Harvard University’s Kennedy School Offers Joan Shorenstein Center Fellowship

Harvard University’s Kennedy School Offers Joan Shorenstein Center Fellowship

The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program’s goal is to bring journalists, academics, politicians, and other policymakers to the Shorenstein Center for a semester to work on a project with a clear result and interact with fellow fellows, students, and faculty members as well as the larger Harvard Kennedy School community. Candidates must work in the fields of journalism, politics, or public policy as journalists, academics, or policymakers. A Fellowship provides busy professionals with the time and resources necessary to reflect, research, and write on important media and political topics.

A fellow’s main goal is to research a media/politics issue and publish a report on it. The Shorenstein Center works to provide an atmosphere where fellows may do their best work, with faculty assistance, weekly peer discussion sessions, and access to all of Harvard’s resources, including world-class libraries and top researchers on a wide range of topics. Fellows will participate in regular Center activities throughout the semester, such as social gatherings and thought-provoking media speakers. With friendships and significant professional contacts, fellows depart from the Center.

Who Should Apply?

Professionals in their mid-to-late-career from various relevant professions are encouraged to apply. Journalists from local, national, and international TV, radio, print, and digital media, as well as innovators in media and civic technology, nonfiction writers, political advisors, and policymakers, as well as top academics in disciplines like media research and political science, as well as policy analysts, have all previously been fellows. The Shorenstein Center is dedicated to diversity and actively promotes applications from people of various ages and political ideologies.

Overview Of Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program

The Fellowship Program has been essential to the Shorenstein Center’s objective of investigating the nexus of media, politics, and public policy since the Center’s establishment in 1986. The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program aims to promote discussion among journalists, academics, decision-makers, and students while advancing research in media, politics, and public policy.

The Shorenstein family, the Jessie B. Cox Trust, the Gardner Cowles Trust, and the Goldsmith Fund of the Greenfield Foundation have donated generously to fund this scholarship, which is named in honor of Joan Shorenstein Barone. The A.M. Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence endowment, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other individuals also contributed additional funds for fellowships.

Scholarship Benefits

The stipend for fellows is $40,000 each semester, distributed to them each month throughout their term. The Shorenstein Center does not provide travel, accommodation, or living costs.

A desk in the Shorenstein Center offices, a Harvard email account, and a Harvard ID that grants access to libraries and other resources are all given to fellows. A paid Harvard Kennedy School student research assistant (eligible to work up to 10 hours a week) is another option available to fellows for assistance with their projects.

Scholarship Criteria

The criteria below provide further information on the kinds of experience that contribute to a successful application and fellowship experience.

  • Journalists have at least 10 years of full-time experience as reporters, editors, columnists, producers, media business executives, or other comparable positions in reputable news organizations or as full-time independent contractors (not including work completed as a university student).
  • A politician is a person who has been elected to a high-level federal or state office, as well as high-level political and policy communications specialists like speechwriters and press secretaries—10 years minimum of experience (can be cumulative between elected office and other roles).
  • Scholar: A tenured or tenure-track professor who teaches political science, political communication, journalism, technology studies, sociology, computer science, or another subject area related to the research interests of the Shorenstein Center.
  • A policymaker is a senior cabinet member or a high-ranking elected politician who advises on policy matters.
  • Before their selected semester, applicants should not have participated in any other fellowships during the two years before.
  • Candidates must easily speak, read, write, and listen in English.
  • English language learners must submit their TOEFL or IELTS results.

What Is Expected Of A Fellow?

For one semester (September through December or February through May), applicants must be available to live there full-time. Fellows may sometimes be asked to work at the center for a whole academic year (September through May). The Fellowship is a full-time position, and candidates are expected to dedicate themselves to finishing their major research topic and participating in Center life, including its events and activities.

It is recognized that busy contemporary professionals sometimes have essential commitments, and the center attempts to be understanding and accommodating in these situations. Any candidate, nevertheless, whose schedule won’t allow for a full commitment to a fellowship due to work, family, or travel obligations should think again before applying.

What Will I Be Working On?

A significant determining element in the selection process is the caliber and uniqueness of a candidate’s project proposal. The primary output for a fellow is a research-based project, with ideal candidates concentrating on the intersection of at least two of these fields with an eye toward politics and public policy solutions. This project should also address a problem related to journalism, media, public interest technology, or decision science. Project subjects should complement the center’s current work while offering a fresh perspective or area of concentration that is not particularly addressed by one of the center’s current programs.

