The Center for Academic Innovation is seeking faculty to participate in the 2022 Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship Program.

The program brings together an interdisciplinary, intergenerational group of faculty members interested in building community and learning skills from each other and campus experts to effectively engage the public in the university’s work.

“The Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship program is an inspiring example of the University of Michigan’s unwavering commitment to innovation at the intersection of academic excellence and public purpose,” said James DeVaney, founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation.

“We’ve learned with and from 32 faculty fellows representing 14 schools and colleges and 26 departments. This third cohort will further enrich a dynamic community committed to public engagement in all forms.”

The fellowship is open to faculty on the Ann Arbor campus, and the application deadline is Dec. 1. The center partners with several faculty and organizational units throughout U-M in offering the fellowship each year.

There are two phases: a five-week intensive Studio Experience, and a second phase where faculty interested in a large-scale public engagement project can apply for project support of up to $10,000 and in-kind support from the center and partner campus units.

The Studio Experience will be May-June and features workshops, networking, reflection activities, interdisciplinary discussion groups and skill-building opportunities. Faculty who complete the first phase receive $1,500 as discretionary research funds and are eligible for the second phase of the fellowship.

Mentor Fellows, those with more extensive public engagement experience, receive $2,000 as discretionary research funds for their help in crafting the Studio Experience, but are not eligible to propose a project in the next phase. In the Project Support Phase, faculty work closely with a public engagement host unit on campus to implement their project. 

“One special element of the PEFF community is the opportunity to build connections with like-minded faculty across disciplines,” said Ellen Kuhn, public engagement specialist at the center. “We hope to foster more collaborations like this in the 2022 cohort.”

The public engagement team is also hosting 50-minute virtual coffee hour sessions throughout November for interested faculty to drop in for more info and ask questions.