Davidson students, the DCI is hiring! Apply to be a paid DCI Fellow for the 2023-24 academic year — earn while you learn, make friends with other Fellows, and gain valuable experience leading difficult conversations. You’ll also make a difference in your community, learn important communication skills applicable to any career, and be able to add a leadership role to your resume.
The purpose of the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) is to create opportunities for Davidson students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to productively engage with one another on difficult and contentious issues facing our community and society. The Fellows Program offers interested Davidson students academic-year positions working with the DCI.
The DCI will select 12-15 students to work as Fellows for the 2023-2024 academic year. Fellows will meet weekly as a group with the DCI Faculty Director and Assistant Director to work towards achieving the DCI’s mission and goals – to teach deliberative skills, reinforce humane instincts, build meaningful community, catalyze creative solutions, and research deliberation. Fellows will also meet monthly with their Deliberative “D” Teams, small groups of 5-10 individuals who commit to engaging with one another on difficult issues.
Throughout the year, Fellows will immerse themselves in deliberative theory and methods by completing weekly curriculum assignments, deliberating among themselves, facilitating robust deliberations during D Team meetings and deliberative forums, learning from deliberative guest speakers, completing an individual deliberation project, and writing blog posts and reflections that document their experience. Fellows will also contribute to the planning of DCI programs by assisting with research, community engagement, and deliberation guide development. Fellows also play a leadership role in the DCI by serving as deliberative ambassadors demonstrating the skills of deliberation on campus and in the communities and organizations they are a part of.
In this age of intense feelings, rapid change, and hyper-polarization, Fellows will have the opportunity to contribute to the urgent and important work of bringing people together to explore how and why their perspectives are both similar and different – and begin building common solutions to our collective challenges. In the process, they will also enhance their ability to reason, engage in “good argument,” articulate their values, and help others do the same. These are life-long skills that will benefit fellows in their personal lives, in the classroom, and in their careers after Davidson. The ability to bring people together to tackle difficult challenges is in high demand across sectors, professions, and industries, and DCI Fellows will improve their capacity to do this critical work in a wide variety of settings.
Program Components
The DCI Fellows program requires a commitment to learning about and doing deliberation. It empowers participants with new skills and knowledge to build community and promote more productive public discourse through deliberation. Key activities include:
- Orientation – Fellows are required to complete an 8-hour deliberation facilitator training and orientation program in September.
- Fellows Cohort Meetings – Fellows will meet as a group once a week during the Tuesday Common Hour to discuss deliberative topics covered in assigned readings, videos, and other materials, to debrief about their facilitation experiences, to plan DCI activities, and to deliberate as a group on important topics. Fellows will also serve on different committees focused on DCI goals and will provide committee updates and ideas during cohort meetings.
- D Teams – Fellows will facilitate monthly Deliberative “D” Teams, which consist of 5-10 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who are interested in engaging with one another over multiple sessions to discuss difficult issues. D Teams may meet both in-person or virtually.
- Deliberative Forums and Other Events – Fellows will play key leadership roles in the DCI’s Deliberative Forums and other public events. These events enable one-time discussion and learning opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members and may be conducted in partnerships with other groups and organizations. The DCI hosts 1-2 deliberative events per semester.
- Reflections and Blog Posts– Each Fellow will contribute one post per semester to the DCI Blog. Fellows will also be asked to reflect and write about their experiences throughout the year with the aim of informing the DCI about what worked well, what did not work well, and specific insights or takeaways, new ideas, and suggestions for program development.
- Personal Deliberation Project– Fellows will organize, host, and facilitate a deliberative event that connects to their personal interests, exposes participants to the deliberation process, and builds Fellows’ capacity to conduct deliberative activities after they have completed the DCI Fellowship program.
Time Commitment and Compensation
Individuals can expect to commit approximately 5 hours every week to their work as a DCI Fellow. These hours may vary depending on the timing of scheduled events and activities. Fellows must be available for a 1-hour weekly cohort meeting during the Tuesday Common Hour and a 10-hour orientation and facilitation training at the start of the semester – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm on September 10 and September 16 (including lunch both days). Per Davidson College’s Human Resources policies and guidance, Fellows will be compensated as follows: Fellows will be employed with the DCI as student workers to receive hourly compensation at a rate of $12.00 per hour, with maximum annual earnings of $1,800.
Eligibility
All students are eligible to apply on WildcatSync to become a 2023-2024 DCI Fellow. Approximately 12-15 students will be selected. Students in a work study program are eligible to apply their funding towards a job as a DCI Fellow. Davidson students who are part of scholarship and service programs such as the Bonner Scholars program may be able to apply their DCI Fellows experience towards program service hour requirements in lieu of compensation. Students should check with their respective program directors.
Deadline/How to Apply
To submit your application, please complete the ‘Deliberative Citizenship Initiative – Fellows Application’ form on WildcatSync. The priority application deadline is June 30. However, applications will remain open and new submissions accepted on a rolling basis until August 4th or once all positions have been filled by qualified candidates. Click here to access WildcatSync and complete your application. If you have any questions about your application, please email dci@davidson.edu.
