Tackling critical issues of today
The Eckerd College Gulf Scholars Program provides students with the skills to examine and address critical issues facing the Gulf region from a multidisciplinary perspective, with an emphasis on the Tampa Bay area.
We leverage our location and resources to empower future changemakers and leaders equipped to address challenges at the intersections of social, environmental and energy systems to ensure a safer, more resilient, equitable and sustainable region.
We utilize a cohort model to create a cohesive community of Gulf Scholars who learn together.
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Stipends
Each Gulf Scholar receives a stipend of $3,000 to support the student’s learning and research while enrolled in the program, and is eligible for additional research funds after completing the program.
Apply to become a Gulf Scholar!
Apply online by early October for Fall 2024.
Inspiring leaders in the field of resilience on the Gulf Coast and beyond
With support from faculty and researchers, Gulf Scholars learn and practice:
INTEGRATING KNOWLEDGE AND APPROACHES FROM MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES
IMPROVING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
DEVELOPING ETHICAL REASONING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS
In addition, because Eckerd is just one member in a regional consortium of colleges and universities with their own Gulf Scholars programs, Eckerd Gulf Scholars attend conferences and other National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine–sponsored events and establish contacts at NASEM.
All of these experiences and moments put our scholars on track to become tomorrow’s leaders in the field of environmental resilience.
Interdisciplinary, problem-based learning
We contend that an understanding of how separate branches of academia can positively impact others is vital to addressing large Gulf-wide environmental, social and cultural issues—so the core of our program is explicitly oriented toward interdisciplinarity.
We recruit a broad set of Gulf Scholars from across the many disciplines at Eckerd to bring them out of their respective comfort zones with an equally multifaceted curriculum based on a range of professional perspectives.
We also invite students to approach the many challenges affecting our local region through the development of project- and problem-based courses during the Winter Term of their junior year.
Creating an inclusive community
We embrace the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
All scholars take a Gulf Immersion and Gulf Resilience course that includes exercises and activities designed to encourage students and faculty to reflect on social identity, cultural background, and perspectives they bring into the classroom—as well as other techniques drawn from inclusive pedagogy.
