Cooper-McElvaney Fellowship

Multi-Religious Programming

The aim of the Cooper-McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship is to encourage students to live out their faith in work for peace and justice, locally and globally. The Fellowship provides opportunities for students at SMU to pursue their passions while contributing to a just and peace-filled world.

The Fellowship is a 6-week service-based learning experience designed to allow students to work for peace and justice with a faith-based organization in their chosen field. Each Fellow will be matched with a mentor who is involved in peace and justice work and will provide advice and model a life of peace and justice integrated with one’s career.

Undergraduate and graduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.2 are welcome to apply. The application includes: a brief bio, project proposal, letter of support from sponsoring organization, and faculty/staff recommendation. Applications are open during the spring semester.

Applications are open during the Spring semester. For more information or to express your interest, email chaplain@see-sac.com.

Cooper Peace and Justice Lecture

SMU students, faculty and staff gained a deeper awareness of the challenges faced by families and individuals experiencing homelessness during this year’s Cooper Peace and Justice Lecture, Prophets at the Margins: Faith, Housing and the Fight for Dignity.

The event, co-sponsored by the Simmons School of Education and Human Development and Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, featured four faith leaders from local congregations and nonprofit organizations serving people who are unhoused or at risk of losing housing. Continue reading about this year's lecture.

Previous Fellows

2024

Zahra Chowdhury

Focus: Juvenile Justice

2023

Ella Skelsey

Location: Transitions
Focus: Free Expression

2022

Briana Freshwater

Location: United Way of Dallas
Focus: Poverty

2021

Johanna Pang
Razan Bayan
Samar Ramas
2020

Nia Kamau
Rhonda Hodges

Peace and Justice in Action

The Cooper-McElvany Fellowship was featured in the 2020-2021 Student Affairs Impact, which highlights SMU students and the work of the Division of Student Affairs each year. Read how 2020-2021 Fellows, Nia Kamau and Rhonda Hodges, continued their research and service work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read the Article