A project might be a white paper, a policy document, an annotated bibliography, a podcast, a video, or anything interactive. Projects should be expected to influence society, and candidates should be able to describe the impact they hope their project will have concisely. However, some fellows have also led a series of workshops with students, with the final product taking the shape of a report or project illuminating the findings of the workshops. Fellows often work alone, with the help of a faculty mentor and research assistant.

The fellows’ work is posted on the website of the Shorenstein Center, and many of them have been cross-posted, excerpted, or used as the foundation for lengthier books in several prestigious academic publications and other sites.

Life As A Shorenstein Center Fellow

The following activities, in addition to their core research assignment, are required of fellows during the semester:

  • Minimum of one public speaking event and one student-facing event (workshop, roundtable discussion, etc.) per semester
  • Bi-monthly articles/interviews/expert opinion pieces for the Shorenstein Center site or one of the Center’s program sites (The Journalist’s Resource, etc.)
  • One video interview/profile for the Center’s website
  • Periodic student office hours (1-2 hours per month)
  • Regular meetings with fellowship cohort and faculty mentors
  • Final internal report of activities and output.

Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics, the Richard S. Salant Lecture on Freedom of the Press, and the renowned Goldsmith Awards, which present prizes for the best investigative reporting of the year and a career award for excellence in journalism, are just a few of the high-profile evening events the Center hosts each semester. Attendance is suggested for fellows.

The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, located further on campus, regularly hosts speakers from the highest echelons of government for spirited discussion and debate. The Shorenstein Center fellows are often invited to speak at events hosted by The Kennedy School’s various Centers and projects. Additionally, there are hundreds of activities and events on the larger Harvard University calendar every week, including lectures, discussions, exhibits, music, theater, cinema, sports, and much more.

Fellows are given a Harvard ID, which entitles them to subsidized athletic facility membership and admission to exhibits, movies, sporting events, and the performing arts. In their spare time, previous fellows have explored the rich cultural and historical resources of the Boston and New England region. Many fellows who participate in a range of Harvard events accessible to the public bring their partners, wives, or families along with them for the semester. We are unable to provide Harvard IDs to partners or family members.

How To Apply

To apply for the Harvard University’s Kennedy School Joan Shorenstein center fellowship, follow this link http://plopandrei.com/joan-shorenstein-fellowship-program-2022-2023-at-harvard-kennedy-school

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester (September – December): March 15

Spring Semester (February – May): September 7

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Shorenstein Fellow?

The Fellowship is intended to give journalists, academics, decision-makers in politics, and policymakers a chance to reflect. A Fellowship provides busy professionals with the time and resources necessary to reflect, research, and write about important media and political topics.

Is A PhD At Harvard Free

For a minimum of five years, Harvard promises to cover all costs associated with a PhD student’s education, including tuition, health insurance, and essential living expenses.

Is A Stipend The Same As A Fellowship?

Unless a fellowship is for compulsory tuition and fees for a degree program, stipends are often paid to the individual without tax withholdings by the university. They are considered reportable gross income to the recipient (qualified payment).

Are Fellowships Worth It?

Fellowships are beneficial to all parties involved and look excellent on resumes. Fellows learn under the direction and supervision of an accomplished professor and gain significant exposure and experience. They have the chance to network with other professionals in the sector and gain fresh viewpoints.

What Is The Difference Between A Fellowship And An Internship?

Instead of emphasizing practical experience, fellowships typically concentrate on professional growth and academic research. An internship is a chance to obtain job experience for a business or organization that often only recruits more experienced workers.

References

  • https://www.scholarshipsads.com/harvard-kennedy-school-usa-joan-shorenstein-fellowships-2023/
  • http://plopandrei.com/joan-shorenstein-fellowship-program-2022-2023-at-harvard-kennedy-school
  • https://www.icirnigeria.org/harvard-universitys-kennedy-school-offers-joan-shorenstein-center-fellowship/
  • https://scholarshiplegend.com/joan-shorenstein-fellowship-program/
  • https://uaf.edu/ogca/resources/tools-trade/Tuesday%20Tips-Fellowships%20vs.%20Internships-031522.pdf

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