Thank you for your interest in hosting a UNH Sustainability Fellow for the upcoming summer. Need more information before you're ready to apply? Check out the Sustainability Fellowship website for more information including important dates and RFP submission deadline. 

If your project is selected, you’ll have phenomenal talent dedicated to it throughout the summer. The UNH Sustainability Institute (UNHSI) will advertise the projects and recruit candidates from across UNH’s seven colleges. We will then vet all applicants and give you the top candidates to review for potential interviews and final selection, which we will help organize and facilitate.  

Once your Fellow is selected, they—and you, by extension—will be part of a collaborative cohort of learning and working throughout the summer. UNHSI provides resources, structure and support for project work planning, and offers networking, professional development and a depth of mentorship and advising to maximize the individual and collective impact of Sustainability Fellows.

Sustainability Fellowship projects might involve research, outreach and education, or program implementation, to further one or more sustainability outcomes. Ideal projects include the following characteristics:

• The project is likely to catalyze long-term, substantial change, and/or to establish a replicable model.
• The work is challenging, in-depth, and the selected Fellow can assume   significant ownership.
•  You and your organization are invested in the outcome of the project as   well as the Fellow’s experience.
•  The Fellow’s time and expertise are critical to completing the work.
•  You and your organization have a demonstrated structure in place to           support and supervise a Fellow.

By hosting a Sustainability Fellow, organizations will open their doors to a well-established network of industry leaders, expert Advisors to help guide their Fellows throughout the summer, and support in recruiting talented UNH students and post-baccalaureates who are a great fit for the project. 

PARTNER ORGANIZATION AGREEMENT

UNH SUSTAINABILITY FELLOWS PROGRAM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
UNH Sustainability Institute (UNHSI) administers the Fellows program. Specifically, UNHSI commits to:

• Provide project templates based on successful past projects, and work with you to develop a compelling project description that will attract top talent well-aligned with your organization and project needs
• Host an online webinar for prospective applicants to share the impact and signature components of the program and the wide range of leading organizations and exciting projects being offered.  
• Market Fellowships to top students and recent graduates from UNH; assemble a pool of talented applicants with skills and experience tailored to each project; do a preliminary screening of applicants; present each Partner with recommended candidates; and coordinate interviews of top candidates with Host Organization project Mentors’ participation.
• Work with you to craft detailed 10-week work plans for each project.
• Develop and coordinate project advisory groups, organized around project themes and led by advisors with relevant professional expertise, to support Host Organizations and Fellows before and during the summer.
• Host program events including a multi-day orientation, weekly professional development events for Fellows, a Launch event towards the end of June, and a final presentation event.
• Provide access to UNHSI staff and UNH faculty in both formal and informal settings, and coordinate peer advising with our alumni network.
• Promote and celebrate host organizations and Fellows’ work to UNHSI’s network, on our website, social media channels and other outlets

Fellows make commitment to both UNHSI and their host organizations. Specifically, Fellows are expected to:

• Commit to a total of 400 hours of program participation within the Fellowship term (term dates on website).
• Attend the entirety of a 2-day orientation hosted by UNH, as well as any orientation and onboarding requirements of their host organization, at the start of the Fellowship project term.
• Work full-time on-site (or remotely as agreed), adhering to the professional standards and practices at the Host Organization.
• Complete Fellowship project deliverables according to the work plan (with adjustments as necessary and mutually agreed upon with Host Organization and UNHSI).
• Participate actively in their advisory groups and in summer professional development opportunities organized by UNHSI.
• Present work at UNHSI’s two-day in-person Launch event poster session and  one-day virtual final presentation event.

Host Organization Partners make commitments to their Fellows and to UNHSI. Specifically, Partner organizations commit to:

• Utilize the project proposal template and work with UNH to develop a compelling project description that will maximize interest from well-qualified, high-quality candidates, and partner in the interview and selection process.
• Hire Fellow and compensate at the Fellows program rates ($16.25/hour for undergraduates and $25/hour for post-baccalaureates, for 400 hours; i.e. $6,500 for undergraduates and $10,000 for post-baccalaureates)
• Work together with UNHSI to ensure that the work plan and products will be both beneficial to the Partner organization and intellectually stimulating for the Fellow; and participate in one virtual meeting with the other members of their advisory group before the beginning of the Fellowship term (I.e., between January and May).
• Designate one staff member to serve as the primary Fellowship Mentor, to provide project guidance, to be accessible on a day-to-day basis as needed, to reserve one hour per week at a minimum for a regularly scheduled dedicated check-in with the Fellow.
• Ensure that the Mentor, or an involved proxy, participates in orientation, as well as day two of the Launch event and the final presentation event.  Review specific dates on Fellowship website.
• Provide one brief written update on the Fellow’s progress over the course of the summer.
• Provide the Fellow with an adequate workspace, computer, phone, travel funds, and other necessary resources and contacts required for successful completion of the project. If the Fellow has a disability, the partner organization will make reasonable accommodations.
• Provide program support contributions as indicated in the accepted application/ agreement in a timely fashion.