ENGAGED LEARNING + RESEARCH FACULTY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Application deadline for the 2015-16 Cohort is Friday, May 22nd
INTRODUCTION
The Engaged Learning + Research Faculty Fellowship Program is a year-long faculty cohort program
designed to enhance the capacity of Cornell faculty to conduct courses and develop research projects
which directly engage the university with the community.
In May 2015, a diverse group of up to twelve faculty members will be selected to participate in the Faculty
Fellowship September 2015 through May 2016. Through a combination of cohort meetings (3 per
semester) and individual consultations, participants will collaboratively investigate and advance theories,
practices, and evaluation of community engaged learning and research. Additionally, participants have
the opportunity to (re)develop a course, research proposal, or engaged project in accordance with these
proven principles and techniques. Faculty fellows form a learning community, participating in cohort
feedback loops and sharing their critical experiences at a year-end, university-wide showcase.
PROGRAM GOALS
The Engaged Learning + Research Faculty Fellowship Program offers an opportunity for participants to:
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Develop a project that improves engaged learning and research at Cornell.
Design a community-based research activity leading to recognizable benefits for community partners.
Cultivate and support a learning community of engaged faculty leaders who are committed to
integrating principles and practices of engagement in their own research and teaching, and who will
act as advocates of these practices to their colleagues and students.
Consider, with faculty colleagues and EL+R staff, strategies for developing products of your work, as
engaged scholarship and/or scholarship of engagement.
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
Each semester, faculty fellows will come together 3 times to share ideas, provide feedback and explore
theories, pedagogical models and practical challenges related to the development of community engaged
learning and research courses and programs. Meetings will be scheduled at the group’s convenience
and are generally 2 hours in length.
The Engaged Learning + Research Faculty Fellowship is first and foremost a faculty development
program, intended to advance theory and practice of a particular project. Projects may be local, domestic,
or global; they may advance existing partnerships or forge new ones. Generally, projects are developed
and implemented during the Fellowship year, but in some instances, the implementation of projects has
extended past the Fellowship year. Possible project ideas include:
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Developing a new service-learning course or integrating service-learning into an existing course;
Creating assessment tools or strategies for measuring the impact of service-learning1 on
students, faculty, or community;
Designing community-based research projects that contribute to the literature of the discipline or
scholarship of engagement more broadly;
Developing interdisciplinary collaborations to foster engaged learning and research across
departments, colleges, units and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT
In addition to academic and administrative support from Engaged Learning + Research, Faculty Fellows
receive a $2,000 stipend (split into two payments of $1,000 in the Fall 2015 semester and $1,000 in the
Spring 2016 semester). The stipend is provided for discretionary use for activities such as professional
development, course design, research activities, and implementation costs that could include curriculum
materials, shared materials for community partners, and course- or project-related travel.
EXPECTATIONS OF FELLOWS
Faculty Fellows are expected to prepare for and regularly participate in all six program meetings.
Absence from more than two over the course of the year will result in stipend forfeiture. It is expected
that fellows will serve as ambassadors of community engagement within their departments and college,
and across their academic field as a whole.
Faculty developing a course are expected to teach that course at least twice in the next five years.
Research projects must include action plans and assessment measures, and community site visits are
encouraged to the extent possible.
Fellows will be expected to offer a presentation about their work to the Fellows learning community and
perhaps beyond (the group may choose to host a symposium or a series of lunch discussions which use
their presentations to catalyze further discussion on campus or in the community).
Please note: we use the term “service-learning” to represent an array of community-engaged
pedagogies; Fellows are invited to offer their own terminology in the application and beyond.
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SELECTION CRITERIA
All full-time faculty members (including lecturers and Extension faculty) are eligible to apply. Although
you don’t need previous engaged research or teaching experience to apply, your proposal narrative
should reflect some level of critical thinking around issues of engagement.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
1. Completed Application Cover Form
2. Brief Cover Letter, introducing the proposed project (new course or course re-design, community
engaged research or classroom project, publication) and your rationale for pursuing an Engaged
Learning and Research Faculty Fellowship to advance your initiative. Describe what you hope to
experience and accomplish through your participation in this year-long learning community (2 page
maximum).
3. Project Description and Expected Outcomes
4. Current C.V.
5. Brief letter of support from your department chair.
Please submit your complete application package (in MS Word or PDF form) to Wendy Treat
(wgt2@cornell.edu) by Friday, May 22nd.
For more information about eligible projects, please email Anna Bartel at aws4@cornell.edu.
Fellowship announcements will be made in late May.
FACULTY FELLOWS IN ENGAGED LEARNING + RESEARCH PROGRAM 2015-16
Application Cover Form
Title of Project: _________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Applicant Name: ________________________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________
Department: ___________________________________________________________
College: _______________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________
Net ID:_____________________
Year of Cornell Hire/ Length of Time at Cornell: ________________________________
Applicant Signature: ________________________________
Date: _____________
Applicant Print Name: ___________________________________________________
Department Chair Signature: ___________________________ Date: _____________
Department Chair Print Name: _____________________________________________