PLEDGE Initiative

The Fellowship will last September 2023 through November 2024 and comprise of nine Fellowship meetings: five two-day, in-person meetings and four 90-minute virtual meetings. Meetings will take place roughly every seven to eight weeks. Each Fellowship team will be expected to host an in-person meeting at their home institution.

Fellowship teams will receive the following funding and support premised on enhancing the feasibility and quality of their work:

• Capstone budget: up to $25,000 for research activities
• Stipend: $4,000 per Fellow
• Access to Capstone design expertise
• Access to DEI professional development coaching

By the end of the Fellowship, each Fellow should be knowledgeable of:

• Foundational empirical concepts of program evaluation and assessment
• Concepts and issues relevant to the fostering of diversity, equity, and inclusion in law schools and other organizations
• Statistical trends pertaining to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity among law school applicants, law students, and the legal profession

Below is a preliminary Fellowship meeting schedule. Each of the three Fellowship teams will be expected to host a two-day in-person session at their home institution at some point during meetings four-eight. The exact dates will be determined at meeting one.

Draft Meeting Schedule

• Meeting One (In-person–Atlanta): 
  • September 13-15, 2023
• Meeting Two (Virtual): 
  • November 1, 2023
• Meeting Three (Virtual):
  • December 13, 2023
• Meeting Four (In-person–Fellow team host):
  • February 7-9, 2024
• Meeting Five (In-person or virtual TBD):
  • April 3, 2024 (if virtual); April 3-5, 2024 (if in-person)
• Meeting Six (In-person–Fellow team host):
  • May 22-24, 2024 
• Meeting Seven (In-person or virtual TBD):
  • July 17, 2024 (if virtual); July 17-19, 2024 (if in-person)
• Meeting Eight (In-person or virtual TBD):
  • September 11, 2024 (if virtual); September 11-13, 2024 (if in-person)
• Meeting Nine (In-person – AccessLex Symposium):
  • November 6-7, 2024

Ongoing Capstone support and coaching.

Criteria for each member of a Fellowship team: 

Required: 

• Commitment and ability to participate for length of Fellowship, including attendance at required in-person meetings

Encouraged:

• PLEDGE Bootcamp participation
• Experience working with students from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Ability to host one two-day, in-person Fellowship meeting at home institution

Application components: 

1. Application form 
2. Statement of Interest and Contributions to Diversity
   The strongest statements will be no more than four pages long and will provide details pertaining to the following areas: 
   • Explanation of team interest in Fellowship and extent to which the team collectively and individually meets Fellowship eligibility criteria, including any experience conducting program assessments. 
   • A track record of engagement and activity by team members related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Specific details about these activities should be provided. 
3. Capstone proposal
   The proposal should respond to the following prompts. Responses should be as specific and concise as possible: 
   • Description of the problems or issues that the program you will be assessing is seeking (or will seek) to address.  
   • Description of program, including its components, duration, and the students it serves. Please also indicate if the program is preexisting or would be launched for the first time as part of the Capstone.  
   • List the primary research questions your Capstone will seek to answer. 
   • List any hypotheses or assumptions related to your research questions. 
   • Describe the primary research methods you will be using (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and explain why the methods are appropriate. 
   • List and describe each data source that would be used to carry out the Capstone. Describe the degree of availability, access, and permissions that the Fellowship team has to each data source. 
4. Letter of recommendation and support for each team member from a Dean or other relevant administrator. Each letter should communicate approval and support of team members’ participation in the PLEDGE Fellowship. Team members who report to a common administrator may submit a joint letter. 
5. Team member CVs/resumes highlighting relevant experiences and qualifications (no more than three pages each). 

Please refer to the template PLEDGE Fellowship Participation Agreement for additional details and terms associated with participation in this program. 

Please note that by uploading your application, you agree to be bound by the terms of the AccessLex Privacy Policy. 

AccessLex will cover two nights' hotel stay for participants. Participants will be responsible for all other travel expenses.

Questions about the Fellowship or this application should be directed to PLEDGE@accesslex.org. 

Please note that by uploading your application, you agree to be bound by the terms of the AccessLex Privacy Policy.  

The Bootcamp application for the 2023 event is now closed. Check back for future Bootcamp event dates.