Thank you for your interest in the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement 2025-2026 Fellows Program.
About the Center
The UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement explores the intersection of expression, engagement and democratic learning and considers what can be done to restore trust in the value of free speech on college campuses and within society at large.
Born at UC Berkeley in the 1960s, the Free Speech Movement changed the way Americans viewed the First Amendment. Today, a renewed wave of activism, controversy and backlash on college campuses is once again forcing institutions of higher education to grapple with questions of open expression and civic engagement.
Continuing UC’s legacy of leading edge influence, the Center seeks to help move this conversation from soundbites to thoughtful dialogue. Through research, advocacy, and discussion, the Center is dedicated to ensuring that all higher education stakeholders are prepared to understand, defend, and advance these values.
About the Fellowship
Each year, the Center selects fellows from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds such as law, journalism, higher education, social science, technology and government.
The Center welcomes candidates from all backgrounds to apply, and invites a wide range of innovative projects. As part of the University of California, the Center is committed to promoting diversity and equal opportunity in its education, services and administration, as well as research and creative activity. We are focused on projects that address current issues affecting students, staff, administrators and faculty and will have a direct impact on individuals and communities across campuses. Work products can take many forms such as (but not limited to) qualitative/quantitative research, curricular modules, toolkits or training programs/pilots. To learn about what our current class of fellows are working on, click here. For more information about the work of previous fellows, click here.
As a Center fellow, you will be welcomed into a community of practitioners, students, educators and scholars who share the common purpose of advancing the mission of the Center. Incoming fellows are connected with former fellows and become part of a larger UC-wide and national network of higher education stakeholders, advocates and policymakers.
The one-year fellowship will run from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
This year we are particularly interested in the following issues:
- How best to safeguard academic freedom in response to the national and global climate including legislative assaults and other threats to the creation and transmission of knowledge;
- Exploring the interaction between anti-discrimination laws and expression on campus;
- Navigating values-based polarization and political partisanship in higher education;
- The role of AI and/or social media in the future of free speech and civic engagement in higher education;
- Higher education’s role in supporting democracy and democratic learning;
- Strategies for engaging students, faculty, and staff in democratic governance and policy making at the institutional, local, and national level;
- The relationship between civic engagement and anti-authoritarianism;
- The intersection of climate and expression on campus, including the impact of national and international events;
- The role of civic engagement and service-learning work in restoring public trust in higher education.
We also welcome additional themes, topics and activities that fit within the Center’s mission.
This is not a residential fellowship. Selected fellowships will be awarded $20,000 to support their work, and up to $5,000 in research funds will be available as needed.
Fellows are expected to participate in monthly meetings (virtual) and a two-day colloquia at or near a UC campus or at the UC Center in Washington, D.C.. Travel and accommodations will be covered by the Center.
Involvement and interaction with the UC community is critical to the Center’s mission. Over the course of the program, fellows will be provided access to resources and connections throughout the 10-campus UC system as befits their research.
Applications are due by Friday, March 21, 2025 at midnight. If you have questions, please feel free to contact freespeechcenter@uci.edu.
Welcome to the 2025-2026 Senior Fellows Program Application
This program is open to current and former Center Fellows who would like to build on the work done during their fellowship year.
About the Senior Fellowship
Many fellows have expressed that a year is enough time to complete a project or research, but typically not enough time to see it in action. The senior fellows program offers a chance to do just that. A senior fellow’s work product can take many forms such as (but not limited to) qualitative/quantitative research, curricular modules or training programs/pilots.
In addition to producing “work product” over the course of the year, Senior Fellow(s) will also be responsible for:
Advising Fellows
This includes meeting monthly (virtually, typically for one hour) with current fellows and the Center team to discuss research/project progress as well as consulting with fellows on a one-to-one basis about topics such as: IRB, survey design, tailoring research/project goals and promoting research/findings.
Serving on the Selection Committees for incoming Fellows and Senior Fellows
Selection committee activities typically occur in March for incoming/senior fellows.
Acting as an Ambassador for the Center
Senior fellows are expected to assist in raising the Center’s profile (e.g., promoting the Center’s programming and resources, assisting with recruitment of fellows or representing the Center at an event or conference.)
Senior Fellows will work closely with Center staff on all of the above.
In addition to the responsibilities described above, senior fellows are expected to attend a two-day colloquia on a UC campus or at the UC Center in Washington, D.C.. Travel and accommodation will be covered by the Center.
Involvement and interaction with the UC community is critical to the Center’s mission. Over the course of the program, senior fellows will be provided access to resources and connections throughout the 10-campus UC system as befits their research.
The one-year fellowship will run concurrently with the incoming fellows, from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
This is not a residential fellowship. Selected senior fellows will be awarded $25,000 to support their work, and up to $5,000 in research funds will be available as needed.
Applications are due by Friday, March 21st, 2025 at midnight. If you have questions, please feel free to contact freespeechcenter@uci.edu.