Since the launch of the MSI Initiative in 1994, the Population Fellows Programs have been working closely with HBCU, HSI, and TCU faculty to make our programming as relevant as possible to their students. Our earliest activity was a faculty seminar examining issues in international population from the minority perspective. Our most recent was the pilot test of a certificate program for MSI undergraduates that combined an introductory development course team-taught by MSI faculty on the U-M campus, relevant courses at participating students’ home MSIs, and our MSI summer undergraduate internship.

All of our faculty collaborations are designed to better serve MSI students while making the best use of the unique strengths and resources of both the Population Fellows Programs and our partner MSIs.

For MSI faculty interested in issues of international family planning, reproductive health, and population-environment, there are two primary ways to get involved with our programs. The first is to become a faculty liaison on your campus. This involves meeting with our recruiters; advising them of issues of concern to you, your students, and colleagues in the arena of international development; directing them to appropriate classes and events at which they can present our internships; recommending internship candidates; and serving as your campus’ resident expert on our program offerings.

If you wish to become further involved with our programs, the next step would be to consider serving on our MSI Advisory Board. In addition to the role of faculty liaison, advisory board members are deeply involved in shaping the future direction of our programming. They recommend program refinements, review and select internship candidates, and propose new ways to prepare MSI students for future leadership in the field. (The certificate course we recently piloted was a recommendation of our advisory board.)

If you are interested in exploring these options, we encourage you to contact us.