Transitions Fellowship Program Pilot Project in its Second Year, 2009
We are pleased to announce an innovative new fellowship program for Colorado College students graduating in the spring of 2009. These “transitions” fellowships, which will be offered this year on a trial basis, are intended to support a select group of students as they work to build bridges from their academic and community engagement experiences at CC out into wider networks of work, graduate study, or professional school. These fellowships support work in the postgraduate summer. Beyond the first experimental round of this program in the spring and summer of 2009, we will continue to seek out institutional partners, internship sponsors, mentors, and potential donors to sustain and expand the Transitions Fellowship Program (TFP). This program will be run by the Office of the Dean of the College in coordination with the Alumni Office, the Career Center, and other programs on campus. This year, we are hoping to make up to ten fellowship awards, ranging up to $4,000 for proposed projects and placements in the United States and up to $6,000 for proposed projects around the world. It is assumed that these maximum amounts will only be awarded for full-time projects or internships.
This program is inspired in part by CC’s successful and innovative Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP, http://www.coloradocollege.edu/PublicInterest/), which since it began in 2003 has placed students and recent graduates in subsidized summer and year-long fellowships in nonprofit and community organizations. The PIFP has done vitally important work in linking students to nonprofit and community organizations in the Pikes Peak region and Colorado. It is our hope that the TFP will complement the PIFP by expanding the range of potential partners by supporting national and international projects and internship placements.
1. Possible Transitions Fellowship Program Projects and Placements
We envision the CC Transitions Fellowship Program as encouraging students to expand their experiences and networks during the summer following their graduation in ways that could lead to career paths in the private sector, in public service, or in the non-profit sector. The new fellowships are intended to build upon academic work done while at Colorado College. Our goal is to support selected graduates, from as wide an array of majors and departments as possible, while they deepen and enrich the skills and experiences that are necessary for more successful transitions after graduation. Possible TFP projects (for the summer of 2009) could include:
- International projects or internships that follow from existing CC courses, study abroad programs, or Senior-Year-Experience courses;
- Projects and subsidized internships at businesses, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations in the United States which could lead to possible longer-term employment or into graduate training (note that we strongly encourage students to pursue existing internship opportunities and, if possible, to coordinate such applications with the internship coordinator in the Career Center, please contact Andrea Culp at 389-6893 or aculp@coloradocollege.edu);
- Active participation in political or ballot issue campaigns, provided that such involvement includes substantive work in research and writing or mass media.
While the selection committee will be open to a wide range of proposals, we will be especially interested in supporting proposed activities and placements that are project-based, and which entail real opportunities for responsibility and creativity, rather than simply routine administrative work. Note that the selection committee will be less inclined to support internships for which the student is paid, and will be more inclined to support projects or internships that are unpaid or provide only minimal compensation. Note also that we will not provide funds for any for-profit placement agencies (for example, to find teaching positions abroad), or for commercial travel programs.
The TFP is envisioned as emerging holistically out of students interests and academic training during their years at CC, and it is our hope that the new program will be guided and partially funded by engaged alumni.
2. Eligibility Criteria and Application Procedures
Applications for the Transitions Fellowship Program will only be accepted from students who are on track to graduate in good standing. Applications must include the following (and will not be considered if incomplete):
2.1. A narrative statement of your proposed project, internship placement, or transitions experience (2-3 pages, typed and double-spaced). This narrative statement should describe in detail how your proposed fellowship emerges out of some aspect of your academic experience while at CC; how it will help to support your transition into future academic, career and professional plans; and the specific skills or experiences it will help you develop.
2.2. A copy of your CC academic transcript.
2.3. A summary of your proposed budget (one paragraph, detailing travel, stipend, etc.).
2.4. The names and contact information for at least two faculty members who are familiar with your work at CC, and who can address the merits of the specific activities proposed in the fellowship application. In other words, you should inform faculty members that you are using them as references, tell them about your project, and seek their advice and suggestions before applying.
2.5. A letter of agreement or acceptance from the sponsoring organization or training program (if applicable); this could be in the form of an informal e-mail or offer at the time of application, but it must be on file as a formal letter of acceptance before funds are released (see below for information about funding and reporting requirements). As noted, it is assumed that the maximum grant awards will only be given for full-time projects or internships.
While the selection committee will review all complete proposals, we can only fund a small portion of applications. Students, therefore, should NOT assume that they will receive support through this program and should make alternative plans for summer 2009. Students who are awarded a Transitions Fellowship must inform the Dean’s Office of other grant awards or paid internship placements that are received for summer 2009.
3. Timetable
Four copies of applications are due no later than Monday, March 2nd to: Mark Johnson, c/o Office of the Dean of the College (or as a Word attachment to: msjohnson@coloradocollege.edu); they will be reviewed by a selection committee of faculty and staff, and coordinated with the Alumni Office and Career Center (members of the selection committee to be announced).
Finalists will be notified and interviews scheduled during block 7.
Fellowship recipients will be notified by the end of block 7.
As noted, formal letters of acceptance or enrollment from the sponsoring organization or training program must be on file in the Dean’s Office no later than May 31, 2009.
4. Reporting Requirement and Payments
For projects and placements in the United States, $3,500 will be released on May 31, 2009; and the final $500 will be released on July 31, 2009 upon receipt of a detailed (2-3 pages) narrative report and budget statement. For projects and placements globally, funds will be released in two stages of $5,000 and $1,000 on those same dates (although waivers can be granted if program fees or travel expenses must be paid in full in advance).
For more information please contact Jaimie Stevenson, paraprofessional in the Office of the Dean of the College (jstevenson@coloradocollege.edu) and/or Mark S. Johnson, visiting associate professor of history and faculty coordinator of the Transitions Fellowship Program in its pilot stage (msjohnson@coloradocollege.edu, 719-685-4604).
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