The University of Texas at Austin offers a range of programs designed to foster community-engaged scholarship, connecting talented students and researchers with community organizations to address pressing social challenges. These innovative initiatives bridge the gap between academic expertise and community impact.
Community partners can work with us in a variety of ways, including:
- Post a job or internship to hire UT graduate student talent
- Connect and share advice with graduate students and postdocs
- Participate in CONNECT or PhD Pathways, our graduate fellowship programs
Post a Job or Internship
If you are interested in hiring a graduate student or postdoc for your organization, you can post a job on HireUTexas. Learn more on our Employers page.
Connect and Share Advice with Graduate Students and Postdocs
Join a panel discussion
Share advice for navigating the social impact space, discuss challenges and introduce hot topics in your field, and give students an inside look into potential future careers.
Site Visit
Host a visit to your organization for up to 20 students and introduce them to your work culture.
Host a Workshop
Share your expertise and guide graduate students in building the skills and experience necessary for the nonprofit or social impact space.
Participate in a Graduate Fellowship Program
CONNECT Program
CONNECT Program website
CONNECT empowers nonprofits by addressing data and evaluation challenges, enabling organizations to harness insights and achieve meaningful social impact.
CONNECT bridges the gap between nonprofits and The University of Texas at Austin’s data-driven talent. Through tailored project scoping, strategic matches with graduate students and hands-on support, CONNECT helps community organizations build capacity and foster a culture of data-driven decision-making.
The program offers:
- Targeted project scoping
- Graduate student recruitment and matching
- Ongoing support for the organization and students
- Fellowship opportunities for participating students
CONNECT Project Categories
Measurement Strategy
We work with organizations to define clear program outcomes, identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and develop robust evaluation frameworks.
Data Collection & Tool Development
CONNECT supports nonprofits in refining or developing effective methods for data collection, tracking and program success measurement.
Data Interpretation & Analysis
We provide in-depth analysis of data trends over time and help communicate the findings to key stakeholders.
Advanced Analytics
For organizations looking beyond basic analysis, we offer advanced tools and expertise to address complex data challenges.
Explore our Project Library
CONNECT offers nonprofits an opportunity to address data and evaluation challenges. Review our project library for past projects.
PhD Career Pathways
Empowering Organizations with Doctoral Skills & Expertise
Launched in 2020, the PhD Career Pathways program is a collaborative initiative between the Graduate School’s Office of Career & Life Design and organizations. Ph.D. students in the arts, humanities and social sciences are paired with an organization for two semesters at 10 hours per week , to work on a scoped project. Pathways fellows bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to their site projects, which often evolve into larger scale projects, extended contracts or full-time job offers.
Pathways Fellow Skill Sets:
- Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research
- Archival Research
- Project Management
- Writing, Editing and Textual Analysis
- Curriculum and Instructional Design
- Survey Design
- Community Engagement & Public Humanities
- Data Analysis and Program Evaluation
- Policy Analysis
Pathways Projects
We work with Pathways sites to scope projects for 9-month internships and facilitate their collaboration with Ph.D. students.
Selected PhD Pathways Projects
PhD Pathways fellows work on projects ranging from archival research, literature reviews and curriculum design to public scholarship exhibits, data and evaluation, and user experience projects.
Get in Touch
For more information about community partnership opportunities, please contact the Office of Career & Life Design.
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Zachary Carr
Associate Director for Community Engaged Experiences
The Office of Career & Life Design, The Graduate School
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Colleen Gleeson
Associate Director for Employer Integration
The Office of Career & Life Design, The Graduate School