Non-Employment Based Opportunity (NEBO) Fellowships

You will sharpen your leadership and professional skills by completing a project of interest under the supervision of a faculty or staff mentor. You and a mentor of your choice will collaborate on the creation of a special project to advance your field and educational knowledge. Projects may involve presentations, research, interpersonal skill development, soft and hard skill development, as well as reflection activities and journals. A NEBO Fellowship ensures that a student benefits from a project and an experience, rather than the sponsoring department.

NEBOs are open to all students, including visa holders, lawful permanent residents, and US citizens. Because the funding is awarded as financial aid, students need to be enrolled in DU as part-time or full-time students. NEBOs should be in a field that is related to a student’s major or career interest. Students may or may not need to enroll in a course directly related to their NEBO; course enrollment depends on the project and staff or faculty member who is supervising the NEBO.

Several NEBO Fellowships exist on campus, including opportunities for students to design a project with the assistance of a NEBO mentor. Please find a list of potential NEBOs in the section below. All NEBO Fellowships include learning goals and objectives that help students develop academic and professional skills.

The Center for Cultural Liberation (CCL) works to retain, support, and celebrate students from historically marginalized backgrounds. By fostering an inclusive campus climate that educates and challenges, the CCL upholds the longstanding social justice values of Dominican University. The CCL offers NEBO Fellowship opportunities that you can design with a NEBO mentor. If you're unable to find one, the CCL can help match you with an appropriate mentor. The CCL is currently accepting applications for the STAR Fellows Funded NEBO! For more information or to apply, contact Associate Director of the Center for Cultural Liberation (CCL) & Undocumented Student Support Coordinator Yessenia Hernandez.

Dominican’s Office of Career Programs has a number of professional development opportunities for undocumented students, including internships. Internships can be offered through Parker Dewey as short-term, paid professional projects similar to assignments given to new hires or interns. Open to all students, including those with valid ITIN numbers, these internships allow participants to develop and showcase skills, explore careers, and build networks while being compensated for their work. Dream.US scholars and other undocumented students have access to financial support through these opportunities to enhance their professional experiences.

Internships can also be offered through NEBO Fellowships in the form of financial aid awards.

For information about NEBO Fellowships through the Office of Career Programs and Employer Relations and other professional development opportunities, contact Eric Borsche, our Assistant Director of Student Employment & Internships.

The Excellence in Experiential Learning (ExcEL) Scholar Awards provide scholarships of up to $2,000 to undergraduate students seeking to enhance their education through experiences beyond the classroom. These opportunities include studying abroad, conducting independent research, funding internships, engaging in community-based learning, or pursuing creative and entrepreneurial projects. ExcEL Awards are open to all students at Dominican, regardless of immigration status. The award application periods run from mid-September to mid-October in the fall semester and from early February to early March in the spring semester. Contact Director for Civic Learning Paul Simpson or visit the ExcEL website to learn more.

University Ministry welcomes students to explore life’s big questions in our diverse community. Students are invited to deepen and nurture their spiritual roots as we all work towards a more just and humane world. We learn from one another as we cultivate inclusive spaces that celebrate the intersection of faith, culture, and justice. As a Catholic, Dominican community, we live out our motto of Caritas et Veritas (Love and Truth). We are called to interfaith dialogue and journeying together with persons of non-faith and all faith traditions. There are several NEBO Fellowship opportunities that promote faith formation that are available through University Ministry. 

• Beloved Community: This faith formation and leadership development fellowship is designed for students who are interested in learning from the experiences of Black communities and the spiritualities of African-descended peoples in and around the city of Chicago.
• Ministry En Lo Cotidiano: “Ministry en lo Cotidiano” means ministry “in the everyday.” Lo cotidiano, a concept from Latine theologians in the U.S. over the past 30 years, refers to the starting point for knowing God through the lived experiences of Latines, shaped by both marginalization and grace. MLC is a faith formation and leadership development fellowship for students who are interested in learning from the experiences of the Latine community.
• Waters Internship: This program creates opportunities for students to live out their faith and justice commitments on campus. Teams of interns work in five different areas—Design and Outreach, Faith Justice, Interfaith, Liturgies and Retreats and Vocation.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistantships (UTA) are tutors who are embedded in challenging STEM courses and collaborate with faculty to foster student success. UTAs are currently available in courses in Psychology, Nutrition, Math, Chemistry and Nursing. UTAs attend all class meetings, hold supplemental workshops, and grade low-stakes assignments. This is an excellent opportunity for students who want to develop leadership, communication, and course-based skills. For more information about the NEBO Fellowship UTA position, contact the program coordinators, Professor of Psychology Dr. Tracy Caldwell or Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Persis Driver

The Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) program assigns peer tutors in gateway STEM courses. These tutors, embedded in lectures, lead small groups in weekly workshops to promote problem-solving and collaboration outside of class. Current STEM gateway courses that may include peer tutors are BIOL 111, 112; CHEM 120, 121, 254; and MATH 130, 250, 251, 261. To qualify to serve as a PLTL tutor, you must have earned a grade of B or better in the course for which you want to be a tutor. For more information about the NEBO Fellowship PLTL tutor position, contact the Peer-facilitated Learning Coordinator Steven Montalvo at smontalvo1@dom.edu.

The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations (URSCI) program supports experiences that are the highlight of your education. Engaging in research, scholarship or a creative investigation in your major area of study gives you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor and extend learning beyond the curriculum to dive deeper into your discipline or area of interest. To apply for an URSCI Career Advancement Through Research Award, you first need to identify a faculty mentor to work with you on a project in your major. For more information, check out the NEBO Fellowship URSCI Career Advancement Through Research Award or contact URSCI Director, Dr. Irina Calin-Jageman.