The Graduate School announces the 2007-2008 Community Stewards Fellowship competition. Community Stewards are encouraged to engage social issues and challenges generously and to embrace a scholarship of engagement that connects our intellectual resources to the pressing social, civic, and ethical problems in our communities. As community stewards, LUC graduate students will be provided with opportunities to demonstrate how their graduate study and research connects with a larger public by partnering with community groups, grassroots organizations, local businesses and industries to help address societal needs in the Chicago area.

Twenty-five fellowships of $2,500 each will be awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding students who have a demonstrated record of academic excellence and community service. The awards can be used for a variety of purposes including matching paid internships provided by local businesses and non-profit establishments, paying for graduate course credits related to internships, field experience and practicums, or providing tuition assistance to match research stipends offered to students engaged in community-based research. Criteria for eligibility for a CSF include:

1. Students enrolled in a program housed in the Graduate School.
2. Master’s students who have completed one year of coursework are eligible. Second, third, fourth, and fifth year PhD students are also eligible.
3. Applicants must not be funded from other university sources.
4. A minimum GPA of 3.3.
5. A letter of application in which applicants must demonstrate that their internship, field experience, practicum, or research represents an integral part of their degree requirement.
6. A one-page statement that demonstrates how their internship, field experience, practicum, or research reflects community stewardship.
7. A letter of support from the applicant’s Graduate Program Director, sent directly to the Graduate School by the application deadline.

Application Deadlines:

• Applicants:  Please submit all application materials (parts 5 and 6) electronically to Dr. Patricia Mooney-Melvin (pmooney@luc.edu), Associate Dean of the Graduate School, by November 16, 2007.
• Graduate Program Directors:  Please submit your letter of support (part 7) electronically to Dr. Patricia Mooney-Melvin by November 16, 2007 as well.