About the Program
The Baltimore Collegetown Fellowship program connects students across campuses and with their communities to make a better Baltimore. Designed for students who have a passion for community engagement and want to be civic-minded leaders, it starts with fall semester social entrepreneurship and leadership course (3 academic credits) and is followed by programming and support throughout the year. Students learn to be innovative and discover how to apply their skills and passions to our city.
In 2010, leaders from across the Baltimore Collegetown Network came together to create a program that would connect students across campuses with the Baltimore community and build the next generation of civic leaders. For nine years, Collegetown partnered with LeaderShape, Inc. to offer a session of the Institute for students who participated in our year-long civic leadership experience. This partnership created a strong foundation and impacted the lives of over 500 students.
Driven by our mission to create the next generation of civic leaders for greater Baltimore and to provide an innovative experience for students, we met with stakeholders and current students to develop a new vision for the program. A strategic planning process which began in 2017 helped us redesign the program into the Baltimore Collegetown Fellowship Program. The new program will feature a social entrepreneurship and leadership course students will take in the fall semester, followed by additional support throughout a full academic year.
This year-long program includes a fall semester course (3-credits), follow-up retreats in the spring semester, and graduation in mid-April with alumni engagement opportunities.
The Program:
Ongoing Support
Collegetown Fellowship Program is a program for students with demonstrated passion for leadership and community engagement and a desire to know Baltimore. Here are a few ways that Collegetown targets, recruits, and selects students for this program:
Participants in Collegetown Fellowship program study a broad spectrum of majors, minors, and professional programs. This program is an opportunity to link academic interests with current, real-world events and issues in Baltimore city.
Students will work with community organizations to develop projects to address identified issues using social entrepreneurship and leadership. Projects will address look to address complex issues that span various areas of focus including education, healthcare, healthy families, arts and culture, and community development.
For examples of how students have connected their academic interests to their visions, please read some of our Student Profiles.
Expenses for the Baltimore Collegetown Fellowship Program are shared by Collegetown, member institutions, and community partners. The cost to students is tuition to enroll in the course (home institution rate). Baltimore Collegetown covers the cost of field trips, textbooks, and any other course-related expenses. Additional programming costs are paid for by participating campuses.
Staff support, marketing support, and planning funds are provided by the Baltimore Collegetown Network to member institutions. Please contact us if you have questions about costs and funding.
