Application Open for 2020-21 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership Program

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) is now accepting applications for the 2020-21 class of Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership. 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. 

Fellows meet, engage, and make lasting connections with high-level urban leaders from the public and private sectors in Philadelphia and other metropolitan areas, gaining unique insights 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,” says 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, the Fellows will participate in seven off-the-record meetings with individual leaders drawn from the Penn community, the City of Philadelphia government, and beyond. 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 April 3, 2020, 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.