Strauss Center News

Updates from the Strauss Center and our affiliated distinguished scholars and fellows

Categories

Call for Applications: 2019-20 Brumley Next Generation Fellowship Programs

Mar 1, 2019 |

The Strauss Center is very pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2019-2020 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows and Undergraduate Scholars programs. These unique opportunities provide research training and mentorships to exceptional undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. The program is made possible by the generous support of Jon and Rebecca Brumley.

For Graduate Students: The Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program
The mission of the Brumley Next Generation Fellows program is to provide a transformative experience for UT graduate students from an array of disciplines, accelerating their path towards career success with an emphasis on building professional and scholarly skills and networks. Selection is not merely honorific; students selected for the Brumley Next Generation Fellows program will participate in the life of the Strauss Center and receive support in several ways:

Research, Writing, and Professional Mentorship: First, each graduate student selected to be a Fellow will be linked to one of the Strauss Center’s many current research programs (based on the preferences expressed by the student in his or her application). More specifically, each Fellow will be paired with a Distinguished Scholar associated with that particular program (preferably a faculty member from a department other than the Fellow’s home department). Under that scholar’s guidance, and backed by the financial support detailed below, the Fellow will conduct their own research and writing project. The Strauss Center scholar also will serve as a professional mentor, advising on career matters.

Fellowship Speakers and the Brumley Colloquia: A unique feature of this program is that we ask each Fellow to identify an ideal speaker for us to invite to give a talk at UT. The Fellow is then included in a small private dinner with the speaker, and handles the introduction of the speaker during that person’s public talk on campus. Notably, each of these “Fellowship Speakers” also attends the Brumley colloquium, which is an off-the-record gathering of the fellows during which the guest speaker will discuss both career and substantive matters.

Resources: Fellows receive a fellowship stipend in the amount of $2,500. Fellows will also be eligible to apply for funding to support travel for conferences, research, and other scholarly or professional activities.

Participation in Other Aspects of Strauss Center Life: Fellows are expected to maintain a deep level of engagement with the Strauss Center, and can expect to be invited to participate in other small-group meetings with the many policymakers and scholars the Strauss Center brings to campus for its other programs.

For Undergraduates: The Brumley Next Generation Scholars Program
The Strauss Center launched the Next Generation Scholars program in 2010 with the goal of providing new research and mentorship opportunities for promising UT undergraduate students interested in careers in international security and law. This program now also includes a focus on civic engagement, expanding the reach of the program by engaging more students on a wider range of local, national, and international policy issues. Involving undergraduates in international affairs and civic engagement early in their career is an important part of the Strauss Center’s mission to prepare the next generation of leaders to help develop solutions to the most pressing public policy challenges.

This one-year program includes two key components: First, students will take a 3-credit research training and professional development course, taught in the fall of 2019. This course is designed to introduce students to policy work, including basic skills in policy research, analysis, and writing. Students will be trained on designing research strategies and proposals, conducting policy analysis, writing resumes and statements of purpose, crafting op-eds and blog posts, and planning for the steps in their career development. This course will be led by UT professors and Strauss Center Distinguished Scholars Dr. Michael Mosser and Dr. Stephanie Holmsten.

Second, in the spring semester, the Next Generation Scholars will work closely with Dr. Mosser and Dr. Holmsten on a collaborative policy research project and report. Students should expect to maintain regular contact and meet biweekly for short meetings to assess progress on research and writing. The exact schedule for the spring will be determined at a later date to work around students’ course schedules. Students will also be awarded a stipend of $500 for the spring semester. Funding permitting, and contingent on positive performance evaluations, students may have the possibility of continuing as research interns at the Strauss Center after the year-long Next Generation Scholars program concludes.

Please visit the Strauss Center’s NextGen program website for application information. The application deadline for both the Brumley Next Generation Fellows and Scholars programs is March 29, 2019.

strausscenter_black