Smith Fellowship

Smith Fellows

Meet Our Smith Fellows

Over eleven summers, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, there have been over eighty-one Smith Fellows studying or serving in twenty locations in a total of sixteen countries in various parts of the world. Many of them created BLOGs describing and reflecting upon their experiences.

In late September 2016, the Summer 2016 Smith Fellows made three presentations to the Providence College Community describing their service experiences abroad. Those three presentations were videotaped and can be viewed by clicking the Smith Fellow Summer 2016 link above.

In addition, the four presentations made by Summer 2015 Smith Fellows in early autumn of 2015, the four presentations made by the Summer 2014 Smith Fellows in the early autumn of 2014, the four presentations made by the Summer 2013 Smith Fellows in the early autumn of 2013, the three presentations made by the Summer 2012 Smith Fellows in the early autumn of 2012, as well as two of the three presentations made by the Summer 2011 Smith Fellows in the early autumn of 2011 may also be viewed.

To view the accumulated Smith Fellow BLOGs and presentations, please click on the appropriate year listed above.

Office of the Chaplain

Office of the Chaplain
Phone: (401) 865-2216
Fax: (401) 865-1116
chaplain@providence.edu
Monday–Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm

Fellowship Program Description

The Fr. Philip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowships for Study and Service Abroad are awarded on a competitive basis to rising juniors and seniors. The Fellowships enable students to undertake summer study or service at Catholic and Dominican sites outside the continental United States. The Fellowships cover travel, living, and incidental expenses, and provide Fellows with a modest stipend. The Fellowships are funded through the generosity of, among others, members of the Providence College Board of Trustees, current and former.

Purpose

The Fellowships are designed to encourage highly motivated students to deepen their acquaintance with the Catholic and Dominican intellectual tradition and the ethos of Christian service, and to introduce them to the breadth and richness of the church universal. They are also intended to act as a leaven within the College community.

Criteria for Selection

Proposals from rising juniors and seniors are considered on the basis of a) the aptness of the proposed course of study or service, given the purpose of the Fellowships; b) the demonstrated ability and readiness of the student to undertake what is proposed; and c) the feasibility and timeliness of the proposal.

Instructions and Guidelines for Summer 2020 Smith Fellowship

Applicants are asked to submit proposals via prov.ly/smithfellowship2020 by Monday December 1, 2019, 4:30pm.

Timeline

Each year an announcement of the Fellowships is made in early October, to be followed by informational meetings that take place during Homecoming Weekend. Attendance at one of these informational meetings is strongly encouraged and looked favorably on for anyone anticipating applying for a Smith Fellowship for the following summer. Following this weekend additional information sessions will be made available.

A letter of application, with a preliminary description of the proposed course of travel, study, or service, is due on the Monday after the Thanksgiving Break. This should be accompanied by a completed Application Form. After reviewing each letter of application, the Committee then communicates with each applicant about how to proceed with the drafting of the formal proposal, which is due the Friday following the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday in January. Fellows will be announced in early to mid-February.

Additional Considerations

Fellows must be full-time undergraduates in good standing. Three letters of recommendation are required, at least one of which must be from an ordinary member of the Providence College faculty. Fellows agree to give a presentation about their experience in the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies during the semester following their return.

Although prospective Fellows may propose a course of study or service according to their interests, the Program has established relationships with sites and individuals in Ecuador, Argentina, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and the Solomon Islands. Students may wish to contact the individuals involved to determine whether they can pursue their study or service at one or more of these sites.

Fr. Philip A. Smith, O.P.

Fr. Philip A. Smith, O.P. was the 11th President of Providence College (1994-2005). A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Fr. Smith graduated from Providence College and entered the Dominican Order in 1961. A philosopher by training and a specialist in bioethics, Fr. Smith also served as President of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC; as a member of the Provincial Council of St. Joseph Province of the Dominican Friars, and as a delegate to the 1995 General Chapter of the Dominican Order in Caleruega, Spain. In gratitude for his many years of service to the Church, Order, and to the students of Providence College, these Fellowships are named in his honor.

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