by Claire E. Kervin and Emilio Salvia
Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
At its heart, the goal of any scholarship or fellowship program is to not only enrich the life of the recipient, but ultimately to also promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The benefits these programs provide to the individual are many, from personal and professional development, to providing momentum with which to pursue other opportunities.
Some scholarships, like those offered by the Fulbright Program, focus on cross-cultural exchange in particular, seeking to “turn nations into people.” As a Fulbright alumnus, I can speak to this idea. My experience in Germany facilitated my ability to connect with German language and culture on a deeper level and enabled me to build upon what I had learned in the classroom. I quickly learned the importance of cross-cultural exchange and the value of representing my country abroad. Needless to say, my time in Germany left an indelible mark on my life.
Looking back, I recognize that the primary reason I had the privilege to participate in this program at all was due to the efforts made by my university both to educate students about these unique opportunities and to support them through the application process. In this way, a student’s institution plays a critical role in the process.
In this interview, I speak with Claire E. Kervin, assistant professor of English and director of fellowship advising at Lawrence University. In our discussion, we delve deeper into the benefits these programs provide applicants, and institutions alike, and we discuss ways in which colleges and universities can best support their students in their professional endeavors.
Emilio Salvia: What are some of the challenges that you, and institutions more generally, may face when trying to educate students about fellowship and scholarship opportunities?
Claire E. Kervin, Lawrence University: Recruiting applicants can be a challenge. Lack of awareness is part of that: many people don’t really know what a fellowship is–which is completely understandable, as it’s not a term that’s easy to define. Students are busy and they’re also inundated with information and opportunities; emails often go unread. Making sure people know what I do, and why applying for fellowships is worth considering, is always something I’m working toward.
On the flip side, the things that students do already know–or think they know–about fellowships can also be a challenge. The prestige and name recognition attached to some awards can be barriers. It’s not unusual for me to meet with someone who would make a great candidate and to have them express doubt about whether they’re really smart enough/experienced enough/”fancy” enough to be competitive. Then it’s on me to show them why in fact they do have what it takes to write a terrific application.
Salvia: What challenges present themselves when making sure a student is properly supported and is a competitive candidate?
Kervin: Time is a big enemy. When I ask fellowship alums what advice they’d give to future applicants, they usually say, “Start earlier than you think you need to.” For many applicants, this is the first time they’ve revised their writing repeatedly, and it’s often more time-consuming than they expect. And of course, fellowship applications are always competing with other important things — schoolwork, jobs, family responsibilities, and so on.
If I first meet an applicant close to a deadline, that may limit our options. For instance, if someone really wants to teach English abroad, but they don’t have teaching, tutoring, or mentoring-type experiences, they won’t have time to address this resume gap if the application is due in just a few weeks. So, the ideal process is to build up a “pipeline” for developing fellowships candidates over multiple years of college. My aim is to work with partners on campus including the registrar, career center, faculty, the diversity center, and the study abroad office to identify sophomores who might be a good fit for fellowships advising and reach out to them. If they’re interested in working with me, I check in with them regularly, helping them define their goals and build their expertise so they’ll be more prepared not only for fellowship deadline(s) down the road, but for career and life in general.
Salvia: What are some of the major institutional advantages to students winning scholarships? There is prestige of course, but what else?
Kervin: Of course, when applicants win prestigious awards, it’s extremely exciting for them and for the institution. But, at its heart, fellowships advising is a developmental endeavor. At the beginning of any application cycle, I encourage applicants to reflect upon what they hope to get out of the process, whether or not they are granted a fellowship. Do they want to improve their writing skills? Do they want to better define their career aspirations? Applying to a fellowship requires one to be introspective and reflect on one’s values, beliefs, and goals. Synthesizing one’s past, present, and future into one narrative can be formative. Working through this can be “some existential stuff,” as one applicant put it to me recently!
Salvia: Sometimes there is controversy over the origins and founders of scholarship and fellowship programs, like The Fulbright Scholar Program. The University of Arkansas states “How we view past leaders is an important topic and many colleges and communities are grappling with what’s right while working to understand the complete history of those involved and what we can learn from the process.” What are your thoughts as a fellowship advisor?
