Prospective Fellows

Application Due by Monday, September 29 [Extended]

Ready to apply? 
 
Apply to teach Engagements courses as a 2-year College Fellow

Apply to teach a single Limited Engagement course
 

What are the College Fellows?

College Fellows are faculty selected from across the College and entrusted with designing and teaching the core Engagements Courses (Engaging Aesthetics, Empirical & Scientific Engagement, Engaging Differences, Ethical Engagement). College Fellows are also called upon to represent faculty concerns and interests concerning general education.

For more information on the Engagement courses and the collective work of the College Fellows, please click here: What are the Engagements?

Two-year Commitment or a Limited Engagement?

There are two ways to serve as a College Fellow:

1. Each year, we select a new cohort of faculty who choose to step away from all (or most) of their departmental teaching over a two-year period to dedicate their teaching to the Engagements Program. These fellows will also serve as pre-major advisors to the students enrolled in their first Engagement course. The model offers a significant teaching reduction (see chart below) to allow for both robust participation in the Engagements program and advising. Cohort 11 will begin teaching in Fall of 2026 and complete their commitment in the Spring of 2028.  
2. For faculty who are unable (or don’t want) to step away from departmental teaching for two years, it is also possible to teach a single “Limited Engagement” course in addition to your regular courseload, serving as pre-major advisor to the enrolled students until they declare a major. (This model is akin to the former COLA model.) “Limited Engagement” courses are only taught in the first quarter of the year and are capped at 20 students. There is no course release associated with teaching a Limited Engagement, but there is financial compensation (a one-time $5000 payment as either research funds or salary stipend).  

All College Fellows participate in a series of course design workshops to develop their Engagements course in the Spring before they begin teaching (see calendar below). Full participation in the course design workshops is compensated with a one-time $2500 payment as research funds or salary stipend. **Note that if you have served as a College Fellow in the past and have already taught your Engagements course, it is not necessary to attend the Spring Course design workshops again (though you are encouraged to do so if you are designing a new course).

Who is Eligible?

All full-time Arts & Sciences faculty in ongoing appointments are eligible and encouraged to apply. This includes tenured and tenure-track faculty, as well as General Faculty and Lecturers with ongoing appointments. 

What is Required of the College Fellows, Cohort 11?

Term

Faculty appointed as full-time College Fellows traditionally serve four consecutive semesters in the program, beginning in the Fall and concluding in the Spring of the following academic year. College Fellows must serve the entirety of their term (excluding summers) in residence at the University of Virginia, with the expectation of participation in College Fellows functions throughout the two-year term. These College Fellows will also serve as pre-major advisors to the students enrolled in the first Engagement Course of the first year of their two-year commitment. They will be provided with advisor-training and ongoing access to advising-related resources.

For those faculty for whom commitment in four consecutive semesters would pose a barrier to participation, modified contracts–including those which allow for Sesqui leaves and which accommodate necessary teaching in a Fellow's home department–will be considered to allow for maximum flexibility. Similarly, accommodations will be considered for faculty who are unable to participate in pre-major advising (e.g. faculty with a large load of major advisees). The Co-Directors and the Dean’s Office remain committed to working with individual faculty members and chairs to find ways for all interested faculty to participate. 

Full-time College Fellows Course Load Reductions

* In the first year of their commitment, College Fellows will teach 1 EGMT during the first 7-week quarter. Students in this course will be their advisees. In the second year of the commitment, College Fellows do not teach during the first quarter (so as not to acquire new advisees). 

General Faculty

General faculty are strongly encouraged to apply if they have at least two years remaining on their current contract. General Faculty will generally keep a 1:1 load in their home department and teach a 1:2 load of Engagements courses in the first year of the commitment and a 2:2 load of Engagements courses in the second. 

What is Required of Limited Engagement College Fellows?

Limited Engagement College Fellows teach a single Engagement course in the first quarter of the year, taking on the students enrolled in that course as pre-major advisees. This course is taught in addition to the faculty member’s standard teaching load. (This model is akin to the former COLA model for teaching and advising.) Fellows will be provided with advisor-training and ongoing access to advising-related resources.

Course Development

All College Fellows will devote several days to orientation and course development in the Spring prior to teaching their first Engagements course. During this time the Fellows will:

1. Work alongside the already appointed College Fellows to conceptualize and refine the Engagements program.
2. Design and collaboratively develop individual Engagements courses.

All new College Fellows must be available to participate in the following Orientation and Course Design meetings in Spring and August '26 (locations TBD):

Stewardship

For the duration of their term, College Fellows will participate in activities to build collegiality and a shared vision of the undergraduate experience. This will take the form of regular meetings, and when possible, dinners among the Fellows. 

Service

All research and service obligations to the College of Arts & Sciences and the faculty member’s home department continue during the College Fellow appointment. In addition, Fellows will share in the collaborative work of maintaining a robust program, including participation in new cohort orientation, course design workshops, research presentations for Engagements students, and other program development. 

Modified Term

For those faculty for whom a full-time appointment to the College Fellows program would prohibit their ability to participate, modified appointments will be considered by the hiring committee. We also encourage College Fellow alumni to propose such a modified appointment.

How to Apply

Applications will be vetted by the College Fellows Co-Directors. Final selection will be made by the committee in consultation with the Dean, Associate Deans, and with the approval of the applicants’ Department Chairs. 

Applications (for either the 2-year commitment or a Limited Engagement) must include the following: 

• Brief statement of intent (1-2 paragraphs): Explain your motivation and reasons for wanting to participate in the College Fellows. Please relate your proposed participation to your disciplinary work and the broader aims of the curriculum
  • State how you would contribute to the ongoing development of the Engagements.
• Note of Endorsement from Chair: Applications should include a short note of endorsement from their chair. Text may be copied and pasted or uploaded as a .pdf file.
• Brief description of your dream Engagements Course (1-2 sentences)
• Engagement preference: Identify at least two different Engagements (Engaging Aesthetics, Empirical & Scientific Engagement, Engaging Differences, Ethical Engagement) that you would be willing to cultivate – both through the design of individual courses and in collaboration with the fellows throughout the program.
• CV: Please upload your CV (short versions acceptable in .pdf format).  

Applications are due Monday, September 29, 2025 (this deadline has been extended).