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
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
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LEARNING GOALS: how your course learning goals might be changed through the addition of community engagement.
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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.
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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 HERE) that verifies:
- Participation in an introductory retreat and eight monthly CESL Faculty Fellows seminars in the Fall and Spring semesters.
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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).
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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.
Sasha Adkins

Senior Lecturer
Environmental Health Sciences
ENVSCI/PUBHLTH 333: Environmental Poisons
Camille Barchers

Assistant Professor
Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
SustComm 110: Transforming Your World: Introduction to Community Engagement
Christian D. Guzman

Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEE 577 Surface Water Quality Modeling
Maxine Oland

Lecturer
Commonwealth Honors College
Empowering Diverse Communities Through Civic Engagement
Veronica Martin Ruiz

Assistant Professor
Marketing
MKT490M: DEI and Marketing in Multicultural Marketplaces
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
Kathy Davis, Department: Education
Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Department: Communication
Krista Harper, Department: Anthropology and the Center for Public Policy and Administration
MaryAnn Hogan, Department: Nursing
Laura Lovett, Department: History
Catherine Sands, Department: Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Bonnie Strickland, Department: Psychology
2012-2013 Faculty Fellows
Katie Campbell-Nelson, Department: Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Kirsten Helmer, Department: Teacher Education and Curriculum
Marky Jean-Pierre, Department: Teacher Education and Curriculum
Bernhard Leidner, Department: Psychology (Psychology of Peace and Violence Program)
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
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?
Yes, over 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.