Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship Program
Launched in fall 2022, the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship is a unique program designed to equip students with the leadership skills needed for social change and to ignite a passion for lifelong service.
The program provides students with academic training and experiential learning opportunities that synergize to cumulatively build toward developing the capacity for community-based leadership.
Throughout the five blocks of the program, students will have the opportunity to examine models of community development, social justice and activism, power structures and systems and ethical considerations of engagement. Additionally, students will develop the ability to demonstrate cultural humility, engage in social perspective taking, build consensus within groups and evaluate potential courses of action to address challenges that impact their communities.
Benefits of the Fellowship
- Exclusive membership in a cohort and access to unique courses that prepare students for community leadership
- A one-time $3,000 Community Engaged Learning Grant to support their participation in the community
- Connection to professional development workshops and events that explore community engagement through a variety of lenses, including local, policy, global, research and technology
- Opportunities to build a network by interacting with leadership who have turned their passion for community engagement into meaningful careers
- Certificate of recognition upon completion of the fellowship
Sequence of Courses
The academic coursework for the fellowship is still in the process of development and students in the inaugural cohort will provide essential feedback that helps shape the program. The sequence of courses potentially may be as follows:
- Fall: 66-148 Intro to Community Engagement (3 units)
- Spring: 66-216 Connecting with the Pittsburgh Community (6 units)
- Summer: Experiential Learning Activity connecting with the community (in consultation with the director of experiential learning)
- Fall: Community Action Seminar
- Spring: Community Capstone Project