Richard and Nancy Fenno Summer Fellowships

Call for Applications—Summer 2024

The Richard and Nancy Fenno Summer Fellowships are designed to support and encourage Rochester undergraduates to engage in activities that will stimulate their personal and intellectual growth and which will make them even more valuable members of the university community upon their return to campus. Specifically, a summer stipend of $3,500 will be offered for students engaging in activities broadly related to politics and policy. Such activities could include working in any of the government branches in Washington, D.C., in state or local governments, or, in some cases, in analogous international positions. (International support is possible, but preference is given to students pursuing experiences in the United States, whether at the federal, state, or local levels.) They could also include involvement in policy-related interest groups, not-for-profits, or think tanks. As the program is intended to move students away from campus, proposals for students to be involved in the Rochester metropolitan area will not be considered.

Students can be candidates for a Fenno Fellowship after their sophomore or junior years. Graduating seniors are not eligible. (First-year students are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to students who have completed their sophomore or junior years.) Preference will be given to students with in-person internships. If the internship is part-time, be sure to specify in the application how many hours each week the internship will take—and how many weeks the internship will run. Preference will also be given to students who have not received a Fenno Fellowship in the past, though prior winners may reapply. Because the Fenno Fellowships are meant to assist students with unpaid internships, students who receive stipends or any other support must document those funds as part of their application; students cannot, for example, receive support in the same summer from the Greene Center Summer Internship Funding and from the Fenno Fellowships. Students with support of less than $3,500 from other sources are encouraged to apply for Fenno Fellowships to cover the difference between their existing support and $3,500.

Students will be judged both on their overall performance as students at the University of Rochester as well as the likelihood that their proposed activities will represent an important growth experience. Students will be expected to write a short report at the end of the summer reflecting on their experiences and to be available to share their thoughts with others during the course of the next academic year (e.g., to inform prospective Fellows what to expect). No course credit will be given for students accepting fellowship support.

Applicants are requested to write a one-page proposal about what they would like to do in the summer of 2024 and how this relates to the goals of the Fenno Fellowship. In addition, they should provide a resume, a transcript, and the names and contact information of two faculty members who agree to serve as references (though no written letters of reference are required). Applications are due March 31, and students will be notified soon thereafter. Applications should be submitted in electronic form to both Professor Gerald Gamm and Professor Lawrence Rothenberg (with the subject line "Fenno Summer Fellowship"). If you do not receive email confirmation that your application has been received, be certain to follow up with Professor Gamm or Professor Rothenberg.