UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Beginning April 20, students can apply for new Remote Innovation Grants to support their virtual summer engagement experiences.
The deadline is 11:59 p.m. on May 3. The application can be found here.
Undergraduate students from all Penn State campuses are invited to apply for the grant, which is designed to support expenses related to completing an experience in the spirit of remote living and learning. That can mean many different things, said Student Engagement Network (SEN) Director Michael Zeman. But above all, Zeman said it was important that students continue to think about their learning journey.
“That’s what this is all about,” Zeman said. “There are so many ways to be engaged in this new landscape. A lot of students might be feeling disconnected. They might be feeling discouraged. By supporting students through the Remote Innovation Grant, we hope students will think deeply about what they can be doing to help the world right now in a safe way, and the world needs all the good that we can do.”
Students who receive funding will receive $2,000 to complete their experience over the summer and are required to participate in the SEN Online Canvas course (no tuition cost, non-credit bearing), centered on the student engagement journey. Each student will also be assigned a Penn State Engagement Coach to help them complete their virtual/remote experience. All experiences must be completed on or before Aug. 14, 2020. A total of 50 grants will be awarded in 2020.
Due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, all experiences and opportunities must follow federal, state and University policies as well as Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on physical distancing. Students are encouraged to build into their experiences components that address personal growth, professional readiness, and/or social connection/impact.
The below are examples of the types of engagement experiences SEN will consider for funding. Students are encouraged to reach out to SEN staff if they have questions about Remote Innovation Grants.
- undergraduate research
- professional experiences
- community-based learning
- creative accomplishments
- courses with an out-of-class component
- organizational experiences
- peer mentoring
- self-directed student engagement
- volunteerism
- employment experiences
- study away/study abroad experience-related
Earlier in the spring 2020 semester, SEN leadership made the decision to postpone its usual grant cycle for engagement experiences.
The Student Engagement Network is a joint initiative between Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs and Outreach and Online Education. The mission of the Student Engagement Network is to advance the power of participation by connecting students with experiences that empower them to make a positive impact as citizens and leaders of the world.