Established in 2005 by President Richard C. Levin, the Woodbridge Fellowship introduces recent Yale College graduates to the work and administration of Yale. The fellowship provides valuable professional experience for potential careers in higher education and non-profit organizations, particularly for recent graduates belonging to minority communities currently underrepresented in university administration.
Fellowships are full-time paid positions in the offices of university leaders, who take active interest in fellows’ professional development. Fellows directly report to senior members of their offices and work with a variety of university staff, at all levels. Fellows most often combine day-to-day duties with responsibilities for specific projects that utilize their research abilities and other higher-level skills. Organizational and writing skills are particularly valuable, as is the ability to work well with multiple constituencies: staff of all kinds (clerical, technical, service, maintenance, managerial, and professional), faculty, alumni, and students.
Fellows meet regularly together, including for lunchtime conversation with the president, provost, secretary, and other university leaders. These conversations about roles and responsibilities, and the career paths that led people into academic administration, give fellows a broad understanding of many facets of working in higher education.
Profiles on current and past Woodbridge Fellows can be found below.
For prospective fellows
April 10 update: One position in the Yale College Dean’s Office is now open for applications, which are due April 21 at 4:30 p.m. Applications to the other Woodbridge Fellow positions are now closed.
General Information
Applications are open to Yale College graduates of the Class of 2022 and Class of 2023.
The Woodbridge Fellowship is a full-time paid position in the offices of a university leader, offering an introduction to the work and administration of Yale.
It provides valuable professional experience, particularly for students belonging to minority communities currently underrepresented in university administration.
Fellows receive a salary of approximately $55,000 with medical, dental, and vision insurance, and other managerial and professional benefits.
Participating offices and centers are:
- Education Studies program
- Good Life Center
- Office of International Affairs (2 positions)
- Office of New Haven Affairs
- Office of Public Affairs & Communication
- Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life
- Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration
- Yale College Dean’s Office
Application Instructions
To apply for the Yale College Dean’s Office positions, please submit by April 21 at 4:30 p.m. a cover letter, a resume, and an unofficial transcript as a single pdf file. Use with the following file name format: LastName.OfficeName (Example: Thorkelson.EDST).
- Yale College Dean’s Office, Student Engagement (YCDE)
Questions about the fellowship or application process can be directed to Blake Thorkelson (blake.thorkelson@yale.edu) and Christian Milian-Santiago (christian.milian@yale.edu).
