Community Scholars
It’s time to reconnect!
The Community Scholars program provides an opportunity for faculty and post-doctoral fellows to reconnect with our province and spend time face-to-face in the small towns and unique places that make this place unique.
What is the Community Scholars Program?
The Community Scholars Program is an initiative of the Office of the President and administered through the Harris Centre. The program provides up to $10,000 to approximately 10 scholars annually who would like to spend 8-10 weeks in a community in Newfoundland and Labrador and engage with the residents in a range of public engagement activities.
Who Can Take Part?
The program will be open to full-time faculty and post-doctoral fellows. Any community interested in having a Community Scholar can get in touch with us and we can help broker any opportunities.
How to apply:
Applications will be accepted year-round, or until all funds are awarded. There is no particular start or end date for this program.
To apply you simply need to fill out the online form using the Harris Centre’s submissions portal, Survey Apply. Click here to set up an account (or log in, if you’ve applied with us before), and then you will be directed to the application form for this specific project. Please reach out to Ruby if you have any questions or problems using the platform.
Successful applicants of the Community Scholars program will be expected to submit a plan for how they intend to engage with their host community, and how they anticipate the experience will contribute to their research, teaching, and/or engagement. The program is not intended for direct research work specifically; however, any applicant who plans on using their time to contribute to an existing research project must submit their ethics approvals at the time of application.
Why become a Community Scholar?
The goal of the program is to build stronger connections between Memorial researchers and communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. This program provides the opportunity to get out into communities, meet with people, learn and immerse yourself in the surroundings.
Memorial is Newfoundland and Labrador’s university – we have a special obligation to the people of the province – and what better way to live up to that obligation than by providing researchers with an opportunity to connect directly with and contribute to communities throughout the province.
We also know that sometimes, the best ideas can be found in the most unexpected places, and this program allows researchers an opportunity to visit a place that may inspire new research plans and advance current work.
Testimonials
“I think the community scholar award is an incredible opportunity for any Memorial researcher to experience life within Newfoundland and Labrador’s communities and to build relationships that are the very foundation of our institutional obligations to the people of the province.” - Dr. Sylvia Moore, associate professor in the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies
Read about her experience here.
Community Scholars Program FAQ
1. Could this program support graduate students?
No. The program is available to full-time faculty and post-doctoral fellows and researchers.
2. Do the 8-10 weeks have to be spent consecutively in the community?
The preference will be given to applicants who wish to spend 8-10 weeks consecutively in a community. Applications that propose to split the total 8-10 weeks in two or three smaller periods will be considered at the discretion of the evaluation committee.
3. Do I need to spend all of my time in one community?
Preference will be given to the applications which propose a plan of engagement with a single community. However, applications that propose to split the time between a couple of communities within the same region will be considered at the discretion of the evaluation committee.
4. Is this program paid out as a grant, award or a contribution toward an existing salary?
The fund awarded through the Community Scholar Program are paid out as an award.
Still Have Questions?
If you are feeling unsure about whether or not your plan fits the parameters of this program, please reach out to Bojan Furst. We are happy to help guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.