Public Fellows Program

THI Public Fellowships create opportunities for Humanities students to contribute to research, programming, communications, and other activities at non-profit organizations, companies, and cultural institutions.

This is more than an internship opportunity. Through public fellowships, students foster meaningful relationships between the campus and the broader community, recognize the breadth of their expertise, and learn how the skills they have developed in their university programs can be employed in different positions. For students interested in exploring non-academic career paths, this kind of experience is essential. Fellows develop an understanding of how their knowledge might be deployed for historical work, curatorial projects, or policy-driven pursuits and develop experience that can lead to meaningful and long-lasting careers.

The students and the organizations they work with reflect the diversity of UCSC Humanities research and the deep commitment of our students to connect their scholarly pursuits with the public. Past fellows have worked around the world, employing their skills and knowledge at organizations as diverse as The Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities in Oslo, Norway, the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, the Japanese American Museum in San Jose, and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.

THI offers two types of public fellowships:

Graduate Summer Public Fellowships 
Undergraduate Public Fellowships 

THI’s Undergraduate Public Fellowships are generously supported by the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. The annual THI Undergraduate Public Fellowship with The American Prospect is possible thanks to the generosity of Michael Stern, TAP Board Member and UC Santa Cruz volunteer.

Questions? Please contact Saskia Nauenberg Dunkell, Research Programs and Communications Manager, THI at saskia@ucsc.edu.