humanities.wisc.edu  · Web view2019-11-20 · This competition is open to UW-Madison PhD students in the humanities and related fields who have completed all coursework and are

Mellon Public Humanities FellowshipsCall for Applications 2020-2021

Due February 21, 2020

The Center for the Humanities invites applications for five Public Humanities Fellowships designed to provide advanced graduate students in the humanities with experience outside of academia. By placing fellows in partner organizations around Madison including museums, hospitals, non-profits, community centers, and emerging businesses, the program facilitates the reciprocal sharing of resources and expertise, and highlights the significance of the humanities both on and off campus. We aim not only to provide graduate students the opportunity to explore diverse career paths, but also to cultivate a practice of public humanities within their academic work.

We encourage applicants to imagine themselves into positions not obviously connected with their discipline. We have placed doctoral students in unexpected settings: a Music Theory student in a STEM education non-profit, a Geography student in a food collective, a Design Studies student in a historical society. Non-academic skills and experiences acquired prior to and concurrent with your degree are valued by partner organizations as equally as the transferable skills you have gained and refined during your education.

The Mellon Public Humanities Fellowships are part of Engaging the Humanities, a multiyear project generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that creates opportunities for UW-Madison graduate students and faculty to broaden the impact of their research through workshops, seminars, programs, and visiting scholars, in addition to the fellowships.

Overview

In 2020-2021 the Center for the Humanities will award up to five public humanities fellowships to dissertating doctoral students at UW-Madison. Recipients of this fellowship will receive a $25,000 stipend and be paired with an organization in Madison for a nine-month (academic year) residency. These residencies will give fellows the opportunity to use their humanities experience and expertise to develop new programs, expand existing ones, and translate their academic skills into the public sphere. The fellowship period is Aug 17, 2020 to May 16, 2021 and fellows will be in residence at their assigned organization 20 hours a week (excluding academic breaks) during that period. Fellows will be responsible for paying in-state tuition; they will be eligible for healthcare benefits.

Available Positions (links lead to position descriptions within this document)

1. Dane County Library Services 2. Kids Forward 3. Mead & Hunt, Inc. 4. Midwest Environmental Advocates 5. Odyssey Project Beyond Bars

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This competition is open to UW-Madison PhD students in the humanities and related fields who have completed all coursework and are currently writing dissertations. We expect that applicants will bring to these positions a host of skills drawn from their scholarly training, including a strong research and writing background, creativity, and specific forms of field-based knowledge and expertise (in, for example, history, anthropology, art history, cultural studies, digital media, literature, languages, or film, among many others). Partner organizations will provide fellows the opportunity to undertake significant work on innovative programs and ensure that they receive appropriate mentoring. Applicants should apply for a position, rather than to the program as a whole. The final and most important round of application review and interviews will be conducted by the partner organizations independently of the Center for the Humanities.

Eligibility and Criteria

The Fellowship is open to advanced UW-Madison graduate students in the humanities and related fields (i.e., PhD candidates currently working on their dissertations). Applicants will be reviewed based on their academic accomplishments in the humanities; relevant training and experience; and the relation between the fellowship and their professional goals.

For questions, email to Aaron Fai, Assistant Director of Public Humanities, at [email protected]. Please do not contact any of these organizations with questions about the positions.

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Position Descriptions

Dane County Library ServicesRipple Project Fellow

Organization Description

Beyond the Page is an endowment held by the Madison Community Foundation and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities that funds humanities programming in all Dane County libraries—forever. Since 2013, grants have been issued annually to libraries for the purposes of humanities programming. In 2021, the focus of that funding is racial equity and social justice.

The Ripple Project (2021) will support racial equity training for library staff as well as an array of free public programming. After 2021, we plan to continue to provide consistent funding streams to support sustaining and growing racial equity work in Dane County libraries.

Ripple Project Goals:

Goal 1: Establish Dane County libraries as municipal partners in the work of diversity, equity & inclusion.

