Purpose: Carleton College is one of twelve midwestern institutions selected to participate in the Wingspread Fellows Program. Wingspread conferences are intensive meetings of experts gathered to discuss a variety of issues or problems at a Frank Lloyd Wright prairie home located in Racine, Wisconsin. Each year, Carleton can nominate six students to observe two such conferences each.

The Foundation's priorities are to host conferences centered around rethinking assumptions, international affairs, global environmental, institution buildings, improving cross-cultural skills, education, family and society, child development, family vitality and function, and sciences and humanities.

Background: The Melvin Brorby Wingspread Fellows program, begun in the 1970s, brings students from colleges and universities throughout the Upper Midwest to Wingspread conferences as observers. These students - our future civic leaders - are given the opportunity to meet opinion leaders and share in the discussions at Wingspread. Students of all ages and backgrounds from 13 schools throughout the Midwest participate in the program.

The Fellows program is named in honor of the late Melvin Brorby, a member of the Foundation's Board of Trustees for more than 22 years. A founding partner in the Chicago advertising agency Needham, Louis & Brorby, Inc., (now DDB Needham) Brorby was an advisor and friend to H.F. Johnson, the founder of the Foundation. Melvin Brorby's insight into the importance of personal contact between students and leaders grew largely from his own travels as a young man.

Click the options below to learn more about Wingspread:

Information about Wingspread and why you will want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Program Outline

Program Description and Biography Samples

Conference Listing for October through December 2007

Read Wingspread Fellows' reflections on the program.

Funding: The Johnson Foundation covers all conference costs including lodging accommodations, airfare (students make their own reservations, but are reimbursed at the end of the conference), travel to and from airport, and food.

Eligibility: Must be a junior or senior with a major or concentration in Economics, Educational Studies, Environmental & Technology Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, or Women's and Gender Studies. You will need to obtain the department chair or program director's signature on the application form.

Selection Criteria: Department chairs/program directors will choose one junior and one senior to represent Carleton at Wingspread Conferences. Juniors selected have the option of continuing as Wingspread Fellows during their senior year.

Application Process: Forward the following information to the Associate Dean of the College, Elizabeth Ciner:

• Applications - click these links to fill out and print an application or copies can be picked up in the Associate Dean of the College Office, Laird 140. All applications must be signed by the chair or program director before being submitted to our office.

• As part of the application, write a brief statement in a Word document that explains how becoming a Wingspread Fellow could enhance your education, enrich your personal development, and contribute to the life work for which you are preparing.

• And also, write a brief biography in a Word document (written in the third person) about your educational career, achievements, and any extra curricular activities and/or work experience which reflect your intellectual or artistic interests or your social concerns. Click here for an example.

• E-mail a copy of your brief statement and biography to ddemann@carleton.edu.
• Request that an unofficial transcript be forwarded to Elizabeth Ciner, 3-DOC.

If you are chosen as a Wingspread Fellow: Once a month you will receive an e-mail of upcoming conferences. If you are interested in attending a conference, you must write a letter of interest (in a Word document) and fill out the Wingspread application form. These can all be sent via e-mail it to ddemann@carleton.edu. Your letter of interest should include the name and date of the conference along with a brief statement explaining why you should be chosen to attend the conference and how you could benefit from attending. Your request will be forwarded to The Johnson Foundation. If approved, the Associate Dean's Office will contact you. The Johnson Foundation will send you a confirmation letter and travel instructions in the mail. If you are not accepted to a conference, don't worry. Apply for another one. The lesson to be learned: apply earlier!

Deadline to apply: Monday, October 22, 2007.

Faculty Adviser: Elizabeth Ciner, 507/222-4300, Dean of the College Office, Laird 140.

Official Website: http://www.johnsonfdn.org