Applications for the AY2024-25 Engaged Scholarship Student Advisory Committee are now closed. Applications generally reopen in March.
What’s the purpose of a college education in the 21st century?
How can we bring meaning to every part of college life–including coursework? How do you center passion, or dedication, or ethics, or care into a four-year trajectory that often feels like a set of linear expectations towards career? Or, 2am conversations with your roommate about the meaning of life or the purpose of college in the age of climate disaster. A classmate who turns out to have the same question you do about university responsibilities to local communities. That one group project team that clicks so well you find yourselves spending extra time together to talk about how your research could matter in the real world.
If those are the kinds of conversations you wish you had more often, apply to the Engaged Scholarship Program’s Student Advisory Committee (SAC). Bring people together to ask big questions, create the intellectual community that drew you to Harvard, and gain practical experience around developing workshops and curriculum! SAC members receive a $500 stipend.
The Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship (MPES) combines academics and community engagement through hands-on learning experiences; at the heart of the program is a belief that sustained reflection around what we do, why we do it, and who benefits leads to more meaningful relationships with our communities and ourselves. In 2024-25, the MPES Student Advisory Committee will work together to create intellectual communities outside of the curriculum through reflection-based events and opportunities in the Houses. Students will receive a $500 stipend for their work with the committee during the academic year, as well as funding to support their programming. For more information, see the FAQs below.
Qs? Email engagedscholarship@fas.harvard.edu.
FAQ:
What are the expectations and time commitments for this position?
- Each semester, SAC members will organize and run events for their House and attend four in-person planning meetings with MPES. In addition, SAC members recruit and interview members for the following year (Spring semester), and are invited to attend events or contribute advice to MPES on an ad hoc basis. We expect this will be a commitment of ~15 hours per semester.
Could you give me an example of a “reflection-based event or opportunity”?
- This year, SAC members: ran an end-of-semester reflection workshop focused on understanding how and why coursework becomes “meaningful” (and how to keep the meaning alive for ourselves next semester); created reflection boards in the Houses with rotating prompts for low-stakes, individual reflection; ran informal drop-in reflection sessions to build community; and encouraged final-term seniors to contribute to a “scrapbook” reflection. We’ve also talked about questions that spotlight major issues in the world and their intersection with college life: climate, racial and gender justice, technology and information, the role of the humanities, etc. Our goal is to create a set of questions that will deepen engagement, purpose, and community at Harvard.
I don’t have much experience designing workshops–can I still apply?
- Yes! The SAC planning meetings are spaces for collaborative design; we’ll share materials so you’re never doing this entirely on your own.
My friend and I live in the same Neighborhood and think we could generate interest for multi-House conversations. Would you consider a joint application?
- Yes, please indicate this on your application.
Anything else I should know?
- We’re looking for someone with enthusiasm and follow-through to participate in the SAC for at least one year. We don’t expect you to have done research or be an expert on any of these questions, and our goal is to create a solid support team to help you achieve your vision. In its ideal form, this is something that allows you to ask questions that you’re personally interested in while also fostering community around those questions. To that end, we encourage applicants who are committed to keeping this (relatively low-lift!) leadership opportunity near the top of your priority list during the academic year.