Community Engaged Fellows Program

An interdisciplinary, intercollegiate community of practice for faculty and staff at The University of Mississippi.

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Community Engaged Fellows Program

Be part of an Interdisciplinary Community

The Community Engaged Fellows Program at the University of Mississippi is an interdisciplinary, intercollegiate community of practice designed to further institutionalize and support engaged teaching and scholarship performed in mutually beneficial and equitable collaboration with communities. Participating faculty and staff can opt-in to either a teaching, research and creative achievement, or programmatic track and receive a $1,500 stipend.

The Community Engaged Fellows Program is intended for:

faculty at any rank who are new to community engaged teaching and scholarship
staff and administrators involved in community engaged programmatic efforts
experienced faculty who would like to deepen their community engaged teaching and scholarship
teaching and learning staff and administrators

The program is a dynamic year-long experience designed to deepen participants' understanding and practice of community engagement. It kicks off with an intensive, week-long retreat during the May intersession, during which fellows dedicate eight hours each day to immersive learning and planning. Throughout the academic year, fellows participate in six three-hour seminars, three in the fall and three in the spring. Each fellow undertakes a culminating project aligned with their track.

Program Tracks

The program supports mutually beneficial and equitable collaborations with communities while offering faculty and staff a choice of three tracks to align with their professional goals.

The Teaching Track focuses on developing and refining community-engaged pedagogy. Participants in this track integrate community-based learning into their courses, fostering student engagement with local communities to address real-world challenges. Fellows gain access to resources and mentorship to design courses that prioritize reciprocal relationships with community partners and promote experiential, reflective learning opportunities for students. By the end of the program experience, those on the teaching track develop or refine a course syllabus to integrate community-based learning.

The Research and Creative Achievement Track supports the advancement of community-engaged scholarship and creative work. Fellows in this track pursue collaborative research projects or creative endeavors that address community-identified needs, amplify community voices, and contribute to scholarly and societal impact. This track provides tools and networking opportunities to foster ethical, community-centered research practices. By the end of the program experience, those on the research and creative achievement track produce a prospectus or incorporate evaluation tools to collect data that supports future publications.

The Programmatic Track is designed for participants leading or supporting community engagement initiatives. Participants focus on developing and enhancing programs that build capacity, foster sustainable partnerships, and address pressing community challenges. Fellows receive support to strengthen program design and ensuring alignment with both community and institutional goals. By the end of the program experience, those on the programmatic track design or enhance a program to embed community engagement.