Call for College Fellows

To accommodate the diverse teaching, research, and service commitments of faculty across the College, the Engagements Program offers three pathways for participation. Faculty can choose the option that best aligns with their professional goals, whether they are seeking a reduced teaching load, opportunities for curricular innovation, greater flexibility for research, or a meaningful advising role.

This flexible structure allows faculty to tailor their involvement to their individual needs while helping the Engagements Program attract and support a broad range of talented instructors.

Types of College Fellows

Two-Year College Fellow (With Advising)

Faculty in this role teach Engagements courses in place of some or all of their departmental courses for a two-year term and serve as pre-major advisors to students in their first Engagements course.

Because advising is an important component of the Fellowship, Two-Year College Fellows with Advising receive an additional reduced teaching load. Specifically, Fellows are granted a one-course release each year of their appointment. This reduction recognizes the substantial time devoted to advising and mentoring students while also providing additional flexibility for research, creative work, grant activities, and other professional responsibilities.

This option is ideal for faculty who enjoy mentoring students and wish to play a broader role in supporting students' academic journeys beyond the classroom.

Two-Year College Fellow (Without Advising)

Faculty in this role teach Engagements courses in place of some or all of their departmental courses for a two-year term. These Fellows focus exclusively on teaching in the program and do not serve as pre-major advisors.

This option is particularly well suited to faculty seeking greater flexibility in their schedules, including those with significant research commitments, travel plans and grant-funded projects. Whenever possible, we work with Fellows to schedule their teaching in ways that support these commitments. For example, some Fellows choose to teach both of their semester courses in a single quarter, creating greater flexibility during the remainder of the academic year for research and other professional activities. While we cannot guarantee specific scheduling arrangements, we make every effort to accommodate such requests when program needs and scheduling constraints allow.

College Fellow: Limited Engagement

Faculty in this role teach one Engagements course in addition to their regular teaching responsibilities. They also serve as pre-major advisors to students enrolled in that course until those students declare a major.

These courses are offered only during the first quarter of the academic year and are capped at 20 students. While this role does not include a course release, Fellows receive a one-time $5,000 award, which may be taken either as research funds or as summer wages.

**All College Fellows designing a new Engagement are required to participate in a series of professional development activities, including orientation, course design workshops and a syllabus critique. Two-Year College Fellows receive a $2,500 stipend in recognition of their participation in these training sessions. ** 

Session dates:

Welcome Dinner, December 3
College Fellows Orientation, January 29
Course Design Dinner, February 18
Course Design Workshop 1, February 19
Course Design Workshop 2, March 5
Course Design Workshop 3, May 6
Syllabus Critique, August 17

Application and Nomination Process

Faculty interested in either of the Two-Year College Fellow (with or without advising) appointments must (1) complete the application below and (2) be nominated by their department chair. Because these appointments replace departmental teaching for a two-year term, departmental support is required as part of the application process. This nomination occurs through the annual Curriculum Planning process. Interested faculty should speak to their Chair as soon as possible about securing this nomination.

The College Fellow: Limited Engagement option does not require a chair nomination. Faculty may apply directly, although we encourage applicants to discuss their interest with their chair.

The deadline for applications is September 25, 2026. 

Apply Here

Why Become a College Fellow?

For nearly a decade, the Engagements Program has brought together faculty from across the College to create transformative educational experiences for first-year students while fostering faculty development, pedagogical innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

College Fellows consistently describe their experience as one of the most rewarding periods of their teaching careers. Whether you are looking to refresh your teaching, explore a new intellectual passion, connect with colleagues across disciplines, or engage more deeply with students, Engagements provides a unique opportunity to do so within a supportive community of educators.

Faculty Looking to Strengthen Their Teaching

The Engagements Program has been especially valuable for faculty seeking to develop their teaching practice, whether they are early in their careers, exploring new pedagogical approaches, or simply looking for renewed inspiration in the classroom.

The collaborative course development process offers a rare opportunity for sustained conversation about teaching and learning with colleagues from across the College. Faculty consistently report that designing and teaching an Engagements course changes the way they think about course design, student engagement, and assessment. In exit interviews, many Fellows describe the experience as transformative in ways that continue to shape their teaching long after their Fellowship ends.

Faculty Interested in Experimenting with New Approaches

The Engagements is an ideal space for faculty who want to try something new in the classroom. Fellows are encouraged and supported in moving beyond traditional lecture-and-exam formats and in exploring discussion-based, project-based, experiential, and other student-centered approaches to learning.

At a time when developments such as generative AI are prompting many faculty to rethink how they teach and assess students, Engagements provides a supportive environment for experimentation. With small enrollments, engaged first-year students, and a community of Fellows committed to teaching innovation, the program offers a low-risk opportunity to test new ideas and develop approaches that can later be adapted to other courses.

Faculty Seeking to Teach a Passion Project

Many Fellows use Engagements as an opportunity to teach a topic they have long wanted to explore but may not have been able to offer within their departmental curriculum.

Engagements courses are designed around big questions and faculty interests, allowing instructors to create intellectually ambitious and personally meaningful courses. For many Fellows, these courses become some of the most enjoyable and fulfilling teaching experiences of their careers.

Faculty Transitioning Out of Major Service Roles

Faculty rotating off significant administrative or service commitments, such as department chairs, directors, or program leaders, often find Engagements to be a welcome opportunity to reconnect with what first drew them to academic life: teaching, intellectual exploration, and meaningful interactions with students.

The program offers a chance to step away from administrative responsibilities and focus on creative course design, interdisciplinary conversations, and engaged teaching.

Faculty at Different Career Stages

Many College Fellows join the program shortly after promotion to Associate Professor, when they are seeking new intellectual and pedagogical challenges. Others participate later in their careers as an opportunity to pursue a new teaching direction or capstone experience. At the same time, Engagements may also be a meaningful opportunity for assistant professors and faculty at other career stages. We encourage interested faculty to discuss participation with their department chairs and consider how the Fellowship aligns with their professional goals and trajectory.

Faculty Seeking Greater Visibility and Connection Across the College

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Engagements Program is the opportunity to become part of a vibrant community of faculty from across disciplines.

Fellows build meaningful relationships with colleagues throughout the College, often leading to new collaborations, research connections, and interdisciplinary initiatives. Many participants find that these relationships continue long after their Fellowship concludes and become an important part of their intellectual and professional lives.

A Unique Opportunity to Shape the First-Year Experience

As a College Fellow, you will play an important role in welcoming students to the University and helping them navigate their first year of intellectual exploration.

Through teaching and advising, Fellows have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on students at a pivotal moment in their academic journeys. For many participants, this combination of intellectual freedom, pedagogical creativity, and close student engagement is what makes the College Fellows experience uniquely rewarding.

Click here to learn more about the Engagements Program. 

College Fellow Course Release

Unlike a traditional semester-long course, Engagements courses are considered quarter-length and run for seven weeks. The below chart of teaching represents the annual teaching load for a standard 2:2 Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty and 3:3 Academic General Faculty contract*. 

*Final College Fellows agreements may be slightly different than the above based on a faculty's actual teaching load (1:1, 1:2, etc.). 
**Every 1 EGMT course (7-weeks) is equivalent to 1 department course (semester-long).
***Academic General Faculty must maintain 1/3rd of their teaching in their department.