Application Open for 2019-20 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership Program

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is now accepting applications for the 2019-20 class of Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership. "The purpose of the program is to support, engage and foster committed students who are the urban leaders of the future,” said Penn IUR Co-Director Susan Wachter. The program provides a competitively selected cohort of outstanding Penn undergraduates with the opportunity to engage with and learn from high-level local and regional urban leaders drawn from government, business, and civil society. 

“Our cities need the best and brightest leaders— both in the public and private sectors,” said Penn IUR Co-Director Eugenie Birch. “The Fellows in Urban Leadership program offers undergraduates a unique chance to see and hear what it takes to be an urban leader.”

Fellows meet, engage with, and make lasting connections with high-level urban leaders from the public, private and civil society sectors in Philadelphia and other metropolitan areas, thus providing them with a window into the interplay of these groups in the stewardship of today’s cities and urban communities.

“As a long-time urbanist, I appreciate Penn IUR’s work engaging our faculty and students interested in urban-focused research and practice,” said Provost Wendell Pritchett. “I am excited that this new Undergraduate Fellows program will offer students a unique opportunity to study urban leadership and to learn, first-hand, what it takes to build inclusive and sustainable cities now and in the future.”

The Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership attend monthly meetings from September to May beginning with an orientation session led by the Penn IUR co-directors and members of the Penn IUR Advisory Board. Following the orientation, they participate in seven off-the-record meetings with individual leaders drawn from the public, private and civil society sectors.  At the program’s final meeting, the Fellows share their reflections on the experience. In addition, the Fellows are invited to attend Penn IUR Advisory Board meetings where they receive additional informal mentoring from board members with mutual interests.

Admission is open to rising juniors and seniors from the four undergraduate schools at Penn. Outstanding rising sophomores may also apply. A committee comprised of members of the Penn IUR Advisory Board and the Penn IUR Executive Committee will select the Fellows. The application, due March 1, 2019, calls for demonstrated interest in urban issues exhibited through relevant coursework, internships and/or employment, a short essay, a faculty recommendation, and a transcript. Finalists will be interviewed.  

For additional information, and for application links, please visit the Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership page on the Penn IUR website.