IMPACT Fellows: Evidence-Informed Innovation for Higher Education Application 

This is the application for the IMPACT Fellows: Evidence-Informed Innovation for Higher Education, a joint initiative of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis and the Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS). 

Applications are due by Wednesday, March 31, 2027, and notifications of acceptance decisions will be shared by Friday, April 30, 2027.

IMPACT Fellows Application Package

The IMPACT Fellows application process is designed to help reviewers identify individuals and teams with the leadership capacity, institutional support, and innovative ideas necessary to advance meaningful institutional change through evidence-informed innovation. The application serves as the first stage of the fellowship experience by encouraging applicants to clarify their leadership aspirations, define a proposed Innovation Challenge Project, and secure institutional commitment for participation and implementation.

Characteristics of Strong IMPACT Fellows Applications

The strongest applications make a compelling case that participation in IMPACT Fellows will support individual or team development, along with advancing evidence-informed innovations. Strong applications generally:

• Address meaningful institutional opportunities, challenges, or strategic priorities.
• Demonstrate clear leadership support and institutional commitment.
• Apply evidence to inform innovation and decision making.
• Present ambitious yet realistic project concepts.
• Show potential to generate meaningful organizational learning and impact.
• Demonstrate thoughtful consideration of implementation challenges and opportunities.
• Include plans for dissemination and contribution to the broader higher education community.
• Reflect the values of the Four-I Framework: Insight, Innovation, Implementation, and Impact.

Applications consist of three parts:           

1. Applicant Information
2. Narrative Application (maximum 1,500 words total)
3. Institutional Commitment and Support Letter

Part 1: Applicant Information

Individual Applicant Information

Applicants should provide:

• Name
• Title/Position
• Institution
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Years of Professional Experience in Higher Education
• Brief Professional Biography (150 words maximum)

Team Applicant Information

Institutions may submit team applications when a collaborative approach is expected to strengthen implementation, institutional learning, and impact. Teams should provide:

• Team Name (optional)
• Institution
• Designated Team Lead/Primary Contact
• Names and Titles of All Team Members
• Email Addresses of All Team Members
• Brief Description of Each Team Member's Role in the Project (150 words maximum per person)

Part 2: Narrative Application

Maximum Total Narrative Length: 1,500 Words

Question 1: Leadership and Institutional Context (Maximum 500 Words)

Describe the institutional opportunity, challenge, or strategic priority that you hope to address through your proposed Innovation Challenge Project. Please briefly discuss:

• Why the issue matters within your institutional context.
• How it aligns with institutional priorities, goals, or strategic initiatives.
• Why you (or your team) are well positioned to advance this work.
• What support currently exists within your institution to help move the project forward.

Question 2: Innovation and Implementation (Maximum 500 Words)

Describe the Innovation Challenge Project you propose to pursue through IMPACT Fellows. Please briefly discuss:

• The innovation, initiative, or approach you intend to design, adapt, scale, implement, or evaluate.
• What evidence, data, research, assessment findings, stakeholder input, or prior experience informed your thinking.
• What makes the proposed approach innovative within your institutional context.
• Key implementation opportunities, challenges, and success factors.

Note: Innovation does not require creating something entirely new. Projects may involve adapting proven practices, scaling promising pilots, leveraging emerging technologies, redesigning institutional processes, creating new partnerships, or developing new approaches to learning, student success, workforce readiness, institutional effectiveness, or organizational improvement.

Question 3: Impact and Contribution (Maximum 500 Words)

Describe the difference you hope the Innovation Challenge Project will make for your institution and what you hope to gain and contribute through participation in IMPACT Fellows. Please briefly discuss:

• The intended benefits, outcomes, or value the project could create.
• How you might recognize progress, success, or impact.
• How participation in IMPACT Fellows could strengthen your ability to lead innovation and change.
• How you intend to share lessons learned with colleagues, your institution, and the broader higher education community.

Note: Applicants are not expected to demonstrate that every aspect of the proposed project will be fully implemented within the fellowship period. Rather, applicants should describe how participation in IMPACT Fellows may help advance meaningful institutional learning, innovation, implementation, and impact.

Part 3: Institutional Commitment and Support Letter

A letter of support from an appropriate senior institutional leader is required:

• President
• Chancellor
• Provost
• Vice President
• Vice Chancellor
• Dean
• Associate Vice President
• Associate Vice Chancellor
• Other Senior Institutional Leader

The letter should be on institutional letterhead and briefly address the following areas:

• Institutional Alignment: the proposed Innovation Challenge Project aligns with institutional priorities, goals, initiatives, or strategic plans.
• Leadership Support: the letter should describe why the applicant (or team) is well positioned to participate in IMPACT Fellows and lead the proposed project.
• Financial Commitment: the letter must explicitly confirm institutional support for participation in both the 2027 and 2028 Assessment Institutes in Indianapolis, including support for registration, travel, and lodging.
• Any Other Information: as appropriate, the letter should include any additional details concerning how the institution will support the Fellow(s) and Innovation Challenge Project.

Application Deadline

Applications are due by Wednesday, March 31, 2027, and notifications of acceptance decisions will be shared by Friday, April 30, 2027. Should you have questions, please email Stephen Hundley at shundley@iu.edu and reference IMPACT Fellows in the subject line. 

[Start Application]