Learn more about this 2026 Madison Trust project.
Global Impact Fellows
Presenters
Dr. Christie Kilby | kilbyca@jmu.edu Executive Director, Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR)
Dr. Kara Dillard | dillarkn@jmu.edu Executive Director, Madison Center for Civic Engagement
Abstract
JMU’s undergraduate Global Impact Fellows program is an innovative work-based learning laboratory for Dukes preparing for global leadership and public service. Modeled on the highly successful Democracy Fellows program, student Global Impact Fellows will join the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery’s exciting projects with international partners to gain real-world experience and meet leaders in the humanitarian sector. Through group reflection on issues of policy, practice, and the ethics of responsibility, student Fellows will develop their own distinctive visions for change as well as tangible pathways toward careers with global impact.
Project
What could civic engagement at JMU look like at global scale? Imagine a team of undergraduate students collaborating on critical contemporary issues that touch many nations across the globe, from landmine removal efforts to refugee resettlement to interfaith peacebuilding. Imagine these students building intercultural skills and industry contacts that prepare them not only for careers, but for lives of globally informed leadership and service. Imagine robust ethical reflection on questions of responsibility, difference, and the common good infusing this work-based learning experience, with the guidance of seasoned facilitators. Imagine a project fund that empowers these students to develop, apply, and share their new knowledge and skills across the JMU community and beyond. This is the vision of the Global Impact Fellows , a transformative new undergraduate student fellowship that will amplify JMU’s nationally leading civic engagement vision by offering the global partnerships of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR, “scissor”) as a laboratory. For 30 years, CISR has partnered with governments, NGOs, and international universities to strengthen responsible global citizenship through research, trainings, and programming. As a new complement to the Madison Center for Civic Engagement’s prestigious Democracy Fellows program, student Global Impact Fellows will join CISR’s work with global partners to learn about pressing issues affecting the international community and gain real-world experience in addressing global challenges. Fellowship alumni will enjoy special access to
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employment recruiting opportunities from CISR’s global partners, expanding JMU’s footprint in the humanitarian and public service sectors and opening exciting career pathways for Dukes.
Benefit to JMU
This project will benefit JMU by expanding access to global work-based learning experiences for undergraduate students and by promoting JMU across the international humanitarian sector as a preferred partner for recruiting talented and ethically grounded young professionals. The fellowship builds a synergy among existing institutional resources by integrating the global impact of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery with the engagement mission of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement, aligning with the university’s commitment to expanding student work- based learning experiences and public-private partnerships.
Projected Budget
CISR staff mentors:
$18,000
Stipends for faculty collaborators:
$5,000
Student Project Fund:
$2,000
Total:
$25,000
We are seeking $25,000 to seed this transformative work-based learning fellowship. Students knock on CISR’s door every semester eager to get involved with our work. The challenge is that CISR is a grant-funded center at JMU, so all of CISR’s staff time must directly support our funded projects; this leaves a critical gap between the valuable learning opportunities that students are asking us for and the resources to support staff who can teach, mentor, and facilitate students in our work.
Your gift will support two project teams, funded at $12,500 each , to pilot this program in 2026-27. For each project team:
$9,000 will support time reassignments for CISR’s seasoned staff to provide robust support for four student Fellows across one academic year. In collaboration with the Madison Center for Civic Engagement, CISR’s staff mentors will design meaningful fellowship programming, coordinate student engagement with CISR’s global projects, and lead reflection and dialogue sessions that embrace the questions at the heart of JMU’s civic engagement vision. $2,500 will provide stipends for faculty collaborators across campus with relevant expertise to advise on the team’s project. $1,000 will fund a project fund (student-directed, CISR-managed) for the Fellows to extend their learning experience through activities like field trips, inviting
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external speakers to campus, organizing research exhibits, or hosting a policy simulation.
If this proposal is partially funded, we can accommodate a reduced budget by reducing the number of project teams to one or by reducing the number of hours the student fellows and CISR mentors are engaged per week. While student fellows will not receive stipends for their participation during this pilot year, they can earn academic credit for their fellowship work by enrolling in one of the many internship course credits on offer at JMU, if they choose. We are actively planning to leverage our pilot fellowship year for external grant funding, philanthropic funding, corporate sponsorships, and institutional support so that the Global Impact Fellows can be sustained as a landmark JMU experience. After a successful pilot, we dream of extending the fellowship experience across two years so that our first cohort of fellows can mentor the next cohort. With expanded support, we want to cultivate a world-class fellowship program that includes international site visits, a study abroad component, a summer internship component, and other transformative programming for our next generation of global leaders. Project Team • Christina Kilby: As Executive Director of JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), Christina will direct fellowship programming and lead outreach to college and unit leadership to recruit outstanding student applicants and faculty collaborators. • Kara Dillard: As Executive Director of JMU’s Madison Center for Civic Engagement (MCCE), Kara Dillard will co-create fellowship outcomes and oversee learning exchanges between the Global Impact Fellows and Democracy Fellows. • Amy Czajkowski: As Senior Programs Manager for CISR, Amy will design and lead regular ethical reflection sessions for the fellows. • Jennifer Risser: As CISR’s Managing Editor and supervisor of more than 100 past student employees, Jennifer will provide communication, supervision, and mentorship for fellows’ project work with CISR’s global partners. • JMU undergraduate students with aspirations of global or intercultural leadership and public service will be competitively selected for this fellowship opportunity. Rising sophomores and juniors from all majors will be encouraged to apply, particularly students who have a demonstrated interest in ethical global impact but have not had access to international work-based learning opportunities during their time at JMU.
Supplemental Materials
• CISR website: https://www.jmu.edu/cisr/index.shtml • Madison Center website: https://www.jmu.edu/civic/about.shtml
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