ISSOTL Fellows Program: Call for Co-Facilitators
The ISSOTL Board of Directors is now accepting applications for four Co-Facilitators of the ISSOTL Fellows Program. ISSOTL Fellows Co-Facilitators will support the logistical and intellectual work of the two current cohorts of ISSOTL Fellows — the 2019 ISSOTL Fellows and the 2020 ISSOTL Fellows. Each cohort will be assigned two Co-Facilitators.
What is the role of an ISSOTL Fellows Co-Facilitator? ISSOTL has identified two outstanding cohorts of 9 ISSOTL Fellows each; these individuals’ applications described their visions for mentorship, outreach, and international collaboration in their roles as Fellows. To do this work as a cohort, it is important for the Fellows to establish a strong sense of community and to work together as they refine their collective goals for their work. The Co-Facilitators, who are not active ISSOTL Fellows themselves, will help support the Fellows in these efforts by developing a plan for building and establishing community in the cohort, scheduling and facilitating working sessions (both around the ISSOTL21 virtual conference and after), and maintaining the momentum of these efforts. During their time as Co-Facilitators, these individuals will also serve on the ISSOTL Advocacy Committee as the liaisons for the Fellows Program. On the Advocacy Committee, they will work to connect the work of the Fellows with the larger work of the Advocacy Committee and the ISSOTL Board, and to represent the needs of the Fellows in support of their initiatives.
What is the service timeline for an ISSOTL Fellows Co-Facilitator? Following intensive consultation with the ISSOTL Fellows cohorts and relevant committee leaders, ISSOTL has clarified the ISSOTL Fellows Program timeline as having a two year active cycle, such that the first year of an ISSOTL Fellows cohort is focused on community building among the cohort as well as the identification and refinement of plans for the cohort’s projects and initiatives. The second year of the cohort is the expected time for project implementation, assessment, and sharing out of the work completed and insights gained. Below is a table detailing that timeline.
**Note: An ISSOTL Fellow’s appointment is a lifetime recognition by the Society, and it is likely (and, for those who are able, hoped) that the Fellows’ work and collaborations will extend far beyond this two-year cycle. The ISSOTL Fellows Co-Facilitators will only serve for the first two years of the cohort’s active work.
| Timeline for Administrative Components of the Program | |
| March in the fiscal year prior to commencement of cohort activity | Call for Applications |
| May in the fiscal year prior to commencement of cohort activity May and June of the fiscal year prior to commencement of cohort activities | Deadline for Applications Adjudication Process by ISSOTL Recognition Committee |
| July, Year 1 of Cohort | Announcement of ISSOTL Fellows Cohort |
| Timeline for Cohort Activities | |
| July – early October, Year 1 | Orientation period – Cohort and Co-Facilitators start getting to know each other |
| October, Year 1 (Annual ISSOTL Conference) | Commencement of Cohort Activities – Community-building and goal-setting meeting(s), facilitated by Co-Facilitators – Introduction at Newcomers Event – “Office hours” and mentorship opportunities for emerging SoTL scholars |
| Year 1 Year 2 | Ongoing cohort development, information gathering and planning Project implementation and sharing out of work – Additional convenings at annual conference |
| May 15, Year 1 and Year 2 | Annual Report of Fellows Cohort – Generated by Co-Facilitators, to be submitted to ISSOTL Board |
| June 30, Year 2 | End of cohort’s targeted active cycle |
How should I apply to serve as a Co-Facilitator? Please submit a 2-3 page description that speaks to the following:
- Why are you interested in serving as an ISSOTL Fellows Co-Facilitator?
- What are the skills and capacities that you bring to this work, and how will they allow you to support the work of a Fellows cohort in the ways detailed above?
- What is your past experience supporting or facilitating cohort-based activities, and what have you learned from those past experiences that would inform your work as a co-facilitator?
Applications are due by August 20, 2021 at 5pm Eastern Daylight Time.
Please submit your application to Michelle MacDonald, ISSOTL Executive Director, at executivedirector@issotl.com. Please direct any questions you may have about this opportunity to Sarah Bunnell, ISSOTL President, at sbunnell@amherst.edu.
