The world's first human accelerator, the Polymath Fellowship, is a certificate program for early career professionals who've completed a bachelor's degree. During the 1 year fellowship, fellows will work on a complex problem of their choosing and will be matched with 3 industry leaders as expert mentors. Fellows will take 6 courses designed to develop their ability to understand systems and lead across silos.
CHICAGO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Polymath University, a startup nonprofit university building an apprenticeship-based and debt-free model for college, announces the Polymath Fellowship, a year-long interdisciplinary certificate program beginning Fall 2025.
Designed for early career leaders and problem solvers who have already completed a bachelor's degree, the Polymath Fellowship will develop fellows' ability to think critically and integrate across disciplines – a key trait of polymaths – through mentorship with industry leaders and a six-course curriculum designed for each fellow's chosen challenge.
"In today's interconnected, complex and technology-enabled world, the ability to think across silos is more critical than ever, both for driving organizational success and addressing humanity's greatest challenges," said Dan Futrell, founder of Polymath University. "As the world tackles climate change, poverty, and conflict, and as companies navigate supply chains, inflation, and ever-expansive data, those who can connect the dots with systems thinking will lead the charge and drive innovation."
Applicants will complete a short application where they name a complex, interdisciplinary problem they wish to address. This problem could be one they are working on, aspire to work on, or is part of their job. Polymath University will then match each fellow with three expert mentors that will advise on the fellow's chosen challenge.
For example, an applicant working for the nonprofit Clear Water Action aiming to improve access to clean drinking water in Flint might be paired with a historian, a chemist, and a public policy professional. An applicant working for technology company Meta seeking to address misinformation and bullying online may be matched with a data scientist, behavioral psychologist, and graphic designer.
"As the complexity of global challenges continues to grow, the need for interdisciplinary thinkers who can connect the dots outside of their team becomes more evident," said David Epstein, a Polymath Fellowship mentor and NYT Bestselling author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. "The fellowship can help equip participants with the skills to tackle these issues from multiple perspectives, fostering innovation that benefits individuals, organizations, and society as a whole."
The fellowship will begin with an in-person orientation in Chicago, after which fellows across the country will take part in courses remotely. The fellowship curriculum includes six courses designed to develop the ability to integrate across disciplines, including:
- Introduction to Polymathy: Building interdisciplinary skills in a siloed world.
- Interdisciplinary Systems Thinking: Understanding complex systems and their parts.
- Applying Polymathy Through Collaboration: Leadership through targeted inquiry.
- Knowledge Translation: Adapting scientific insights to local context.
- Accelerating Impact with Technology: Analytical methods and artificial intelligence.
- Human-Centered and Speculative Design: Applying best practices in design for impact.
A maximum of 100 fellows will be chosen for the inaugural cohort of Polymath Fellows. The application will open on September 3, 2024 and will close on December 3, 2024. A late applicant round 2 will remain open until February 4, 2025 or when the cohort is filled. The fellowship will take place from September 2025 - June 2026.
Learn more at PolymathU.org or by texting Polymath University at 312-847-2743.
Polymath University – a startup nonprofit university that prepares students for a complex and interconnected world by developing polymaths - leaders and problem solvers with breadth, depth, and the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Polymath University students pursue three non-adjacent majors alongside concurrent apprenticeships in a same-city, hybrid and debt-free model. Led by a group of Tillman Scholars and building on 20 years of scientific research on the outsized impact of modern polymaths, Polymath University represents a more human and future-proof approach to higher education. Find out more about the future of higher education at PolymathU.org.
Media Contact
Morgan Carrero, Polymath University, 1 303-359-6241, [email protected], http://polymathu.org
SOURCE Polymath University
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