Fellowships for Humanists
LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education is proud to launch a new opportunity for leaders with backgrounds in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Five fellowships will be awarded in 2025 for leaders to attend the Leadership Institute, October 14-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Leadership Fellows will be matched with members of the organization who are senior leaders for one-on-one mentoring, and will be provided with financial support to attend the Institute. Financial support includes a stipend of $1250 and up to $1000 in travel funds.
Since 2015, the Leadership Institute has been an opportunity for rising leaders to learn with and from out LGBTQ college presidents and chancellors. It has grown into an annual two-day conference with three main learning goals: 1) building self-knowledge of leadership, with attention to the ways identities influence choices and approaches to leadership; 2) building contextual knowledge of leadership, with attention paid to current challenges in higher education and the LGBTQ community; and 3) career development, with opportunities for participants to network, meet with mentors, and plan their career paths. Over 150 people participated in the 2024 Leadership Institute.
When asked to comment on the most valuable aspect of the Institute, one participant wrote,
“The opportunity to connect, speak with, and network with other leaders. There is no other space like this [where] I can talk with other people like me. And to know we all support each other is amazing.”
Mentoring has been an important offering since the first Leadership Institute. Mentoring can provide social and psychological support, skills development and professional progress, and short-term and long-term career advancement and success. The Fellowship provides an opportunity for a longer-term relationship with a mentor, as fellows will be matched with a mentor in August so they may explore career and professional goals, and prepare to get the most out of the institute.
Application Process
The application process is open now and will remain open through June 3, 2025. Applications will be reviewed based on four criteria: 1) years of employment in higher education, 2) commitment to higher education for continuing employment, 3) benefit of the program to the candidate, and 4) the candidate’s contribution to higher education. Fellows will be matched with mentors who are in executive positions that align with the fellow’s career goals, sector (public/private, four-year/two-year), and previous leadership experience (in advancement, academic affairs, student affairs, etc). Applicants will be notified of acceptance in July 2025.
Priority will be given to humanist applicants from under-resourced institutions or who are not able to use institutional funds to support professional development opportunities similar to those provided by this program. “Under-resourced institutions” is defined as those that provide $1,000 or less in professional development funds annually for their faculty and staff, or who limit funding to a) disciplinary meetings, and/or b) no more than one conference or activity per year. Applicants will be asked to provide evidence of institutional policy or procedures regarding funding limits. Applicants do not need to be a member of the LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education, but membership is encouraged.
Applications will be accepted through June 3, 2025. Apply here.
For questions, please contact Kirby Knipp, Program Coordinator at kknipp@lgbtqpresidents.org.