Are you a Cornell graduate student concerned about the economic and social problems facing the urban poor? Do you want to work on important public policy research with some of New York City's most innovative civic leaders? Are you eager to enhance your collaborative research skills?
The newly launched Graduate Research Fellowship Program in Children, Family and Community Development Policy offers eight Cornell graduate students the opportunity to pursue collaborative research projects focused on the needs of New York City's poorest children, families and communities. The two-month program begins this June 2. The application deadline is March 15. (See information at the end of the story for details.)
The new graduate urban research fellowships were developed to address the applied research needs of nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies serving New York City's low-income children, families and neighborhoods and to encourage more Cornell graduates to embark on public service careers, said Kenneth Reardon, Cornell associate professor of city and regional planning and co-director of Cornell's Urban Scholars Program.
"The recent downturn in the economy, along with ongoing reductions in spending for domestic assistance programs, is threatening the well-being of many low-income families in the United States," said Reardon. "Nowhere are the economic and social problems confronting the urban poor more visible than in New York City's older residential neighborhoods," he noted. "Poor families living in Central Harlem, the South Bronx, Jamaica, Queens, East New York and Far Rockaway struggle to feed, cloth, house and provide healthcare for their children at a time when living wage jobs are scarce, welfare payments are limited and social services are being reduced. The survival challenges facing families that have recently immigrated to the city in the midst of our current recession are especially acute."
The nonprofit organizations and municipal government agencies responsible for providing basic health, education and welfare services to New York City's poorest families are confronting formidable challenges, asserts Reardon. Low-income families who are dependent on state agencies for ongoing health, education, housing, transportation and social services will be disproportionately affected by budget cuts under consideration by New York City's mayor and New York state's governor, he warns.
"The senior staff and boards of these agencies are being forced by these circumstances to reassess their communities' needs, establish new service priorities, form new public and private partnerships and more closely evaluate their programs. These activities require a significant amount of data collection and analysis efforts that many non-profits find difficult to mount during stressed financial times."
The Cornell graduate urban fellows will apply their skills to collaborative research with New York City agencies aimed at producing policies to enhance the quality of life for those living on the economic and political margins of the largest U.S. city. Fellows will spend eight weeks collecting and analyzing data, in collaboration with residents, staff and board members of nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies engaged in direct services, policy analyses and issue advocacy on behalf of low-income children and their families. Special emphasis will be placed on research that contributes to the development of innovative policies designed to address the structural causes of persistent poverty in New York City.
Potential research topics that fellows might pursue include: Access to primary health care for the poor; charter school performance; the impact of welfare-to-work programs; environmental racism in land-use decision-making; gentrification and displacement in changing neighborhoods; analysis of recent demographic trends for New York City's newest immigrants; substance abuse prevention programs for young adults; effects of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program; AIDS prevention and treatment; and juvenile justice and court reform.
Any master's or Ph.D. student in any field (the non-social sciences included) who will have completed two residential semesters at Cornell by the beginning of this summer may apply. Some selection criteria are: a strong interest in the social problems confronting the urban poor; excellent organizational, analytical and communication skills; strong research interests and skills; and a commitment to strengthening reciprocal learning and collaborative research skills. Applicants will be notified in mid-April.
The Cornell Urban Scholars Program is a collaborative project of the university's Department of City and Regional Planning, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the Graduate School, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Public Service Center and Office of Alumni Affairs and Development. For information on its new urban graduate fellowships, see the Web site listed below.
What: New Graduate Research Fellowships in Children, Family and Community Development Policy.
Who may apply: Master's and Ph.D. students in any field who have completed two residential semesters.
When and where: Program runs from June 2 through July 25 in New York City. Application deadline is March 15.
How much: Fellows get summer stipends of $3,500, plus housing allowance.
Details: Write to urbanscholars@cornell.edu; contact Kenneth Reardon at 254-5378, Cili Philips at 255-9987 or Carey Jones at 255-9987; or visit this Web site: http://www.cusp.cornell.edu.
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