Furman University
ER-18: Sustainability Research Incentives

The Andrew W. Mellon Student Sustainability Fellowship program provides a $3500 stipend to four students per year for summer campus research and service work. The fourth cohort of Mellon fellows was selected for Summer 2012. Past Mellon fellows have been involved in a variety of projects on campus, including developing a community volunteer network, managing the Furman Farm, developing a First-year Student Orientation program, researching renewable energy policy, and working on campus sustainability assessment. The Arthur Vinings Davis Student Sustainability Fellowship program provides a $3500 stipend to four students per year for summer community research and service work. The second cohort of Davis fellows was selected for Summer 2012. Past Davis fellows have worked on Greenville’s energy policy, sustainability master plan implementation, and community education. Mellon and Davis Fellows work ten weeks during the summer and also serve as ambassadors throughout the school year to share their experiences with the campus community. All fellows work closely with the Shi Center for Sustainability staff, and affiliate faculty as appropriate, to advance sustainability on campus and in the community, and to conduct applied research related to sustainability. Each fellow produces a deliverable to be shared at the end of the summer.

The Shi Center for Sustainability's Faculty Sustainability Research Fellowship program, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, was launched in 2011. Faculty members may apply for up to $5000 to fund research bridging sustainability with their own field or discipline. If needed for the project, part of the stipend may be allocated toward materials or other expenses necessary to complete the project. Additionally, faculty members have the option to stipulate that one student research assistant is necessary for the project; one $3000 student stipend per project could have been awarded for full-time summer research work in 2012. Fellows are required to publish their research in the year following the summer funding period. Proposals were required to include a description of how the research will be used in the faculty member’s courses in semesters following the fellowship. In 2011, 3 fellowships were awarded; in 2012, 6 fellowships were awarded.