EMU Today

YPSILANTI — Eastern Michigan University Bright Futures, a network of twenty-five after school programs in three southeast Michigan K-12 public school districts, has planned for fall programming with the addition of 11 new fellowships with various EMU faculty experts.

Fall programming will begin September 2020 and run through May 2021. Programs will be developed to follow the health guidelines of each of the three school districts --Ypsilanti, Romulus and Wayne-Westland — whether virtual, face-to-face or some hybrid version.

The new fellowships come as a result of an RFP (request for proposals) that Bright Futures distributed asking for EMU faculty fellowships in an effort to utilize the vast expertise within the University community. This is the first time the organization has distributed an RFP and onboarded such a large number of new fellowships at the same time.

“Bright Futures is committed to encouraging faculty to design and implement projects that increase engagement and collaborations between EMU faculty and students, Bright Futures staff, and the K-12 students and families we serve,” said Lynn Malinoff, director of Bright Futures.  

The new fellows will lead a variety of programs, including building 3D science learning communities, developing a multicultural children’s literacy program, foreign language clubs, entrepreneurship and innovation learning for high school programs based on a NASA-developed engineering design structure, and a social media club that explores issues of safety, hate speech, and the meaning of a personal digital footprint. 

“The Fellowship RFP has been an overwhelming success,” Malinoff said. “Thanks to the faculty fellows who are eager to share their expertise with us, we’re excited to offer a full line-up of enriching and engaging fall programming.”

Bright Futures forges an alliance with three economically challenged suburban school districts and Eastern Michigan University’s Institute for the Study of Children, Families, and Communities in the office of Engage@EMU.

The project serves students and families in 14 schools in the Wayne-Westland Community School District, eight sites in the Ypsilanti Community Schools, and three sites in Romulus Community Schools. The program is designed to address the needs expressed by the families and children served, community stakeholders, and school staffs. Currently, the program focuses on math, reading, writing, health, and social emotional growth. These 21st Century Community Learning Centers are grant-funded through the Michigan Department of Education.

For more information on future fellowship opportunities, or to learn how to enroll in fall programming, contact Lynn Malinoff at lmalinoff@emich.edu, or visit the EMU BF website.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.