Fr. Philip A. Smith, O.P., Student Fellowships for Study and Service Abroad
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 an generous initial ten-year commitment by Katherine (M.A., 1983) and her husband Thomas A. Murray III, M.D. and by, among others, several members of the Providence College Board of Trustees.
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. Although study and service undertaken as a Fellow may contribute to ongoing interests and scholarship, study or service for credit is excluded.
Timeline
Each year an announcement of the Fellowships is made in September, to be followed by an informational meeting in late September or early October. A letter of application, with a preliminary description of the proposed course of travel, study, or service, is due just before mid-November and is reviewed by the Selection Committee. This should be accompanied by a completed Application Form. The Committee then communicates with each applicant about how to proceed with the drafting of the formal proposal, which is due in January on the first day of the spring semester. Fellows will be announced in February.
Selection Committee
The Selection Committee consists of: Fr. Kevin D. Robb, O.P., Mission and Ministry, Chair; Fr. R. Gabriel Pivarnik, O.P. Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies; and Mr. Richard Lumley, Campus Ministry. Consultants to the Selection Committee include Mr. Adrian G. Beaulieu, Center for International Studies, and Ms. Marifrances McGinn, Esq., College Counsel.
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 College has established relationships with sites and individuals in Australia, England, Kenya, and Nicaragua. 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. A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Fr. Smith graduated from Providence College and entered the Dominican Order. A philosopher by training and a specialist in bioethics, Fr. Smith also served as President of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, as a member of the Provincial Council of St. Joseph Province of the Dominican Friars, and as a delegate to the General Chapter of the Dominican Order. 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.
For additional information, please contact:
Fr. Kevin D. Robb, O.P
Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry
Chair, Smith Fellowship Selection Committee
Harkins Hall 110
(401) 865-1210
Summer 2012 Smith Fellow BLOGs:
Beatriz Forster: Blackfriars’ Hall, Oxford, UK:
Laura Wells: Blackfriars’ Hall, Oxford, UK:
Emily Corr: Sydney, Australia:
http://emmyinaussie.blogspot.com
Joseph Slattery: Sydney, Australia:
Clare Carroll: Sydney, Australia, and Auki, Malaita, Solomon Islands:
Cayla McKernan: Sydney, Australia, and Auki, Malaita, Solomon Islands:
Summer 2011 Smith Fellow BLOGs:
Nathan Ricci: Las Casas Institute, Blackfriars’ Hall, Oxford, UK:
Michael Wahl: Blackfriars’ Hall, Oxford, U.K.:
Thomas “T.J.” Mills: Blackfriars’ Priory School, Adelaide, South Australia:
Annie Wendel: Sydney, Australia, and Auki, Solomon Islands:
Kevin Brawley: Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Thomas Cody: Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Kathryn McCann: Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Kathryn Tripp: Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Summer 2010 Smith Fellow BLOGs:
Hollis Dunlop, Managua, Nicaragua:
Elizabeth Santilli, Sydney, Australia:
Patricia Carroll, Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Julia Tully: Our Lady of Grace School, Kisumu, Kenya:
Summer 2009 Smith Fellow BLOG:
Elizabeth Weber: Las Casas Institute, Blackfriars’ Hall, Oxford, UK: