Student leaders can apply for a new fellowship program that will equip them with skills to help reduce polarization on campus.

The nine-month Multipartisan Leadership Training Initiative (MLTI) program builds campus-based cohorts of student leaders from different universities, teaches an interdisciplinary method of approaching difference with curiosity, and empowers participants to create and implement programming promoting this approach in their own communities.

The MLTI fellowship focuses on three questions:

• Why is it hard to have a curious approach to difference and disagreement?
• Why is it worthwhile and important nonetheless?
• How can we cultivate such an approach in student organizations and on campus?

The program begins with an all-expenses-paid retreat in the fall, led by fellow students and featuring workshops, mentorship, opportunities for reflection and individual growth, and collaborative activities focused on constructive disagreement, emotional resilience, tools for community building, narrative storytelling, networking opportunities, and more.

After the retreat, fellows will identify an aspect of the training that would benefit their student organization. With a student mentor, they will then design and lead a custom program, tailored to their organization.

The cohort will then participate in a winter retreat, where they will reflect on their projects, learn from each other, and begin to design campus-based capstone projects to engage the broader community in their learning. Institute mentors will work with students to identify an ambitious project and work with them as well as key campus stakeholders to make it a reality in the spring.

Fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation, and may return as trainers the following year.

Ideal candidates are sophomores or juniors in the 2025-26 academic year who serve as student organization leaders and possess a desire to improve leadership skills and constructive dialogue on campus.

Students are invited to apply for the MLTI fellowship by March 1. Fellows will be notified of their selection in April.