Measurable outcomes:

2021● Creation of staff Equity Team at each library location● Ongoing racial equity training opportunities available for staff at all levels

Beyond 2021● Improved climate (based on survey data) for staff of color● Increase recruitment, hiring, retention and engagement of staff of color● Increase recruitment, hiring, retention and engagement of leadership of color● Provide a model for municipalities to incorporate equity work across all departments

Goal 2: Leverage libraries to engage communities in meaningful reflection & dialogue about race.

Measurable outcomes:

● Lift up voices, experiences and cultures of people of color in Beyond the Page programming○ 2021 : 80% or more of programs designed, led and/or presented by people of color○ Beyond 2021 : 25% increase in programs designed, led and/or presented by people of

color● Feature 3 program areas:

○ Art/music/culture with a humanities focus (performances, workshops, etc.)○ Understanding race & racism through a humanities lens (history, storytelling, etc.)

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○ Programs designed for people of color (wellness, empowerment, community-building, etc.)

Position Description

The Ripple Project Fellow will support the work of the Beyond the Page Coordinator to carry out the Ripple Project goals. This will include collaboration with an Oversight Committee and Ripple Project Committee, as well as working with staff at Dane County’s 28 libraries and doing outreach in urban, suburban and rural library communities.

Duties may include:● Analyzing census data to create profiles of library communities● Interviewing library staff to inform the project● Consulting with Ripple Committee to keep project aligned to goals and community feedback● Scheduling public programming to fit each library’s needs● Helping coordinate Dane County Read and/or Dane County Library Staff Read● Supporting marketing efforts for 2021● Helping develop a sustainability plan for after 2021

Qualifications● Demonstrated commitment to and passion for racial justice● Facilitation experience● Experience conducting qualitative research● Experience with program design and evaluation● Comfortable working independently and as part of a team● Creative, strategic problem-solver● Excellent social skills including communication and conflict resolution● Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple long-term projects● Reliable ability to travel independently throughout Dane County required.

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Kids ForwardEarly Learning Communications Fellow

Organization Description

Kids Forward is a statewide child and family policy advocacy organization. We aspire to build the best future possible for every child and every family in Wisconsin—especially children and families of color and those furthest from opportunity. Using research, communications, and community engagement, we advocate for effective, long-lasting solutions that break down barriers to success.

Kids Forward is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment along with our own professional and personal capacity to advocate on behalf of people of color. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, disability, or any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law. Our organizational culture is shaped by:

Compassion: We seek to understand the life situations of every child and family, and act out of a deep concern for those furthest from opportunity;

Equity: We aspire to build a Wisconsin where every kid, every family, and every community can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential—notably for children and families of color and those furthest from opportunity.

Inquiry: We use sound data, listen to diverse voices, respect the expertise that resides within each community, and share what we learn.

Accountability: We live our values internally, as we stand up for every kid and family.

Expectations for Community-University Partnership

Kids Forward hopes to incorporate humanistic approaches into our policy and advocacy work. We have had ongoing internal discussions about data gathering that is more respectful and meaningful, and different data interpretation and presentation that uses humanistic lenses. Not only do we hope the fellow contributes to these conversations, but also helps build Kids Forward’s institutional knowledge around the practice of public humanities.

Meanwhile, Kids Forward also understands that the interests of the nonprofit world are best served when supported by individuals who are skilled and prepared in practically linking knowledge to actions. For the fellow, we are committed to offer a full spectrum of hands-on experiences from program design to dissemination. Because we believe that the real-action is the reaction to our action, we want to go beyond a superficial practice of dissemination by intentionally engaging the public to provoke their reactions. This way, the fellow will have a full circle of research experience from start to finish designed to benefit the community. More importantly, the fellow will have the full picture of

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how the nonprofit world can use academic knowledge and skills on the interconnecting issues communities have to deal with on a daily basis. Consequently, it will offer a positive experience to the fellow when considering a non-academic career path.

Position Description

Kids Forward has worked in the area of Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) over the past three years. Introducing children 0-5 years of age to fresh and healthy foods can develop taste preferences (as part of brain development) and nurture healthy eating habits. Building on our racial and ethnic equity approach, we have worked closely with childcare providers in Madison, Milwaukee, Columbus, and La Crosse. These are multiple community-based projects with several collaborating nonprofit organizations.

