The Strauss Center is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2025-26 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows and Undergraduate Scholars programs. These unique opportunities provide research training, mentorship, and networking to exceptional students from varied disciplines across the Forty Acres.

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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 through an emphasis on building professional and scholarly skills and networks. Students selected for the Brumley Next Generation Fellows Program participate in the life of the Strauss Center and receive support in several ways:

1. Participation in Public Events on Behalf of the Strauss Center. Fellows are expected to maintain a deep level of engagement with the Strauss Center, through attendance at public and private Brumley Speaker Series events held throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.
2. Brumley Fellows Colloquium. In conjunction with the Brumley Speaker Series, Fellows will have access to a semi-monthly luncheon during which the Fellows convene to engage with the Brumley Speaker Series guest speaker, discussing substantive issues in their field, connections to the Fellows’ policy areas of interest, and career development. The date and time of each colloquium is dependent upon the respective guest speaker’s and Fellows’ schedules.
3. Research, Writing, and Professional Mentorship. Each fellowship is connected to one of the Strauss Center’s current research programs. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and backed by the financial support detailed below, Brumley Fellows will conduct their own research project and submit it to the Strauss Center by May 31, 2026. The mentor will assist the Fellow in developing a research plan, help determine the form of the final product, and advise on career and professional development matters. Fellows will be required to meet regularly with their mentor as part of the fellowship requirements. Fellows will also present their work in a Brumley Fellows Research Symposium in late spring.
4. Receive Funding, Contingent Upon Participation. Fellows will receive a fellowship award in the amount of $3,000 for the 2025-26 academic year, disbursed evenly in the first few weeks of the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Fellows will also be eligible to apply for additional funding from the Strauss Center, in support of travel for conferences, research expenses, and other scholarly or professional activities approved on a case-by-case basis.

Please visit the Strauss Center’s Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows website to apply!

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For Undergraduate Students: The Brumley Next Generation Scholars Program

The Brumley Next Generation Scholars Program provides research training and mentorship opportunities for promising UT undergraduates interested in careers in national security, civic engagement, and local, national, and international policy issues.

As part of the Brumley Next Generation Scholars Program, Scholars are expected to:

1. Register for PA 325 Next Generation Scholars Research, a 3-credit research training and professional development course taught by Dr. Stephanie Holmsten and Dr. Michael Mosser in Fall 2025. Scholars are required to participate in all sessions of the course, which are expected to meet every Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm in Sid Richardson Hall at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. 
2. Commit time during the spring semester to work with a mentor to refine the ideas generated and workshopped in Fall 2025 to produce op-eds, policy memos, communications with elected representatives, or the like. 
3. Earn a stipend of $750, awarded in Spring 2026. Students may use this stipend to conduct independent research, travel to a study abroad program or summer internship, attend a professional conference, or engage in other experiential and scholarly pursuits approved by program faculty.
4. Make a concerted effort to attend Strauss Center events and conferences, including the annual Brumley Scholars trip to Washington, DC over the winter break.

Please visit the Strauss Center’s Brumley Next Generation Undergraduate Scholars website to apply.

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The application deadline for both programs is Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm CT. For any questions about the Brumley programs or application process, contact Brittany Horton at brittany.horton@austin.utexas.edu.