The Community-Engaged Learning Scholarly Fellowship, co-sponsored by Center for Public Service (CPS) and the Provost’s Office, is a year-long program that provides resources and support for faculty and members of the academic division to design a new course or modify an existing course to include a community-engaged learning component. The application is open to faculty and academic division members who would like to deepen their knowledge of community-engaged scholarship, develop a community-engaged course, or explore a community-engaged research opportunity. Applicants are welcome to apply even if they have participated in a previous iteration of the scholarly or faculty fellows program.
The aim of the Scholarly Fellows Program is to expand, deepen, and institutionalize community-engaged learning (CEL) at Gettysburg College. CEL is a pedagogical model that connects classroom-based work with meaningful community involvement and reciprocal exchange. Within the context of equitable partnership, community organizations and students mutually benefit from the CEL experience both by meeting course objectives and addressing community-identified goals.
For more information on CEL at Gettysburg College please reference the Faculty Toolkit for Community-Engaged Learning or visit the faculty information page.
CEL Scholarly Fellowship Eligibility
The Community-Engaged Learning and Research Committee is seeking applications from any member of the faculty or academic division interested in designing or revising an existing course to include CELR to be offered in the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, or 2028-2029 academic years. Applicants must commit to fully integrating CELR into the proposed course, participate in an on-campus orientation August 12-14, 2026 (Wednesday to Firday), and attend regularly scheduled sessions throughout the academic year (2026-2027).
Benefits for Scholarly Fellows
Professional development: Fellows participate in an Opening Institute and meetings that will provide a dedicated process and structure to develop syllabi, assignments, and other tools needed to successfully implement a community-engaged learning course.
Membership in professional learning community: Exchange ideas and intellectual support with a cohort of 4-6 other Fellows and mentors throughout the academic year.
Resources: Each Scholarly Fellow receives a $750 stipend and can apply for additional funding through the Center for Public Service to be used for implementation of their CEL course.
Key Content Areas of Learning
Pedagogy and Principles of CEL
Models of Engagement for CEL
Key Elements to a Successful Community Partnership
Essential Components of a CEL Syllabus
Preparing Students
Approaches to Reflection
Assessment of Learning
Scholarship of Engagement
Timeline
April 24, 2026: Fellow applications due
August 12-14, 2026: On-campus CELR Institute
September-May: Monthly meetings including workshopping syllabi, assessments, and learning goals (scheduled with mutual agreement of all fellows)
Application
Please type your answers to the following questions and submit your application to Christopher Rick (crick@gettysburg.edu) and Jeff Rioux (jrioux@gettysburg.edu) by April 24, 2026.
- Name
- Department or Academic Unit
- Narrative Description of new CEL course or course to be modified, and which semester/year you intend to implement the course
- Please describe how you envision integrating CEL into your plans for this course.
- If the course will be offered in AY 2025-2026, do you have approval from your department to develop and/or revise and implement this course? If you hope to offer this course in AY 2026-2027 or later, have you consulted with your department on your ability to offer or modify the course?
- Do you have prior experience with CEL in the classroom?
- What barriers to using CEL in the classroom have you faced in the past and/or what challenges do you foresee in being able to implement CEL?
- Is there a particular aspect of CEL that you are interested in learning about that is NOT listed in the "Key Content Areas of Learning" above?
- Are you able to commit to participating in the Opening Institute in August 2025 and regular sessions throughout the 2025-2026 academic year?