Currently, Kids Forward is focused on facilitating the partnership and managing the projects. Relevant to this initiative, we are looking for support from a Public Humanities Fellow who will work with the team to gather information and stories about the partnership and the people involved in the project. Kids Forward is also determined to work with the Fellow in disseminating these stories to the public in a format(s) that is most effective and efficient (i.e., photography, podcast, oral history, video documentary, exhibit, or popular article). Specific to the field of ECE, we want to shape the dialogue around leveraging local food systems as educational tools for the children and professional development tools for the ECE workforce. That is, we want to demonstrate that the local food movement has the potential to go beyond a mere distribution of resources. The collected stories will directly help our advocacy work in ECE through the local food movement.

Through research, community engagement, and communications, the Fellow will collaborate with the Kids Forward team to produce communication strategies and products to support our advocacy. The position contributes to our work by:

Actively engaging in the development of Kids Forward as a multi-cultural, inclusive, and equitable organization with broad racial, ethnic, and economic justice capability. Demonstrated ability to apply a racial and ethnic equity lens to systemic policies is a plus.

Leading the creation of communication strategies reflective to the mission of Kids Forward’s Farm to ECE vision, the current political environment, policy opportunities, and long-term movement and power building goals around local food systems particularly concerning ECE.

Coordinating a public dissemination event in the Spring of 2021 as part of broader advocacy work using the collected materials.

Supporting other tasks that are relevant to the Fellow’s expertise in Farm to ECE or other projects at Kids Forward.

The Fellow should expect to do out-of-town trips to meet community partners or participate in national or regional meetings. Consequently, some trips may be overnight. Neither driving ability nor vehicle ownership is required. Any travel-related expense will be reimbursed.

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Qualifications

The ideal candidate will combine civic engagement experiences with strong communication knowledge and skill to leverage the intersections and opportunities found between local food systems, early care and education, and racial and ethnic equity. The position requires excellent strategic, analytical, communications, advocacy, and interpersonal competencies.

Below are the competencies that will help an individual succeed in this role. It is not a mandatory or comprehensive list.

Working knowledge of the local food movement affecting children and families including knowledge of community organizing, systems change, and policymaking.

Sincere passion for the mission and values of Kids Forward, and the ability to articulate and share that passion with internal and external audiences.

Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to racial, ethnic, social, and economic justice.

Working knowledge of inclusive outreach and engagement models leading to diverse and effective coalitions, alliances, and community-based relationships.

Proven interpersonal and team building skills with an orientation towards equity and inclusion. Proven ability to work on multiple projects, manage priorities and workflow, and meet

milestones. Writing, editing, and public speaking skills with an ability to convey complex issues in a clear,

direct, and engaging style. Spanish-language knowledge is a plus. Willingness to work in an adaptive, engaged, collaborative work environment, and travel

throughout Wisconsin as necessary. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

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Mead & Hunt, Inc.Cultural Resources Fellow

Organization Description

Mead & Hunt is an employee-owned national engineering and architectural firm offering design services in the fields of planning, design, architecture and engineering. With more than approximately 900 professional, technical, and support staff in more than 35 offices nationwide we have been serving clients in both the public and private sectors since our founding in 1900. Our technical skills and industry knowledge allow us to serve diverse markets and clients and our services have expanded to include cultural resources, environmental, energy, water and wastewater treatment, and more.

Mead & Hunt’s Cultural Resources Group, with one of the largest group of historians and architectural historians nationwide, specializes in providing cultural resource management services for federal and state agencies, transportation departments, and municipalities in support of engineering and architecture projects nationwide. Our specialties include historic property inventories and evaluations, historic context development, Section 106 and state-level compliance, National Register Nominations, and preservation plans. We have a national reputation for their work on statewide historic bridge and road identification and management projects and expertise in evaluation of post-war residential properties.

For us, people come first. This applies to our interactions with our community, our clients, and each other.

