Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholars
This two-year program is for graduate students in the arts, humanities, and other programs who use the methods/archives of the arts and humanities in their scholarship. Participants will join a community of learners who focus on the co-design of mutually beneficial projects with partners outside of the university in Colorado communities. Students will receive a $5,000 stipend over two years and up to $1,000 in project funding.
The Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholars program, which originated in the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship, helps students apply the tools of their academic disciplines and their interests and lived experiences to develop community-engaged projects. A key program goal is to develop a strong cohort committed to equity-oriented community-engaged work.
The Center for the Humanities & the Arts (CHA) is pleased to partner with the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) for this program. The 2024-2026 and the 2025-2027 cohorts are co-facilitated by Lisa Schwartz, Community Program Manager for PACES. Students will also connect with faculty and staff from across campus and beyond with expertise in public and community-engaged scholarship.
Program Information
Cohort members will:
- Develop skills for academic and professional (non-academic) careers and grow their public and academic visibility.
- Engage communities in the co-design of community-engaged outreach, research, teaching, and creative work and address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in partnerships. In addition, cohort members will now have the opportunity to earn a micro-credential in Equity-Oriented Partnerships.
- Creatively apply the tools of arts and humanities disciplines to community interests and build mutually beneficial relationships with community partners.
- Broaden their networks and receive mentorship from artists, nonprofits, leaders, academics, and community members statewide.
- Interview mentors about their experiences, and how they address equity and inclusion.
- Workshop their ideas and activities with cohort colleagues and practitioners from across campus and beyond.
- The cohort will share aspects of their work in a culminating shared presentation or publication.
Funding
Participation stipend: Students receive a $5000 stipend to participate. Stipends will be paid in two installments at the beginning of each program year as summer funding. NOTE: EAH scholars who apply for and receive a CHA Summer Grant will have $2500 deducted out of said grant because you cannot hold both a CHA Summer Grant and EAH grant at the same time.
Partner project funding: Up to $1,000 for a community-engaged partnership project. The goal of the "partner" project is to develop a mutually beneficial and shared activity with community partners that leverages the student's scholarship and positionality. Scholars are eligible to each apply for funds up to $1,000 for partner project proposals provided that all requirements are met and that proposals meet specific criteria of the EAH scholars program for engaged scholarship. You must review your "partner" community-engaged scholarship project plan and budget with the program facilitators to be eligible to apply for funding. Project proposals are approved by a committee and are not guaranteed to be approved if they do not meet the specific criteria of the EAH scholars program. After a proposal is approved, a funding agreement is signed by the EAH scholar after stipulations in the funding agreement are met.
Selection Criteria
A committee composed of faculty and staff will select applications based on:
- The quality of the applicant's proposal
- The connection of the applicant's research to arts and/or humanities
Eligibility
- Applicants must be enrolled graduate students (MA, MFA, PhD) at CU Boulder and working in arts and/or humanities. Note: if you are in a unit outside of an arts and humanities discipline, you can still apply, but you will need to demonstrate how you are using arts and/or humanities methods/archives. You must be enrolled for the timeframe of the cohort (spring 2025 through spring 2027).
- Prospective EAH Scholars are not required to have prior experience with engaged scholarship. They are required to have a strong interest in applying the tools of an arts and humanities discipline and the student's unique experience to this work and a strong commitment to developing themselves as a member of a cohort who fulfills all of the requirements of the program. Students who are solely seeking funding for community-engaged scholarship projects and are not committed to or interested in developing a community of learners and receiving mentorship should apply for outreach funding rather than this program.
- Students who have already been part of this cohort or the CU Engage Community-Based Research (CBR) Fellows are not eligible. We will ask those who are accepted into the EAH scholars cohort not to apply to the CBR fellows program in the same year. If a student does apply to and is accepted into the CBR Fellows, they will need to immediately choose which program they want to remain in, as they cannot be in both.
Application
1. Section One:
- Personal information
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) (this is solely to give us a general idea of your background)
- You will be asked to certify that you have discussed your application and participation in this program with your thesis advisor.
- Commitment to attendance for mandatory meetings (these are critical to the development of this cohort program and eligibility to remain in the program and receive stipends and project funds). Meetings will be held every month, except for June and July. Two required meetings in April 2025 are non-negotiable:
Friday, April 11
9:30 – 12:00pm: Attend at least one of the 20 minute “developing community-partner project presentations” of the 2024-26 EAH Cohort (schedule here).
1:00-2:30 pm: In-person orientation at CHA, who we are, overview of the program.
Friday April 25: In-person lunch with the cohort 12:00 – 2:00pm, location TBD.
2. Section Two: Address the following questions and upload a single document (12pt., double-spaced, PDF).
- How would you explain your research to a public audience? (300 words or less)
- Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are critical to this program: can you share your understanding of these terms (300 words or less)? If these terms are foreign to you that is fine; we just want to know what your understanding of these terms is. Read the CHA JEDI Statement to see how the CHA values JEDI perspectives.
- How do you think your arts and/or humanites disciplinary skill set, interests, and experiences might connect to the public or apply to community engagement? How do you think you will use the tools of the arts and/or humanities for public engagement? (300 words or less)
- Why are you interested in this program, and what are your goals for your participation? (300 words or less)
- Optional: What questions do you have for us? (150 words or less)
Program Timeline
2025-2027 Cohort
While the program is designed with an understanding of the needs and schedules of graduate students, the requirements and activities listed in the link below are mandatory for participation and funding. Failure to comply with the requirements listed in the link below will have pre-determined consequences that will be shared during the orientation. Events and meetings take place on campus or virtually where noted. There will be other opportunities and events that cohort members will also be strongly encouraged to participate in or attend.
Program Timeline document 2025-2027
In the News
Questions about whether one of our opportunities is right for you?
Email us at chagrants@colorado.edu or stop by our office in Macky 201.