Community-Based Research Fellowship Program, Haas Center
Work with faculty to conduct research that addresses community-identified needs.
The Community-Based Research Fellowship supports teams of faculty, students, and community partners in conducting research that addresses community-identified needs.
Community-based research (CBR) is defined as a “partnership of students, faculty, and community members who collaboratively engage in research with the purpose of solving a pressing community problem or effecting social change” (Community-Based Research and Higher Education, Strand et al., 2004, p.3). CBR is a method of conducting academic research that 1) relies on cooperation and communication between all research partners; 2) validates multiple sources of knowledge; 3) promotes the use of multiple methods of discovery; 4) pursues diverse means for disseminating research findings; 5) addresses the importance of power, privilege, and positionality in research practice; and 6) purposefully promotes social action in service of a more just and sustainable world. In the ideal CBR project, academic scholars work in collaboration with community partners at every stage of the research process.
[NOTE: The Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE) also offers summer community-based research opportunities, which can be found here].
Applications for the Haas CBR Fellowship must be submitted by an undergraduate student, either to (1) support a collaborative project they have designed or (2) express their interest in joining a pre-identified, faculty-sponsored project. For those students proposing their own collaborations, community partners and faculty should be actively consulted and included in the research design process.
Students who are awarded fellowships are required to enroll in the spring course URBANST123B (CSRE146B): Approaching Research in the Community – Design and Methods.
The CBRFP has three primary goals:
- Provide resources for community-based research teams that comprise undergraduate students, faculty, and community partners, to address community-identified needs.
- Deepen the connection between faculty and undergraduate students engaged in community-based research.
- Create a support network for undergraduate students that facilitates their research, develops their research skills, and connects them with similarly motivated peers.
Student fellows are eligible for $7,500–$9,000 depending on financial need and location-based factors. Fellows are required to engage in at least 10 weeks of full-time research (35+ hours per week) during the summer quarter.
The fellowship is jointly funded by the Haas Center for Public Service and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE).
Students may apply for the fellowship by EITHER (1) proposing their own community-based research project ["student-initiated project" ] OR (2) selecting one or more faculty-sponsored CBR projects in which they would be interested to participate during the fellowship ["faculty-sponsored projects"]
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To apply for a STUDENT INITIATED CBR PROJECT:
- Complete the application in SOLO by presenting a well-defined research project that warrants a community-based research approach
- Provide a demonstration of support from a community partner(s) in the form of a letter or email indicating their interest in the partnership and how the research meets their needs. Letters may be addressed directly to clayton.hurd@stanford.edu. If you are having trouble securing a partnership, please also contact clayton.hurd@stanford.edu for support.
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To apply for a FACULTY-SPONSORED CBR PROJECT:
- Complete the application in SOLO, indicating your interest in one or more pre-determined, faculty-sponsored CBR projects. Project descriptions can be found here.
REQUIREMENTS
Spring Quarter
Students awarded a fellowship are required to enroll in the spring quarter course, URBANST123B/CSRE146B: Approaching Research in the Community - Design and Methods to help prepare them for their community-based field experiences. The Haas Center will also host two luncheon meetings with all community-based research teams. These meetings allow student, faculty, and community partner research team members to interact with one another, learn more about the program’s curriculum, structure, and expectations, and clarify the finer points of their CBR projects.
Summer Quarter
Students who participate in the CBRFP communicate monthly with the program administrator and student fellows to share their research progress and discuss readings that promote intellectual development and demonstrate connections between research and positive social change. Specific topics include the principles and practices of community-based research, methods for forging campus-community partnerships, and the ethical dimensions of data ownership and dissemination.
Autumn Quarter
Students present their research and field questions during a community-engaged scholarship symposium in the autumn quarter. Faculty mentors and community partners are invited to the presentations as well.
The CBRFP encourages students to present at SURPS, apply for research grants and fellowships through the Haas Center and VPUE, build upon their community-based research fellowship experience with coursework that further develops their research skills, and undertake capstone or honor thesis projects that are community-engaged. Students are also invited to visit future URBANST123/CSRE146 classes to share their success stories and challenges.
Eligibility
- Availability: This is a full-time summer research opportunity for Summer Quarter 2023. You will also be required to take a spring quarter course, and present at a fall quarter research symposium.
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Time Commitment:
- Full-time is defined as 35+ hours per week in 10 consecutive weeks; I.e., it is the student's primary activity that quarter.
- Student athletes should confirm the impact of any awarded stipend on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to committing to a research project.
- Full-time VPUE Faculty/Department Grant student recipients are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise), unless their faculty mentors or program mentors have approved these arrangements.
- As a reminder, VPUE grant recipients who are planning on concurrently participating in another Stanford program should also abide by the funding and program policies of the sponsoring unit.
- Undergraduate Fellowships program participants are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise), including but not limited to another Cardinal Quarter opportunity (such as the Global Studies Internship Program), an Undergraduate Research Major Grant, a Chappell Lougee Scholarship, a Beagle II Award, and a full-time departmental or faculty-grant supported research position. These opportunities require significant time commitments, and are each intended to support full-time efforts.
- Program participants may work in an additional internship, job, or volunteer position for no more than five hours per week.
Enrollment & Academic Standing
- Co-terms, who have not conferred their undergraduate degree, must be paying undergraduate (not graduate) tuition.
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Students may not receive both academic units and a stipend for any single project activity.
Students may not be serving a suspension. - Students may not be on a Leave of Absence (LOA) while using grant funding. LOA Students may apply for funding only if they will return from leave and meet all other eligibility requirements by the beginning of the funded project.
- VPUE does not use a GPA requirement for student eligibility, nor does VPUE encourage the use of GPA as a criterion for inclusion in a research opportunity.
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Fundamental Standard
- Students who fail to abide by the policies as set forth by Undergraduate Research, their funding department or faculty, The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and Stanford University will have low priority for future Undergraduate Research funding opportunities.
- Undergraduate Research reserves the right to rescind funding at any given point and time should they be apprised of any policy violations.
- Undergraduate Research reserves the right to rescind funding in the event of unaddressed safety or ethics concerns.Funds may not be used to directly support honors thesis research. Honors students should seek funding through UAR’s Student Grants Program.
The Community-Based Research Fellowship is jointly supported by both VPUE and the Cardinal Quarter Program. As such, the Community-Based Research Fellowship adheres to all policies and eligibility requirements outlined by VPUE and Cardinal Quarter:
• VPUE's Eligibility Requirements for All Applicants
• Information on stipends and grants
• Cardinal Quarter's full policies and eligibility requirements
