Louis Stokes Fellowship in Community Development
Building Capacity through Graduate Social Work Education
The Louis Stokes Fellowship in Community Development provides full-tuition scholarships to
students already working in community development, in an intensive weekend program designed to
accommodate work schedules, and foster leadership among African Americans and Hispanics in the
field of community development.
The Need
The field of community development is exploding, and the need for knowledgeable, well-trained
and educated professionals continues to grow. By redirecting contemporary economic and political
forces, neighborhoods and cities are being transformed. The community development professional is
the key to this transformation process: the person who empowers individuals and organizations to
achieve new visions. Recognizing this, the United States Congress provided funding to The Mandel
School of Applied Social Sciences to honor the life work of retired northeast Ohio Congressman
Lou Stokes.
The Approach
The Mandel School's Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) degree prepares students
to work effectively in a variety of settings to effect change in individuals, families, groups,
organizations and communities. Choosing the Community Development concentration allows the student
to become a catalyst for building and rebuilding local communities.
The Lou Stokes Fellow takes part in the school's Intensive Weekend format, attending class on
campus one weekend per month. This permits the student to remain employed in a community
development position in the home community. The fellow's learning experience is further enhanced by
hands-on field education projects which can take place in the student's home organization.
The Opportunity
This national merit program in graduate social work education awards several fellowships each
year for entry in the fall semester. The fellowship is a full-tuition scholarship. In addition,
Stokes Fellows are offered social and educational opportunities for interaction. They also have
opportunities to discuss pertinent issues about their experience.
Eligibility requirements include:
- an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- demonstrated capacity for leadership
- current employment in a position involving community development
- at least one year of community development experience
- a commitment to community development and community building
In addition to the requirements above, the Stokes Fellowship has additional criteria to foster
minority leadership in the community development field. The program will target recruitment to:
- persons employed in the field in the following geographic areas: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia
- graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) or African Americans employed
in community development corporations affiliated with HBCUs
- Hispanics working in the community development field
Candidates for admission to The Mandel School and the university are reviewed at anytime of the
year. However, individuals who want to be considered for the Stokes Fellowships should apply as
early as possible in the academic year. All Stokes applicants are interviewed by one or two faculty
members. Candidates must be accepted for admission to The Mandel School before being considered for
a fellowship.
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