California Sea Grant State Fellowship Program 2011-2012
Call for Host Applications
Program Description
The California Sea Grant State Fellows Program provides a unique educational opportunity for graduate students who are interested in marine resources and the policy decisions affecting those resources in California. Modeled after the highly successful national Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, the State Fellowship Program is designed to provide recent graduates an opportunity to acquire “on the job” experience in the planning and implementation of marine and coastal resource policies and programs in the state of California. The program matches highly motivated and outstanding graduate students (near completion of degree or recently completed) with “hosts” in state and federal agencies in California, and provides hosts with the chance to employ the skills of highly motivated and trained young scientists.
Since the inception of this program in 1987, 62 graduate students have been successfully placed in a variety of state and federal agencies that address California coastal and marine resource issues.
To accommodate the growing interest of agencies willing to host fellows and the expansion of the State Fellows Program, California Sea Grant is providing prospective hosts an opportunity to compete (express interest) and potentially host fellows in the 2011-2012 class by contributing two-thirds of the costs of an award to support a Fellow.
Prospective hosts will provide an educational opportunity to individuals who will provide substantial and professional contributions to the office. The hosts are expected to provide opportunities for involvement in substantive issues that support the fellows’ professional and educational accomplishments and goals. The fellow should be treated equivalently to permanent staff employed in the host office.
For 2011-2012, California Sea Grant plans to select up to nine finalists who will be awarded fellowships. California Sea Grant will agree to work with up to twelve host offices as offerings for fellowship finalists. Final host placement assignments will be determined based on interviews and ranking of preferences by both the finalists and participating host offices. Consequently, placement of a Fellow in each prospective host office is not guaranteed.
Stipend and Expense
Each fellow will receive $38,000 in stipend for the 12-month assignment (~$3,166/month). Additional funds will be made available for health insurance reimbursement ($2,000) and to cover travel for host placement interviews ($1,500). Travel associated with the fellowship assignment will be covered by the host agency. The total cost per fellowship award is $41,500 and hosts are expected to cover two-thirds ($27,666) of the total cost of the award for those host applicants selected as hosts. Hosts can optionally choose to provide up to 75% of the total cost of the fellowship award.
Length of Assignment
The length of the fellowship assignment is 12 months (nonrenewable). The fellowship, for this year’s competition, will begin in the winter (November 2011 to January 2012).
Application
The California Sea Grant State Fellowship program is open for support by state and federal agencies in California with mandates in coastal marine research, policy or management.
A host application will include the following:
- Host location and contact information.
- Fellowship supervisor(s).
- Point of contact for California Sea Grant, prospective fellows, and finalists.
- Position description (not to exceed two pages singled spaced). If selected as a participating host, this description will be made available to prospective fellowship applicants.
Please submit the above information to Shauna Oh at shaunaoh@ucsd.edu by August 4, 2011.
Selection
Host selection will be based on the following criteria:
- The quality of the fellowship opportunity.
- The level of educational benefit for the fellow.
- The host office’s previous experience working with interns, fellows or other mentoring/educational programs.
- The level of financial commitment. Hosts are required to provide at least 66.6% of the entire cost of the 12-month fellowship (including stipend, health insurance reimbursement, and travel costs). Hosts can provide up to 75% of the total cost of the award.
Selected hosts will be guided through the process of interviewing and matching with fellowship finalists. Final host placement assignments will be determined by California Sea Grant and will be based on interviews and ranking of preferences by both the finalists and participating host offices. Consequently, placement of Fellows cannot be guaranteed.
Timeline
August 4: Host applications due
August 8 (approximate): Participating hosts selected and host applicants notified
September 16: Fellows’ applications due
September 19-30 (approximate): CA Sea Grant screening of fellowship applications to select finalists
early October: Finalists’ applications distributed to participating hosts
mid-late October (approximate): Host placement interviews
November–January: Fellowship begins
For further information, contact:
Shauna Oh
Assistant Director
(858) 534-4440
shaunaoh@ucsd.edu
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