CBR is a method of responding to the conditions, problems, and needs of an organization and/or the broader community. It is a partnership of students, faculty and community partners who collaborate to engage in scholarship with a purpose of solving a problem and effecting greater social change (Strand et al. 2003).
Julie Simon Munro and the William E. Simon Foundation established the Simon Family Public Research Fellowship program in 2012 at ¶¶Òõ̽̽’s Honors College. The fellowships provide University of Vermont students a summer stipend to pursue community-based research, which often continues into the following academic year.
Background
Many ¶¶Òõ̽̽ students are strongly motivated by the desire to better social conditions and build upon their past experiences in service-learning coursework, volunteerism, or internships. Community-based research (CBR) fits with this desire since it seeks to apply academic knowledge and skills to the problems and needs of the communities in which students are actively engaged. Such research, a powerful form of experiential learning, often transforms students’ sense of themselves and their career aspirations. The Simon family generously provided the funds in 2012, with the first awards given in 2013.
A pilot program preceded the establishment of the Simon Fellowship. A group of offices at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ (Undergraduate Research, Fellowships Advising, and Community-University Partnerships & Service Learning) collaborated for two years to provide students with funding for CBR and research internships. The pilot program showed the potential of CBR to simultaneously address community and academic learning needs. Moreover, several recipients of awards during the pilot phase converted their experiences into employment, graduate school, and national fellowship awards and nominations. We were thus very pleased and deeply grateful that the Simon family established this Fellowship to build on the success of the pilot program.
There are two pathways for funding, Simon Fellowships and Simon Public Research Awards:
Simon Fellowships
Simon Fellowships are awarded to 3-5 students engaging in community-based research projects. Students write the proposal, perform the research, and create the deliverables for their community partners. Each student receives $6000 (to be split between research expenses and a personal stipend).
Applications and Sponsorship Letters are due by midnight on April 1st, 2025.
Simon Public Research Award
A Simon Public Research Award is a faculty-directed experience that seeks to enhance engagement with a community partner. As such, a faculty member submits a short proposal describing the educationally enriching experience ("research internship") they are creating for a student to assist in moving forward a relationship or project with a community partner in mind. Students receive a $4000 stipend.
Applications (with student letters) are due by midnight on April 7th, 2025.
Interested in funding an Undergraduate Research Award?
Contact FOUR Director:
Ann Kroll Lerner
University Heights South, Suite 009