Urban Community Engagement Fellows Program
Recruiting for 2026-2027 Academic Year is Now Open
Deadline for applications: April 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
Fellowship offers are announced by 5:00 p.m. on May 22, 2026
We are pleased to announce the call for applications for the Urban Community Engagement Fellows (UCEF) Program, a joint initiative between Michigan State University’s Graduate School and the Office of University Outreach and Engagement.
The UCEF Program is designed to support a multidisciplinary team of graduate students who will launch and sustain community-driven initiatives and projects in Southwest Lansing.
We invite applications from individuals whose work demonstrates a strong commitment to community engagement and who are eager to collaborate with Southwest Lansing community-based organizations in ways that honor community voices while investing in future generations.
Join an information session to learn more
April 16 or April 23 1:00-2:00 p.m.
https://msu.zoom.us/j/96398175195
Password: 693879
Urban Community Engagement Fellows program meets with South Lansing leaders for a panel on the needs of the community and how MSU can engage.
Program Details
The program provides fellows with dedicated time, resources, and mentorship from faculty and community advisory committees to deepen their engagement with community-based organizations and strengthen collaborative, place-based partnerships. The program emphasizes projects and practices that advance food security, elevate community legacy and storytelling, and foster youth entrepreneurship as pathways toward long term community vitality and economic resilience in Southwest Lansing neighborhoods.
Rooted in principles of asset-based community development, community participatory action research, shared leadership, and reciprocity, the fellowship supports work that responds directly to community identified priorities and centers local knowledge, histories, and lived experience.
Fellows are encouraged to collaborate closely with Southwest Lansing community-based organizations to explore how access to healthy food systems, intergenerational storytelling, and youth led innovation can serve as interconnected strategies for strengthening neighborhoods and cultivating opportunities. Through this program, fellows will join a cohort of practitioners and scholars committed to meaningful civic engagement and collective impact. Fellows will engage in learning sessions, peer exchange, and reflective practice designed to support both individual growth and tangible community benefit.
Previous cohort's initiatives included:
- Grant writing technical assistance for food security initiatives, including hoop house stabilization, education garden renovation, youth organic farming workshops, and community pantry expansion
- Organizing a community health event focusing on food security, healthy living, and youth entrepreneurship
- Producing a community legacy and storytelling film centered on food security
- Providing capacity building, website development, and intergenerational programming
Who Can Apply
This fellowship program is for MSU graduate students with an interest in interdisciplinary team approaches to community engagement in Southwest Lansing. UCEF welcomes applicants from all colleges and programs. Applicants should be enrolled as full-time graduate students, making good progress toward degree completion, and in good academic standing.
Expectations
Fellows in the program are expected to commit 8 hours per week across the fall and spring semesters, including:
- Orientation
- Regular meetings with the program coordinator (3 hours per week)
- Workshops attended as a team/cohort
- Community partner meetings in Southwest Lansing
- Community-identified projects and public-engaged scholarship activities
Fellows are expected to meet in person; this is not a virtual program. Fellows must enroll in both the fall and spring semesters during the 2026-2027 academic year. Fellows will receive $7,500 total for the cohort year. Fellows will be acknowledged at an end-of-year event.
Application
Prospective fellows should complete an online application, which includes:
- A brief application form
- A C.V. or resume
- A 1–2-page statement of interest
- Provide the names and contact information of two professional references. Letters of support are not needed for the application, although UCEF organizers may contact references.
Five to seven applicants will be accepted into the program based on assessment of prospective fellows’ commitment to community engagement, interest in working on an interdisciplinary team, and potential for the UCEF program to contribute to their personal and professional development.
Applications for the UCEF program are due on April 30, 2026. Application reviews, interviews, and offers will be extended by May 22, 2026.
Questions
For further information or questions, please contact:
Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D.
Community Engagement Specialist and Program Director
Center for Community and Economic Development
University Outreach and Engagement