We care about people, we invest in relationships and we bring the best of who we are to bear on every client engagement and project. Today, Mead & Hunt is ranked as one of the top 150 consulting firms in the country by Engineering News Record and takes pride in being named among the top 25 best civil engineering firms to work for in the country by Civil Engineering News.

Position Description

Mead & Hunt welcomes the opportunity provide a graduate student in the humanities with professional experience working within our Cultural Resources Group. This position would provide an opportunity to learn about cultural resource management and collaborate on challenging and rewarding projects with opportunities for research, writing, and field survey, in addition to gaining an understanding of historic preservation compliance regulations.

Responsibilities and activities for the position may include:

Conducting Section 106 compliance tasks for historic and architectural properties. Participating in field survey to document historic properties. Conducting research to develop histories and understanding of historic properties.

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Preparing reports including historic contexts, property descriptions, and National Register evaluations of historic resources.

Collaborating with team members, project managers, and clients. Working on special research projects that will enhance an understanding of specific property

types and/or research and survey methods

Qualifications:

Experience or interest in cultural resource management, historic properties and/or Section 106.

Strong, clear and concise writing skills. Ability to synthesize and analyze research and to effectively present results in written reports. Professional and effective communication skills (verbal and written). Strong time management and organizational skills with the ability to set priorities and manage

deadlines. Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team. Ability to travel, maintain vehicle insurance and a valid driver’s license are required. Travel

expenses will be reimbursed. Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.

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Midwest Environmental AdvocatesTribal Environmental Issues Fellow

Organization DescriptionAs a non-profit environmental law center, Midwest Environmental Advocates works to defend public rights, protect natural resources, and ensure transparency and accountability in government.

For two decades, we have provided legal and technical support to those who are working to uphold Wisconsin’s strong tradition of safeguarding public health and natural resources. In addition to providing direct legal assistance, MEA prioritizes offering educational tools to empower citizens.

Prior to MEA’s founding in 1999, the dual functions of government watchdog and champion of public rights had been performed by the Public Intervenor’s Office. When the Public Intervenor’s Office was dismantled, Midwest Environmental Advocates was founded in order to fill the void. MEA continues to vigorously defend public rights and to act as the leading environmental watchdog for Wisconsin’s natural resources.

Position DescriptionMidwest Environmental Advocates seeks a team member who will work primarily with the Equal Justice Works Fellow and Development & Marketing Director to research, draft, and disseminate public-facing guides on tribal environmental rights. MEA’s Equal Justice Works Fellow is working with tribes on water regulation and protection. Thus, the primary audience for these guides will be tribal government officials and citizens, as well as non-tribal allies. This work follows MEA’s long tradition of creating citizen guides and tool kits that seek to make the law accessible and approachable for non-lawyers.

Drawing on the interests of the Mellon Public Humanities Fellow, these guides will unpack issues such as consultation between tribes and federal and state agencies, tribal water regulation, and the effects of climate change on tribal natural resources and treaty rights. The goal of this work is to increase understanding of tribal environmental rights and regulation to allow for more effective utilization of those rights and regulations by tribal governments and citizens, and more effective support from non-tribal allies.

We are interested in co-creating this project with the Mellon Fellow and are open to various directions and redirections. If you’ve read the above description and found something that resonates with you, we’d love to hear what aspects of this you are most excited about. There are directions that this project can go that we have not yet envisioned, so if you have ideas that do not neatly fit within the lists below, please share your vision with us! As of now, we see a range of pathways where responsibilities might include:

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Collaborating with MEA staff to conceptualize research agenda and guides Researching environmental conflicts involving tribes in Wisconsin and the broader region Attending occasional meetings and/or outreach events around the state Drafting and editing public-facing text Working on visual layout and design of public-facing guides Working with MEA staff to refine guides for a diverse public audience—not just those with

specialized legal, environmental, or tribal knowledge

The tasks we anticipate you will undertake will be decided collaboratively based on your interests and skills. We’ve provided the list below to offer possible inspiration for your cover letter. We know each candidate will be unique! Can you find at least one item from the following list that you hope to learn? Perhaps this is a proficiency you don’t yet have but are excited to improve upon by the end of the project? Can you also find at least one item from the following list that you feel qualified to offer this project?

