Dear Colleagues,
I write to you from the other side of two big milestones for the CCCE: We have just completed an external review and celebrated the 40th anniversary of Carleton’s formal support for community engagement through the founding of the ACT (Acting in the Community Together) Center in 1985-86.
Both of these have required a lot of looking back and thinking ahead, and I am left appreciating the simultaneous staying power and productive evolution of this center. After forty years, the student leadership that gave rise to the ACT center is still essential to what we do. And I am also proud of the ways we’ve changed, such as through the integration of Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) and co-curricular community-engaged programming.
As we look to the future, we’re introducing another change that is particularly relevant to the faculty readers of this newsletter: a revised structure for the Broom Fellowship. As you may know, the Broom Fellowship was on hiatus this year while we asked the external reviewers to provide recommendations about how to redesign it. We asked them to suggest modifications that would allow more faculty to benefit from the fellowship, noting that fellowships of three years in duration limited who could benefit from this opportunity.
With that in mind, we’re pleased to announce our pilot of the revised Broom Fellowship. Key changes include a shorter duration of one year with one course release, a narrower focus on supporting the faculty member’s own scholarship rather than the CCCE or college as a whole, and clarity about the types of projects that will be eligible: those that are community or civically-engaged.
My hope is that this revised structure will help more faculty access the additional time and money we know is necessary to do community and civically-engaged scholarship. As is always the case, we expect to learn a lot from this pilot year and make adjustments as we go. More details are below and on the updated Broom Fellowship webpage, along with an FAQ.
- Duration: The fellowship is one year in duration, with an option to extend for a second year upon agreement with the department chair/program director and the Provost’s Office.
- Resources: The fellowship provides one course release and a $4,000 contribution to help the recipient conduct community or civically-engaged scholarship.
- Eligibility: Tenured faculty are eligible. Priority will be given to those who have not yet received the fellowship.
- Timeline: Applications are due by May 15, 2026. Note: Because of the late timing, applicants should not expect to cancel fall term classes, as students will register before final decisions are made and departments can adjust their offerings.
- Expectations: By the end of the fellowship year, recipients are expected to complete an interview with CCCE staff about their work, to be shared online, and present at a year-end symposium.
- Selection Criteria:
- Strong applications will demonstrate how the fellowship would allow the recipient to deepen or expand their existing community or civically-engaged scholarship. This includes building on existing relationships with collaborators beyond campus.
- Recipients will be selected by the Provost’s Office & Center for Community and Civic Engagement in consultation with the relevant department chair(s)/program director(s).
- Application: Apply here.
Please consider applying, and get in touch with Emily Seru at eseru@carleton.edu, if you’d like to think through your application with someone.
Good luck with the last push of spring term!
-Sinda