The mission of the Community and Economic Development (CED) Fellowship is to expose students to a variety of community or economic development careers and provide networking, coaching, and mentoring to enhance student career preparedness. Ideal candidates will have strong written and oral communication skills, be able to operate appropriately in a professional work environment, and be interested in a career in community and economic development.
The application period for the Fall 2023 CED Fellowship is now open! Please click here to apply for the Fall 2023 CED Fellowship. Application closes September 1, 2023.
Fellowship Benefits:
- Exposure to community & economic development careers
- Access to networking, coaching, and mentoring
- Professional headshot
- Mock interview
- Arkansas Community Development Society membership
- Community Development Institute Year 1 registration
Fellowship Focus Areas:
- Agriculture
- Arts & Culture
- Business Recruitment & Development
- Education
- Environment & Natural Resources
- Finance
- Government
- Housing
- Non-profits
- Real Estate Development
- Recreation & Tourism
- Research & Public Policy
- Transportation & Planning
- Utilities
Frequently Asked Questions:
What exactly does the Fellowship entail?
The CED Fellowship is a customized experience for our Fellows. The selected Fellows will work with our team at the Center for Community and Economic Development to develop a network in a community and economic development field of their choice. At the Center, we have access to a huge network of professionals across central Arkansas and the state and we want to connect our Fellows to these resources. Activities the Fellow would participate in include job shadowing, organization tours, mock interviews, and we will provide them with a professional headshot. The Fellows’ schedules will be flexible, but we expect that Fellows will conduct at least one activity per month during the spring or fall semesters with a short debrief session with our team to follow.
What are the benefits of the Fellowship?
Our hope is that our Fellows will be more prepared for the current job market and make valuable connections through this process. The benefits of the Fellowship include networking and hands-on experience described above, but also includes membership and registration to the Arkansas Community Development Society (over $100 value), and registration to our Community Development Institute ($600 value, more information available at uca.edu/cdi).
Do fellows have to be current UCA students?
A Fellow does not necessarily have to be a current UCA student, but must be a UCA graduate. Qualified, current UCA students will be given priority.
“This fellowship is an awesome opportunity to learn more about Arkansas and its efforts in economic development and outreach. I loved getting to visit the different departments in my major such as the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, CJRW, and more. Making these connections is essential to my career aspirations and goals.”
Marco Ramirez, Spring 2019
Marco currently serves as the Client Services Fellow at Bully Pulpit Interactive
“I will always have a soft spot for the CCED staff, and I am so thankful for my time there. I really enjoyed the Fellowship Program because we got to visit and network with entities at three levels of community development- State, local, and non-profit. Now, I work for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission which just happens to be one of the places that we visited during our tour. At AEDC Community Development, we work very closely with Shelby and her team because of the relationship that has been cultivated between our two teams.”
Brittany Lutz, Spring 2018
Brittany currently serves as the Research Manager at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
“The CED Fellowship truly lit a fire under me. I had always been passionate about service and the community, however, this fellowship showed me the immense impact that non-profits make in the state of Arkansas. With the help of Dylan Edgell, Shelby Fiegel and this opportunity to be a part of such a compassionate group of individuals I was capable of integrating myself into the community after undergrad. I would not have been capable of establishing myself in the ways that I have had it not been for this fellowship. .”
Raven Nobles, Fall 2020
Raven currently serves as the Executive Operations Assistant at Friendship Community Care
