Scholar Activist Fellowships

The Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation (MISJT) Scholar Activist Fellowship

 A scholar activist program, funded through the Anne and Albert Mansfield Scholarship fund, gives our students an opportunity to utilize research skills for the benefit of our participating community-based partners whose work relates to disrupting the cradle to prison pipelie. Students will work closely with a faculty mentor to ensure high quality research and writing for our partners. Simultaneously, our students will gain activist research experience while earning course credit. MISJT is offering a limited number of tuition-based scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students at Roosevelt University who are interested in working with organizations on research related projects that will help them achieve their goals related to dismantling the cradle to prison pipeline. 

Learn research skills.  Earn three credits (paid for by the Mansfield Institute).  Work one-on-one with faculty.   Gain firsthand experience in community-based organizations.   Develop your resume.  Gain the experience you need toward a meaningful career.

It is our goal that this fellowship will give students a space to:

• Work to end the struggle against our unfair educational system and prison pipeline.
• Utilize and develop valuable and marketable research skills.
• Give students experience working with community-based organizations.
•  Incorporate social justice into any major.
• Provide students with an opportunity to develop original data for their own further scholarship (e.g., Sr. Thesis, MA paper, dissertation).
• Develop an awareness of the importance of research to political advocacy.

The research and data that Fellows collect will help our community partners on a number of levels, such as: 

• obtain grants and necessary funding that will allow these programs to continue 
•  use data for learning and accountability
•  validate their work in the community 
•  provide information on practices and enhancement of services
•  identify the most effective strategies to improve outcomes for youth and/or adults who are at risk of being channeled to prison verses college or productive adulthood

Students, please note, previous experience is not required, although some coursework in research methods is preferred. We also require passion and a vision for social justice.

• Expectations for the fellowship:
• Coverage of three credits of free tuition will begin in the Spring Semester 2012 with an option to renew the following semester.
• Commitment, a minimum of 8-10 hours per week
• Regular project updates and communication with your Community Partner and your Pipeline faculty advisor.
• Must maintain, within the student’s major , a GPA of 3.0.
• Write and present a final paper – (student will work with faculty-advisor).  

For more information, please contact Dr. Stephanie Farmer at sfarmer@roosevelt.edu or the Mansfield Instutute atL 312-341-2150.