Host a Community Engagement Fellow
This page contains resources for prospective and current Community Engagement Fellow hosting organizations.
Why Host a Fellow?
Community Engagement Fellow students grow with your organization, serving with you for a minimum of two years (four semesters). Students are paid (at no cost to your organization) an hourly wage and receive ongoing campus-based training and education to support their work. Students are eligible to continue for additional semesters, schedule permitting. Often, Fellows begin their tenure at an organization learning the ropes and helping with projects where needed; over time they grow in responsibility. Depending on the needs of your organization, students often take on specialist responsibilities such as assisting with grant writing or may take on volunteer management roles – especially recruiting other college students for ongoing or event-based volunteer involvement.
Program Requirements
To host a Community Engagement Fellow, organizations should plan to:
- Provide regular and ongoing supervision and mentorship: most Fellows meet with their supervisors once per week, as well as brief check-ins around specific projects or during work shifts. Students typically need a workspace as remote work is not allowed. Students work 6-8 hours per week, on average, during the semester (see schedule below) - flexibility is occasionally required due to events at your organization, or student academic schedules.
- Create positions and projects with meaning: Fellows often ‘chip in’ on larger projects as well as handle administrative tasks (especially at the beginning of their term or while they are learning the organization), but their role is also to learn and grow their own skills. Center for Civic Learning & Action (CCLA) staff are always happy to discuss potential roles and projects.
- Adhere to Dickinson College requirements for student employees (see the Resources section for the hosting agreement) and communicate with CCLA staff as needed (including approving work hours every other week).
Ready to host a Fellow? Contact Laura Megivern, CCLA’s Director of Community Engagement, to discuss opportunities.
Academic & Program Calendar
Typically, students do not work during college breaks – either during the semester (e.g., Spring Break) or between semesters. Some limited permission may be granted for in-person work during breaks; Fellows should contact Laura if this is requested. Students also do not generally work during exam periods. The academic calendar is available here.
- For continuing Fellows, they may begin work as soon as classes start, provided all hire paperwork is complete.
- For new Fellows, see the downloadable Recruitment Schedule under Forms and Other Resources, below.
A typical four-semester program calendar is below:
- Semester One (Fall)
- Recruitment: partners review student applications and conduct scheduled interviews. Once selected, Fellows work with host site supervisors to determine a work schedule and begin work.
- Semester Two (Spring)
- Site Visits: CCLA program staff conduct a visit a few weeks into the new semester (typically in February) to discuss project status, troubleshoot issues, and generally check in with students and supervisors.
- Semester Three (Fall)
- Return to work: Students typically contact their organization supervisors either the week before classes begin or the first week of classes and begin work during the first or second week of classes.
- Semester Four (Spring)
- Site Visits: CCLA program staff conduct a visit a few weeks into the new semester (typically in February) to discuss project status, troubleshoot issues, and generally check in with students and supervisors. This is also an opportunity to discuss the potential of extending the internship placement to a third or fourth year. Internship extensions beyond four semesters are contingent upon student and organization availability as well as program budgets.
Forms & Other Resources
- Community Partner Recruitment Schedule for Fall 2023
- Community Engagement Fellow Request Form (Position Proposal)
- Work study agreement template (student employment hosting agreement)
- Community Partner Recruitment Schedule for Spring 2023