Kervin: I think it’s important for foundations and scholarship programs to acknowledge any controversial aspects of their past and to be transparent about how they’re working to carry out the positive dimension of a founder’s legacy while rejecting and redressing the negative aspects. Obviously, this is difficult, and it should involve ongoing work, not just releasing a single statement. Programs have taken different actions, including altering fellowship criteria to be more equitable or re-naming awards. I imagine we’ll continue to see that happening. By way of example, what was once called “The Woodrow Wilson Foundation” has recently been renamed “The Institute for Citizens and Scholars” based on the Board’s conclusion that “the racist policies and beliefs of Woodrow Wilson are fundamentally incompatible with the Foundation’s values and work.”
I want the fellowship applicants with whom I work to be aware of relevant controversies, reflect on them, and be able to comment authentically. For instance, when preparing a Rhodes candidate for an interview, I will ask a practice question about the controversy related to that award and whether they think the Rhodes statue at Oriel College should be taken down. If an applicant feels they have to censor themselves or compromise their beliefs during an application process, the fellowship is not a good fit for them.
Of course, these kinds of complex judgments aren’t unique to fellowships. There are many instances where we might be critical of an institution and yet also participate in it. The key is to do so in a clear-eyed way and contribute to positive change.
Salvia: For institutions that do not have a major fellowship advisor, and are not experienced in this domain, what are some steps that institutions can take to make a change and better support students?
Kervin: Even without a dedicated fellowships office, an institution can find ways to support fellowship applicants. For instance, an interested faculty member might be offered course releases to allow them to take on fellowships advising. Since supporting applicants’ writing is such a key aspect of the job, English and composition are potential targets to find interested individuals. My own position is a half-faculty, half-administrative role, with my responsibilities meted out to reflect the seasonal nature of the work: in the fall, when so many fellowships deadlines occur, I teach less or not at all. Some institutions conceive of fellowships responsibilities as service responsibilities assigned to different faculty members based on their discipline: the Udall might be handled by a biology professor, the Truman by someone in government, and so on.
Alternatively, fellowships might become important work within a staff position, perhaps in the career center. Of course, there are pros and cons to any of these options, and different things will work at different institutions.
Regardless of the specific way forward, what’s critical is for university administration to recognize the benefit of supporting fellowships applicants. While it’s true that when you look at who wins “Big Name” fellowships, some institutions pop up again and again, it is also true that there are a lot of different fellowships out there, and many of them make awards across a wide range of institution types. Learn and lean on your institution’s particular strengths. If your institution sends a lot of students abroad, for example, your school might really emphasize the Gilman, Cultural Vistas, Fulbright, and other fellowships that are a good fit for internationally-minded students.
Salvia: Being a fellowship and scholarship advisor, what are some of the biggest challenges you face? How do you keep up with all of the programs out there and remain knowledgeable?
Kervin: The isolation of being an office of one (really, one-half, since I also teach) is a challenge when it comes to learning the job and finding camaraderie. Luckily, membership in NAFA (The National Association of Fellowships Advisors) has helped with this issue by connecting me with professional peers at other institutions who have been really generous in sharing their knowledge. The NAFA listserv is an amazing resource. When I pose a question there, I know I will receive thoughtful answers from experienced advisors. Foundation representatives from many fellowship programs also read the listserv emails and will chime in.
Undoubtedly, the sheer number of fellowships out there can be intimidating. My first week on the job, I received excellent advice from Dr. Jay Shivamoggi during a NAFA Conference session; she said, “If you’re new to this, pick only a few fellowships to really focus on at first. You will be tempted to do more, but don’t do it. You can add more over time.” While, as a perfectionist by nature, it can be tough for me to remember, it really is ok not to do everything. Especially not at first!
Salvia: What is the most fulfilling aspect of your role in higher education?
Kervin: In both my teaching and advising roles, the most fulfilling aspect is the relationships I get to build with young people who are deeply passionate about their interests. They’re always teaching me new things. Working with Fulbright applicants this year, I got to hear about everything from service-dog training in Russia to bilingual education in Spain to neurodiversity research in the U.K. The days when I get to teach and learn are the best days. I am fortunate to have a lot of them.
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