Final Week to Apply for Public Engagement Project Faculty Fellowship

The deadline for applications from tenure-track faculty for the Public Engagement Project spring 2020 Public Engagement Fellowships is Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Public Engagement Faculty Fellows will develop a fellowship plan tailored to their expertise and aspirations for reaching broader publics. They will receive technical training in communicating with non-academic audiences, cultivate networks to reach those publics and workshop their policy brief, blog, op-ed or other public engagement products.

Faculty Fellows will meet throughout the 2020 spring semester, attending panels and skill-building workshops offered by faculty, communications experts from University Relations and others experienced with public engagement. Fellows will also have the opportunity to work in small groups and receive peer mentoring tailored to their engagement plan, as well as to present their research to Massachusetts lawmakers.

In addition to opportunities for skill development, networking, and outreach, Public Engagement Faculty Fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend for their research account.

Selection criteria include:

  • Substantial research record as a tenure-track faculty member

  • Research with the potential for significant public impact

  • Commitment to developing materials for non-academic audiences based on research and scholarship

  • Capacity to pursue public engagement activities during the fellowship period and beyond

“Potential for significant public impact” recognizes the many forms that public engagement can take, for example, working with media, policy makers, the courts, advocacy groups, or professional and practitioner organizations.

“The training I received through the Fellowship was probably the most effective professional development I have experienced since coming to UMass 20 years ago,” says 2016 Faculty Fellow Stephen Sireci, a professor of psychometrics and director of the Center for Educational Assessment. “I believe I am now better prepared to respond to media requests and talk to media, and policy makers, about important issues and research in educational assessment.”

To apply, go to www.umass.edu/pep/fellowship-program. For questions about the Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship Program, email PEP@umass.edu.

Applications will be reviewed and selected by the program steering committee, and applicants will be informed about final selections in eraly December.

Founded in 2007, the Public Engagement Project is made possible with support from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, School of Public Policy, Center for Research on Families, Institute for Social Science Research, the Office of the Provost and University Relations.