King-Chávez Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program (FFF) | The Graduate School

A black and white image showing the words "King-Chavez-Parks" with the faces of Martin Luther King Jr., Caesar Chavez, and Rosa Parks overlaid on the lettering.

Established by the Michigan Legislature in 1986 and named in honor American civil rights activists Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), César Chávez (1927-1993), and Rosa Parks (1913-2005), the King-Chávez-Parks (KCP) Initiative is comprised of seven different programs.

The goal of these programs is to increase the number of Michigan’s most educationally or economically disadvantaged citizens who have the opportunity to complete college degrees and experience career success as active participants in a knowledge-based global economy.

Preference is not given to applicants on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender, or national origin. We welcome applications from students who believe that they embody the spirit, vision, and goals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., César Chávez, and Rosa Parks as demonstrated through their life experience, commitment to service, and response to adversity. Selection is nondiscriminatory and the selection committee does not consider applicants' protected identity statuses in selecting recipients.

Apply

Applicants must complete the KCP-FFF application located in the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship Online Management System (see above).

Process

In order to submit a FFF application, applicants must create a MILogin ID and “Request Access” to the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship Program under “Search Application”.
- Once access is granted, the application can be found under “My Opportunities” on the right-hand side of the page.
In the “Application Questions” section of the application in the KCP Future Faculty Fellowship Online Management System, please upload the following items in one document with the appropriate headers, where it reads “to upload additional document, click ‘+’ sign”.
- description of your dissertation project—i.e., an abridged dissertation prospectus (1500 words maximum).
- a detailed timetable for completing your dissertation.
- a personal statement that addresses your experience with diversity in the classroom and/or in your past or planned research endeavors, any experience mentoring diverse students or community outreach initiatives, and how you will advance inclusive excellence (1000 words maximum).
Two or three letters of recommendation (one of which must be from your faculty major adviser) - Reference Report (PDF).

For questions or additional information pertaining to the KCP FFF, contact Terah Chambers or Deanne Hubbell.

Eligibility

For detailed descriptions of the eligibility requirements (Sections 1 and 2), see King-Chavez-Parks (KCP) Initiative Future Faculty Fellowship (FFF) Eligibility Requirements (PDF).

An applicant must satisfy all eight criteria in Section 1 and must satisfy at least one from Section 2 to be eligible.

Selection Criteria

The completed applications will be evaluated by a KCP FFF Award Selection Committee. Preference will be given to those applicants who meet the following selection criteria:

Excellent academic credentials
Outstanding letters of recommendation
Compelling personal statement
Detailed description of dissertation project
Significance of contributions to field of research
logical timeline and dissertation completion plan

Award

The KCP Future Faculty Fellowship award amount is a $35,000 lump sum. MSU supplements the award with a health care allowance, one credit of tuition and fees for the Fall and Spring semesters, and one credit of tuition and fees for a Summer semester. Requests for additional credits will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants are highly encouraged to speak with the Office of Financial Aid to determine how the fellowship may affect any aid received and the cost of attendance.

Conditions & Responsibilities

A KCP Future Faculty Fellowship awardee at MSU agrees to:

participate in an orientation program and meet with Terah Chambers (MSU KCP Director, Graduate School Associate Dean) at least once per semester.
complete a doctoral degree within two years of receiving the fellowship.
complete a 3-year service obligation that can be met by a part- or full-time postsecondary teaching or approved administrative position (pre-approved teaching assistantships count toward this obligation).
obtain a part- or full-time faculty teaching or approved administrative position in an accredited, public two- or four-year postsecondary institution within one year after obtaining the doctoral degree.
submit an annual progress report until graduation.
participate, if possible, in at least one activity in another KCP Initiative at MSU.
remain in the local (East Lansing) area while completing the doctoral degree (exceptions may be made for those needing to move outside of the area for dissertation data collection).

Future Faculty Fellowship graduates are obligated, by a signed agreement, to remain in postsecondary faculty teaching or administration in a public or private, 2- or 4-year, in-state or out-of-state postsecondary institution for a minimum of three (3) years equivalent full-time.

Fellows may also substitute up to one-third (1/3) of the 3-year full-time equivalency portion of teaching or administrative service credit with non-traditional service that has been pre- approved by the State of Michigan. This will be verified by the KCP Initiative Office.

Fellows who do not fulfill the teaching and/or other responsibilities, requirements, and obligations of their fellowship agreement may be placed in default, which would result in the fellowship being converted into a loan (referred to as a KCP Loan) that the fellow repays to the State of Michigan.