Applications Now Open for 4th Cohort of John Smartt Summer Scholars!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Natalie Passov | natalie.passov@gse.rutgers.edu | 848-932-0728
New Brunswick, N.J., January 30, 2023 – The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to open applications for the John Smartt Summer Scholars Program! We are delighted to host the program once again and support master’s students who are interested in gaining professional experience, networking with scholars, and learning essential research skills related to equity and leadership in higher education. Applications will officially close on March 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.
The John Smartt Summers Scholars program, named in honor of CMSI longtime supporter and philanthropist John Smartt, seeks to recruit ambitious individuals who demonstrate an interest in learning more about Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and exemplify self-determination. This program will be held in person at Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Interns will work on-campus alongside CMSI’s professional and research staff where they will have access to faculty mentoring and practical research skills, including opportunities to develop and publish their scholarship.
“Each year, we specifically tailor our programs to equip future researchers and scholars with the necessary skills that they need to succeed in the growing field of higher education,” said Marybeth Gasman, Executive Director of the Rutgers Center of Minority Serving Institutions, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair, and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University. “We recognize the importance of empowering students’ voices while refining their abilities so that they can produce high quality research that has an impact on the field.”
Interns will receive generous benefits such as the opportunity to produce and publish research, and the chance to gain administrative experience. Scholars will also have on-campus housing at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, a $1,500 stipend, and faculty mentoring.
“It was an honor to be a John Smartt Summer Scholar. I had the opportunity to deepen my research passions around serving Indigenous Peoples and communities at Minority Serving Institutions,” emphasized Alicia Nani Reyes, Ph.D Student at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and 2022 John Smartt Summer Scholar. “With the help of the amazing faculty and staff at the CMSI, I got to immerse myself in the field and strengthen my skills as a scholar.”
In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants must be a master’s student and be available to work 20 hours/week during the six-week session of the internship. They must also be seeking administrative experience and should have an interest in conducting research related to MSIs. Future updates about the John Smartt Summer Scholars Program will be announced on https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/jsss-program.
“Being selected as a JSSS Intern gave me the extra confidence I needed to advocate for the things I cared about most, such as education, community, and personal development for identities that needed it most,” noted Alexis Weatherspoon, 2022 John Smartt Summer Scholar and recent graduate from University of California Riverside with a master’s in education. “Being amongst like-minded scholars and changemakers helped clarify my ideas, identify the demand, and allowed me to begin thinking about the spaces I could be in to make change happen."
Apply to the John Smartt Summer Scholars Program now!
About the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) brings together researchers and practitioners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. CMSI’s goals include: elevating the educational contributions of MSIs; ensuring that they are a part of national conversations; bringing awareness to the vital role MSIs play in the nation’s economic development; increasing the rigorous scholarship of MSIs; connecting MSIs’ academic and administrative leadership to promote reform initiatives; and strengthening efforts to close educational achievement gaps among disadvantaged communities. The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions is part of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity and Justice (Proctor Institute) at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. For further information about CMSI, please visit http://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/.
