.  These courses are not necessarily Service-Learning courses but developing Content Area courses that are community-engaged is something we would like to see more of. More information about the Content Areas is here.

Is there a stipend?

Yesover the year, faculty will receive a total of $1,000 (teams can receive up to $2,000) for participating in this program, which is payable as AdComp or into the faculty member’s RTF account.