The Office of the Vice President for Research, in partnership with public engagement units across campus, stewards the Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship. The Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship works to foster more–and more effective–faculty public engagement at the University of Michigan.
Fellowship Goals
The Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship aims to:
- Support the faculty-articulated need for time and space to reflect, develop skills, and incubate project ideas.
- Encourage recognition of and experimentation with all forms of public engagement.
- Enable faculty to integrate engagement into their work more fully and translate their scholarly activity into meaningful public impacts.
- Create an interdisciplinary, intergenerational learning community focused on public engagement.
What is the Fellowship?
There are two phases to this fellowship: an intensive Studio Experience phase focused on community-building, exploring, and learning, and a Project Support phase with the opportunity to request in-kind support and up to $10,000 for an ambitious public engagement project.
Phase I: Studio Experience
The Studio Experience is an intensive capacity-building phase that enables faculty to consider how their research, teaching, service, and public engagement can all work together.
A critical goal of the Studio Experience is to consider the wide variety of avenues available to translate scholarly work into public impact, all while connecting with an interdisciplinary, intergenerational learning community focused on public engagement. During the Studio Experience, the cohort participates in skill-building workshops, reflects deeply on past engaged experiences and future ambitions for societal impact, and networks with a variety of experts representing the breadth of public engagement across the university.
The Studio Experience runs annually for five weeks in May-June. The 2023 Studio Experience will run from May 15 – June 15, 2023.
Phase II: Project Support
The Project Support phase is an opportunity for eligible Fellows to put what they’ve learned in the Studio Experience into practice with an ambitious public engagement project.
Following the Studio Experience, eligible Fellows may develop plans for a publicly engaged project and then request funding and in-kind support for that project from the Office of the Vice President for Research and/or campus partners. Funds may be used to cover a variety of costs, and in-kind support can range from general needs to more project-specific ones.
Current projects undertaken through the fellowship highlight the range of public engagement opportunities, from translating current research for specific audiences to deepening research agendas with community partners and leveling up creative scholarly practice.
What Does Participation in the Fellowship Look Like?
There are two tracks to participating in the Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship: as a Fellow or as a Mentor Fellow.
Fellows
Are faculty who are interested in significant learning or experimentation, with the goal of exploring different forms of engaged work in order to try something new in their practice or deepen their understanding of public engagement.
- Receive $1500 as discretionary research funds for successfully completing the Studio Experience
- Are eligible to apply for up to $10,000 and in-kind support during Phase 2
Mentor Fellows
Are faculty who have deep experience with public engagement and are interested in sharing about how their engaged practice has shaped their scholarly identity.
- Help shape the learning community of the Studio Experience with structured activities and opportunities to mentor the Fellows
- Receive $2000 as discretionary research funds for successfully completing the Studio Experience
- Are not eligible to propose a project during Phase 2
Both Fellows & Mentor Fellows Receive
- An opportunity for deep, structured reflection about past and future experiences with public engagement.
- Unique opportunities to develop or level-up public engagement skills in partnership with experts across U-M.
- Access to an interdisciplinary and intergenerational learning community of faculty committed to public engagement.
- Recognition as a public engagement practitioner, including support to tell the story of your impact and opportunities to highlight your work.
Other PEFF Pages
Have Questions?
Fill out this inquiry form to send an email to peff.admin@umich.edu or come chat during the following coffee hours on Zoom.