Overview
The Office for Civil Discourse and Engagement (CDE) is currently accepting applications for the CIVIC Faculty Fellow position in the 2026-2027 academic year.
The Office for Civil Discourse and Engagement (CDE), within the Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement, combines and expands existing efforts and expertise on how to engage in constructive conversations with educational programs to increase awareness, enhance knowledge and understanding, and offer alternative or varied solutions to important social problems. CDE offers these opportunities to faculty, staff, students, and the community.
The Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) Program out of the U.S. Department of Education, provides grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), combinations of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, as the Secretary deems necessary, to support innovative projects concerning one or more areas of national need identified by the Secretary. UCF was awarded a $3.4M FIPSE grant in spring 2026 to implement Project CIVIC (Civil Interactions and Viewpoints for Interpersonal Competence). The faculty development component of the grant accentuates institutional capacity building by providing faculty with the knowledge base and tools to cultivate free expression and civil discourse for all students. The Office for Civil Discourse and Engagement invite applications for a one-year appointment as CIVIC Faculty Fellow, beginning in August 2026.
The Office for Grant Initiatives and Partnerships within the Access and Community Engagement division manages the FIPSE grant and will transfer to the Fellows’ home unit up to $10,000 per academic year for course replacement costs. It is expected that a Fellow with teaching assignments will be released in whole or part from their instructional duties. If the fellow has a summer appointment, they will also receive a $5,000 administrative assignment. The Fellow will report to the Director for CDE, who also serves as CIVIC grant personnel.
Responsibilities of the Fellow
The CIVIC Faculty Fellow will help develop and implement the faculty development component of Project CIVIC, in collaboration with the CDE Director and external community partners. This includes two semester-long CIVIC Faculty Development Cohort Programs (Learning Communities) (FA26, SPR27) and a CIVIC-track during the FCTL Summer Faculty Development Institute (SUM27). The Fellow will also collaborate with colleagues in the Office for Grant Initiatives and Partnerships, Faculty Excellence, Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement, and Division of Student Success and Well-Being, among other academic and administrative offices across campus.
CIVIC Faculty Development Cohort Program
- Co-develop and co-facilitate the CIVIC Faculty Development Cohorts, including curriculum, sessions, and train‑the‑trainer activities. Goal of 20 faculty per cohort.
- Lead Teaching and Learning Roundtables on dialogue facilitation, conflict navigation, and communication across differences.
- Consult with cohort participants as they lead CIVIC workshops or panels.
- Assist with communication, recruitment, and assessment.
Civic Dialogue Course Designations
- Collaborate with Academic Affairs to define criteria and establish review processes related to the Civic Dialogue Course Designation.
- Guide faculty in navigating related workflow systems and meeting designation standards.
- Engage with relevant academic governance and approval processes to advance designation proposals and incorporate course attribute in the university course schedule.
CIVIC Track, Summer Faculty Development Institute
- Co-plan and co-facilitate the CIVIC Track focused on free expression, civil discourse, and public debate.
- Recruit and select participating faculty.
- Review required reflection deliverables.
- Support communication, recruitment, and assessment.
Other General Responsibilities
- Participate in biweekly 1:1 meetings with the CDE Director.
- Participate in biweekly staff meetings with the CDE Staff.
- Participate in biweekly grant team meetings with the CIVIC Project Manager/Director.
- Develop and regularly review plans with the CDE Director to ensure alignment with institutional and state goals.
- Develop and regularly review plans with the CIVIC Project Manager/Director to ensure alignment and progress towards grant objectives and measures, including assessment of planned faculty activities.
- Consult with the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning on best practices to ensure a learner-centered and engaged workshop, cohort, and track experience.
- Prepare quarterly activity reports summarizing progress, challenges, timeline adjustments, and requests for assistance, forming the basis of briefings for grant advisory board meetings.
- Identify avenues for broader dissemination to contribute to scholarship on best practices and outcomes of the CIVIC campuswide model.
- Maintain a presence at other Civil Discourse and Engagement and Public Policy Event programs and events throughout the year.
Eligibility
All full-time tenured faculty who have achieved the rank of associate professor or professor and full-time non-tenure earning faculty who have achieved associate or higher (including clinical, instructional designers, instructors, lecturers, librarians, as well as non-tenure earning associate professors and non-tenure earning professors) are eligible to apply. All applicants must show evidence that they are making satisfactory progress towards the next rank and/or promotion. (i.e., timeline). All rank-eligible faculty across all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated interests in and experience with civil discourse, disagreement, and the free exchange of ideas.
The application period for the 2026-2027 academic year is now open:
Deadline for applications is 5:00PM, Friday, March 27, 2026. For questions, email civicgrant@ucf.edu.