Texas Lyceum Fellowship

Sarah Jackson, Texas Lyceum Vice President for Fellowships and a Bush School graduate; James McKenzie, Bush School ’20 and Texas Lyceum Fellow; and Dr. Ann Bowman, Bush School Professor

The Texas Lyceum Fellowship offers Bush School students an academically centered opportunity to develop research and analysis skills for future careers in public policy analysis. The Texas Lyceum is an independent, nonpartisan institution dedicated to cultivating young leaders by exploring policy issues in Texas in order to increase understanding of those concerns among the state’s current leaders. The Texas Lyceum Fellowship helps this esteemed organization promote research-driven solutions at the highest levels of state government.

The student selected for the Texas Lyceum Fellowship will be expected to work alongside a supervising Bush School professor on a research project on a specific policy topic. Tasks assigned during the fellowship will deliver experience analyzing and interpreting statistical tests and trends from original data, culminating in the production of a high-quality written brief to be published in the Mosbacher Institute’s The Takeaway. Additionally, the fellow will share research findings at one of the Texas Lyceum’s Quarterly Meetings or the annual Public Conference, a unique opportunity to represent the Bush School and network with Texas Lyceum Directors and guests.

The fellowship takes place during the summer months (usually mid-May through July or August) and is contingent upon fulfilling the obligations and expectations described by the Texas Lyceum. The student will be expected to plan and oversee the disbursement of fellowship funds and deliver high-quality outputs from his or her fellowship experience.

The Texas Lyceum Fellow will be awarded $5,000 for his or her research and analytic efforts. Additionally, this endeavor can count as fulfillment of the summer internship requirement students are expected to complete between their first and second year at the Bush School.

Past Texas Lycuem Fellowships

2019, James McKenzie – Voter Turnout

2018, Ashley Thomas – Health Insurance

Lyceum Fellowship Video from Working Dads Media on Vimeo.

Applicants to the program must be enrolled as a first- or second-year student at the Bush School, have domestic policy interests, be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and no course grade lower than a B, and have completed the First Year Career Seminar through the Bush School’s Office of Career and Student Services. Applicants with strong backgrounds in policy, economics, finance, and statistics will have priority in the selection process.

Applications for the Texas Lyceum Fellowship are due to the Mosbacher Institute in January on a date that is announced to all Bush School students.

The Mosbacher Fellowship Advisory Committee, comprised of the supervising professor, the Mosbacher Institute Director, and the Mosbacher Institute Assistant Director, reviews applications and ranks them based on the following criteria:

Applicant’s academic standing 15 points
Applicant’s cover letter, CV, and essay response 20 points
Letter of recommendation from a Bush School faculty member attesting to the applicant’s demonstrated interest in trade issues and analytical abilities related to this field 15 points

After the Mosbacher Fellowship Advisory Committee reviews the applications and makes its selections, the Committee will consult with The Texas Lyceum on the final selection. The Mosbacher Fellowship Advisory Committee will inform the successful awardee at the beginning of the spring semester.

Application Submission: Complete applications must be submitted via email to the Assistant Director of the Mosbacher Institute by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline specified and are comprised of the following items.

Cover Letter : Applicants should include a brief cover letter that may describe their interest in the specific policy topic and how the research opportunity fits into their professional development plans.
Applicant’s CV : Applicants should include their CV with their application; however, undergraduate transcripts should not be included.
Essay Response : Applicants should respond to the question posed by the Texas Lyceum. Statements should be three pages in length, single-spaced, and size 11 or 12 font.
Letter of Recommendation : The letter of recommendation should be from an instructor in a Bush School course who is not serving on the Mosbacher Internship Advisory Committee and should be submitted by the instructor via e-mail or hard copy directly to the assistant director of the Mosbacher Institute.
Academic Consent Form : Applicants must sign and submit a consent form provided by the Mosbacher Institute allowing the Fellowship Advisory Committee to view their final semester grades. Applicants must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 at the Bush School and have no final course grade lower than a B in order to be considered for the Texas Lyceum Fellowship program.

Production of Deliverables
The Lyceum Fellow is expected to produce a rigorous academic policy brief by the conclusion of the fellowship commitment. This policy brief will be published in the Mosbacher Institute’s The Takeaway. Additionally, the Lyceum Fellow will conclude the fellowship by attending one of the Texas Lyceum’s Quarterly Meetings or the Public Conference (PubCon), where the fellow will present his or her research and network with Texas Lyceum Directors and guests.

Financial management
The successful applicant to the Lyceum Fellowship will be awarded a sum of $5,000, which is expected to cover his or her living expenses during the fellowship. The fellow is responsible for wise and careful use of the award funds. The awarded sum is the total of the fellowship’s financial support; requests or claims in excess of this amount will not be honored.

Professional Development
The recipient will work with the Mosbacher Institute and the supervising professor to prepare a policy brief suitable for publication in the Mosbacher Institute’s The Takeaway. Additionally, upon completing the fellowship and immediately following his or her return to the Bush School, the recipient will fill out a brief fellowship evaluation survey for the Mosbacher Institute.

Recruiting and Consulting
In the semester following the completion of the fellowship, the Lyceum Fellow is expected to meet with Bush School students interested in participating in the next summer’s fellowship opportunity. The recipient of the fellowship will present information about his or her experience, including a description of responsibilities during the fellowship and the lessons learned, and is expected to answer questions about the application and matriculation process for prospective applicants.

The Mosbacher Institute will spearhead the fellowship application and selection process and provide the appropriate awarded amount to the fellow. The Institute and the supervising professor will ensure that the fellow has all of the resources necessary to complete the research project and will intercede between the Lyceum and the fellow if needed.

The Bush School, through the Office of Student Career Services, and the Mosbacher Institute will encourage the supervising professor and Texas Lyceum to provide as stimulating a learning and professional environment as possible for the fellow. In particular, the supervising professor shall be accessible to the fellow for guidance and assignment of tasks.

The Texas Lyceum will articulate clear requirements, deadlines, and expectations about the nature and quality of the final product to be produced by the fellow. Additionally, the Lyceum will provide any necessary information to facilitate the fellow’s attendance at and participation in the Texas Lyceum Quarterly Meeting or Public Conference.