The Center for Life Beyond Reed

President's Summer Fellowship

The President’s Summer Fellowship (PSF) offers you a chance to think big and take on an 8–10 week summer project that combines intellectual pursuit, imagination, adventure, personal transformation, and service to the greater good. The only limits to this fellowship are your imagination. Applicants are encouraged to consider the high value the college places on critical inquiry, freedom of expression, and exploration of identity, and to look for opportunities to complement and enhance your rigorous academic experience.

Fellows receive up to $5,000 toward their summer project. Recipients who receive financial aid from the college will receive an additional $2,000. This will be added automatically and verified with the Financial Aid office. 

The President's Summer Fellowship is made possible with generous support from Dan Greenberg '62 and Susan Steinhauser.

Application Deadline

Wednesday March 20th, 2024 at 12 PM noon pacific time

Student Eligibility

To be eligible, a student must

• be a currently enrolled first year, sophomore, or junior;
• be enrolled at Reed in the fall after the fellowship;
• be in good academic standing;
• not be a previous President's Summer Fellow.

Students are welcome and encouraged to apply to multiple funds, but selected President's Summer Fellows may not also accept funding from Reed College for another full time opportunity over the summer.

Eligible Projects

President's Summer Fellowship projects can include travel, take place anywhere in the country or world, and need to encompass one or more of the following qualities:

• intellectual adventure;
• creative project;
• service to the community;
• personal, transformative growth.

Projects also need to:

• Be led by the applicant. The project lead may have collaborators, but one person is leading the project.
• Plan to begin and end during the summer. This fellowship challenges you to conceive of a project that can be completed over a single summer.
• Take place over an 8–10 week period of time. You can take time away from the project, as long as the time spent on the project still encompasses 8–10 weeks.

The PSF is unlikely to support:

• Internships
• Paying your tuition at another school or college
• Playing a small role in someone else’s project
• Doing something you’ve done before

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Clarity of concept
  • Is there a strong reason for doing the project?
  • Does the proposal show a depth of interest in the project area?
  • Why is this project important to you?
• Quality of design
  • How do you keep the project realistic within the budget and time constraints?
  • Evidence that you are prepared to undertake the project.
  • How are you planning to take on unexpected challenges?
• Creativity and synthesis of intellectual pursuit with imagination
  • How are you thinking beyond boundaries?
  • How does the project complement and enhance your Reed education?
  • Does the project explore new areas for you and extend your understanding?

Institutional Review Board Approval

If your project involves conducting research on a human subject, then you will need to apply for approval from Reed's Institutional Review Board (IRB) in tandem with your President's Summer Fellowship application. Please see the IRB website for more information.

If your project does require IRB approval, it's possible that you could be awarded this fellowship before receiving IRB approval. In that case your award would be conditional while waiting for IRB approval. Since IRB applications require the review of a faculty advisor, make certain to meet with a faculty member to discuss your project when considering if you will need IRB approval.

Preparing to Apply

A strong proposal will clearly convey an idea, its connection to you and how it will manifest your growth. The proposal should demonstrate a stretch for you, as well as demonstrate your passion for the project you propose. In the proposal you also need to lay the groundwork to prove your ability to complete a large-scale, independent project. The project should be well thought out, with details in place to ensure feasibility (travel plans, visas, accommodations, permissions, realistic costs). In addition, it needs to be apparent that you have thought out some contingency options in case not everything goes according to plan. Know specifics, and make all the arrangements you can before you submit your application. This does not mean you cannot adapt your project as you go. The unexpected is expected, and nothing can ever be perfectly planned for. If you discover you need to change directions as you get your project in motion, go for it. You will be accountable for working passionately and intentionally.

Get an early start in your planning. Spend time thinking about what is important to you. What excites you? What do you wish you had the time and the opportunity to explore or create? What is something unique to you that will develop in you? When you have a few answers, go from there. Call, email, and connect with people who are currently involved in what you want to do, and ask questions to learn what your best options are. Do your research, and figure out what the obstacles and challenges are going to be to your success, and think about how you will overcome them. Be sure you know why this project is important to you, and why it should be for others.

It is strongly recommended that you meet with an advisor from the Center for Life Beyond Reed about your plans before submitting an application. Read about projects from previous fellows below.

Previous Fellows

How to Apply

All applications will be submitted online in Handshake. The Handshake portion of the application consists of a resume, cover letter, budget, and a short survey. Your resume, cover letter, and budget need to be bundled together into one PDF and uploaded in Handshake where it asks for a resume. Additional required materials will need to be emailed to clbrfellowships@reed.edu, including a letter of recommendation, and a document which demonstrates the endorsement of a host organization (if applicable.) See below for details.

Resume

An up-to-date one page resume summarizing any work and volunteer experiences relevant to your project.

Cover Letter

The cover letter should have the following components:

• At the top of the document, list your name, the names of any collaborators (note if they are Reed College students), the project title, start date, and end date.
• Project Summary (200 word maximum):
  • Begin with a summary of your project. If selected as a Fellow, the summary will represent your project in various materials.
• Project Proposal (1000 word maximum):
  
  • The project proposal should describe your plan for the summer. It should detail the opportunities and challenges unique to the project and your preparation and strategy to address them.
  • Convey what has convinced you to apply for this fellowship and how you hope to benefit from your summer project. Include your reason for proposing the project, your connection to the subject area, any outcomes you hope to achieve, and how this project connects to your long-term goals.
  • Review the selection criteria as you prepare the proposal, as your project will be evaluated upon those criteria.

Detailed Budget

The budget should include your anticipated expenses (using our budget template) and an explanation of how you will cover any expenses that exceed the maximum award amount of $5,000. If you receive financial aid from the college, then $2,000 will be added to the amount requested in your budget prior to your being awarded.

Letter of Recommendation

Request one confidential letter of recommendation. This person should be the person who is best prepared to speak to your ability to be successful in your proposed project. Please review our guide on requesting letters of recommendation for guidance. Recommendations need to be submitted by email to clbrfellowships@reed.edu.

Endorsement

If the project includes the support of an organization, cultural group, association, or any organized entity from which permissions are needed, you must indicate that fact in your application and email a PDF copy of that entity’s endorsement of the project to clbrfellowships@reed.edu.

Next Steps

Select applicants will be invited by the selection committee (composed of staff and faculty) to interview 1–2 weeks after the deadline. Final notifications of application status should occur by April 15th.

Fellowship recipients:

• are responsible for the development, planning, and implementation of their own projects, which must be completed in a 8–10 week window over summer;
• must create a LinkedIn account if they don't have one, and respond to prompt/s from CLBR given over the summer;
• write a minimum two page final reflection upon completion of their project and include at least one photo;
• will participate in an experience sharing activity in the fall semester as directed by CLBR;
• will be invited to meet with the president on campus to briefly share their project plans on Tuesday April 16th from 11 AM – 12 PM.

Travel Restrictions

Reed College does not permit college-funded travel to other countries that are categorized as level 4 (do not travel). Travel to countries on a level 3 advisory warning might be allowed on a case-by-case basis, but there would need to be a strong case made in the application for why the travel is necessary to the project, and how it can be done safely.

Intended travel countries must not be restricted at the time of application. If a travel country becomes restricted after you are awarded funds, we will work with you to find alternative plans.

Questions? Email clbrfellowships@reed.edu