Interest in, or knowledge of, tribal and/or environmental issues Interest in, or knowledge of, legal systems and analysis Professional, direct, and effective communication skills Working knowledge of Native languages Proficiency at writing and editing English text Ability to create independent and collaborative work plans, and manage deadlines Experience in/with grassroots movements, activism, and community organizing Practice with visual thinking and design Practice with graphic design technologies Ability to communicate with diverse, non-academic audiences Prior knowledge of social and/or environmental justice Familiarity with the legacies of colonialism and white supremacy

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Odyssey Beyond BarsPrison Education Communications Fellow

Organization Description

Odyssey Beyond Bars is part of the UW Odyssey Project, an educational outreach program that offers free humanities courses, advising and tutoring to students in underserved populations. Since 2003, the Odyssey Project has empowered entire families to overcome adversity and achieve dreams through higher education.

Odyssey Beyond Bars works specifically with students incarcerated in our state prisons. The effort began as a series of noncredit humanities courses and has recently expanded to offer credit-bearing UW-Madison courses as well. There is great enthusiasm for the effort across campus, and mounting support for higher education in prison statewide. Odyssey Beyond Bars aims to grow the number of credit-bearing courses UW-Madison offers to students in prison, and to serve as a coordinating body for a prison-based bachelor’s degree program.

Position Description

Several people, organizations and schools across the state are involved or interested in prison education, but there is limited infrastructure in place to facilitate communication between these entities. The Fellow will help to establish this infrastructure, fostering strong relationships between different aspects of the university and developing opportunities for involvement in teaching and research. The Fellow will also assist with outreach to other UW System campuses involved in this work, and other schools and groups.

Responsibilities may include:

• Produce a monthly e-newsletter and other outreach materials to communicate program progress and news regarding prison education generally.

• Recruit potential partners to provide prison education and re-entry services, both on and off-campus.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive listing of UW System faculty and staff who are currently involved in teaching students in prison, researching prison populations, or developing prison-based interventions.

• Support prison-based research efforts by assisting with data compilation.• Assist with grant research and writing.

Qualifications

Excellent written and oral communication skills Excellent research skills, with a strong attention to detail Ability to work independently, and work in collaboration with staff A passion for prison education and a desire to engage others on the issue

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Public Humanities Fellowship ApplicationDue February 21, 2020

Save the following application form, along with any additional required documents, as one (1) PDF file. Name your file: PHF 2021 App [your last name]

1. Name:

2. Address:

3. Telephone Number:

4. Email Address:

5. Student ID number:

6. Department:

7. Field of Specialization:

8. Dates of Preliminary Examination(s) and admission to candidacy:

9. Title of Dissertation:

10. 100-word abstract of dissertation:

11. Faculty director of your dissertation:

12. Expected date of completion of PhD:

13. Briefly state your research interests:

14. Position to which you are applying:

15. Would you be interested in interviewing for a different fellowship position? If yes, please list up to two additional choices. If we present your application to one of these two additional choices, we may ask you to revise your materials to be addressed to that partner organization.

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16. List the names, titles, institution, and email addresses of two references who will submit letters on your behalf. Reference letters should address the student’s academic record and progress; qualifications for the position; past work; and potential contributions to and benefits from a Public Humanities Fellowship. Reference letters should be submitted electronically as a PDF document and sent directly by your recommenders to: [email protected] with “PHF Recommendation STUDENT NAME” in the subject. Deadline is February 21, 2020.

Additional Materials

1) COVER LETTER (required)

This should be written for the specific position you have selected. Please address your letter to the selected organization. You should explain why you are applying for this position and how your academic and extra-academic experience prepares you for it.

2) CV (required)

3) Statement (optional)

In 500 words (or less), please present any information that enhances and expands on but does not duplicate your cover letter.

Please submit all application materials electronically, in a single PDF document.

In the subject line, please put “PH Fellowship Application_ORG NAME_STUDENT NAME”

and send to [email protected]

Applications due: February 21, 2020

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