The Program
The University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative is dedicated to Civic Education at home and abroad. The Civic Initiative Intern program will sponsor research and internships for undergraduate and graduate students, and also post-graduate academics with a demonstrated interest in the intersection of democracy and free institutions. We will work with who want to pursue the civic initiative agenda at a local, state, national, or international level.

Fellows Program Goals

• Help make the University a center for the study of Civic Education and Democracy
• Develop the next generation of researchers and leaders
• Provide management and research experience to graduate and undergraduate students
• Provide a venue for the development of original research by graduate and undergraduate students

The Benefits of Being a Civic Initiative Fellow

• Access to Civic Initiative data and programs
• Grants for original research
• Internship and Political Science Credit
• Research and work study stipends
• Annual Recognition Dinner
• Listing on Web Site as a Civic Initiative Fellow
• Invitations to Civic Seminars and Speaker Series special events
• Structured opportunity to present research to the University community

Sample Fellowship Projects Include:

• The development and analysis of a Massachusetts Civic Benchmark Poll
• A study of electoral competition in Connecticut
• The construction of a program for improving the teaching of the US Constitution
• The implementation of a six week seminar on American Politics for Foreign College Professors
• The management of a program to study the ways in which civics are taught in Massachusetts High Schools
• The development of a matching program for multi-disciplinary approach to competition in US Elections

To Become a Civic Initiative Fellow:

• You must be a currently registered UMass graduate or undergraduate student
• Preference is given to students in the Political Science Department
• You must have a demonstrated interest in civic education, electoral politics, democratic theory, or the development of free institutions and democracy.
• Click here for an on line application form

Contributions to the Civic Initiative Fellow Program will:

• Provide a stipend for a Civic Initiative Fellow
• Provide research or travel money for a Civic Initiative Fellow

Current Civic Fellows
Civic Fellows Alumni