The LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership 2017-2018

Deadline:  1 December 2016
Open to: Applicants who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture
Fellowship: $25,000

Description

The LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership was created to expand opportunities for research and to nurture and inspire mid-career and senior-level landscape architecture professionals toward the following goals:

  • Support Innovation in Landscape Architecture

As we confront increasingly complex and interrelated environmental, social, and economic challenges of the 21st century, this fellowship brings together a diverse group of landscape architecture professionals from public, private, academic, non-profit, and other sectors to develop and test new ideas in support of the preservation, improvement and enhancement of the environment. It is an entrepreneurial investment in the next ideas that will drive the future of our profession.

  • Cultivate Transformational Leadership in Landscape Architecture

Effective innovation requires criticality, courage, and profound insights into the world in which we live. Fellows will be tasked with building leadership capacity during their fellowship year.

Fellows will take advantage of LAF’s broad reach and network within the discipline and be expected to present their ideas; engage in critical discussion; and, collaborate with leading academics, practitioners, affiliated organizations and industry partners. Additionally, fellows will be expected to share their work strategically with the public through an appropriate format that will advance the profession’s position as a global thought leader while affecting positive change for the planet and its inhabitants.

The Fellowship also aims to build capacity for leadership through intergenerational mentorship. A cohort of fellows and recent LAF Olmsted Scholars will be brought together over the course of the year. Fellows will present and discuss ideas with the intergenerational team as well as provide guidance and support to exemplary emerging professionals towards the pursuit of their ideas and future endeavors.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture. For those with degrees from colleges/universities in the U.S. and Canada, the landscape architecture program must be LAAB- or LAAC-accredited. For those outside of the U.S. and Canada, in locations where landscape architecture is not a recognized degree, a degree in a related discipline is acceptable, provided that the applicant works as a landscape architect. (See Application Materials for required documentation.)
  • Applicants must have a minimum of 6 years of professional experience in landscape architecture. This experience can include all types of practice — private, public, academic, non-profit, service, multi-disciplinary, and other.
  • Applicants must be able to communicate in written and spoken English at an advanced/professional level and provide evidence of proficiency.
  • Applicants must be able to dedicate time to the fellowship and proposed project. They will be required to obtain a letter of support from their employers for time-off from their regular employment.
  • Current LAF staff and members of the LAF Board of Directors are not eligible. Former staff and former members of the LAF Board of Directors who meet the above requirements are eligible.
  • Teams may apply for the Fellowship, provided that the Team Lead meets the above requirements. There are no restrictions on the size of the team. If selected, the team will share the $25,000 award.

Fellowship

Fellows are required to participate in 3 three-day residencies in Washington, D.C. over the course of the fellowship year. Full attendance and participation in each of the residencies is crucial to the success of the Fellowship and is mandatory to receive funding. Travel stipends are provided. The first and last residencies take place in the spring and coincide with the LAF Board of Directors meeting.

Residencies consist of presentations and discussions by Fellows and participating Olmsted Scholars, with invited critics that may include academics, practitioners, representatives of affiliated organizations, industry partners, and past and present members of the LAF Board of Directors. The goal of the residencies is two-pronged: to facilitate project development and guide transformational leadership.

Project Development

  • Facilitate the realization of each Fellow’s project proposal
  • Provide inquiry that raises questions and provides a testing ground
  • Help identify barriers and remove obstacles to project success
  • Provide constructive feedback and critical review
  • Help Fellows identify next steps

Transformational Leadership

  • Foster camaraderie among Fellows
  • Discover each Fellow’s intrinsic motivation
  • Support Fellows through non-judgmental, respectful communication
  • Mentor, inspire, and teach one another

Application

LAF uses SlideRoom as its online application platform and will only accept applications submitted through this system. All application materials, including reference letters, must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on December 1.

In order to apply, register HERE.

If you have any questions, check the FAQ section or write to:  jlow@lafoundation.org.

The official web-page.

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