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The Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) Policy Fellowship is a 6-month, paid fellowship aimed at preparing interested graduate students for a future career in public policy, advocacy, or research. The Policy Fellow will serve as a member of the TACC advocacy team helping engage community college policy experts, institutional practice thought leaders, and state legislative advocates.  As a part of the fellowship, the TACC Fellow will conduct original and secondary research on critical issues, policies, and legislation. They will work with the TACC advocacy team to produce policy documents for legislative offices on issues relevant to community colleges in Texas. The Policy Fellow will not engage in lobbying efforts.


 

The Policy Fellow may be tasked with supporting TACC affiliated associations, to include the Community College Association of Texas Trustees (CCATT) and the Texas Success Center. 


 

The Texas Association of Community Colleges is a nongovernmental organization that serves public community college districts in Texas. For seven decades, TACC has focused on its primary mission to improve statewide educational opportunities in community colleges through advocacy, public policy development, innovation, and institutional practices. TACC strives to advance economic and social mobility among students served by Texas community colleges.


 

To accomplish this, TACC engages college leaders and administrators, lawmakers in the Texas Legislature, state elected and appointed leaders, locally elected trustees and regents, and business and industry partners. TACC is a 501(c)(6) advocacy organization with a special emphasis on public policy advocacy. 


 

RESPONSIBILITIES 


 

The TACC Policy Fellow will:

  • Report to the Director of Government Relations for guidance and support on project management;
  • Support the Director of Strategy and Policy Analysis and the CCATT Director to identify and disseminate relevant and reliable information on Texas public community colleges; 
  • Assist with bill tracking relevant to community colleges during the legislative session;
  • Review and analyze new rulemakings from the Higher Education Coordinating Board;
  • Conduct research, collect and analyze data, and prepare briefs to inform public policy discourse and institutional practice; 
  • Conduct background research that will aid in the preparation of legislative testimonies, briefings, and reports; 
  • Support the production of policy briefs and legislative reports for TACC member colleges; 
  • Monitor federal, state, and local higher education policies and programs, and prepare briefing materials that convey the impact of these developments; 
  • Conduct literature reviews and policy landscape analyses; 
  • Draft reports, memos, briefs, and other content, as requested.


 

QUALIFICATIONS   

TACC Policy Fellow candidates must be:

  • Enrolled in a graduate-level degree program in higher education, public policy, or a related field; 
  • Flexible, adaptable, detail-oriented, responsive to changing priorities, and solutions-focused; 
  • An effective communicator, both verbally and in writing; 
  • Willing to work independently or in a team environment, and manage multiple projects; and
  • Experience working with government datasets, higher education policy preferred. 


 

POLICY FELLOW LEARNINGS AND OUTCOMES

By the end of the TACC Policy Fellowship, fellows will have:

  • Gained insight into the Texas legislative process and public policy development;
  • Developed research and advocacy skills necessary for effective public policy development;
  • Conducted policy research and analysis in support of higher education;
  • Honed an ability to translate and communicate research to non-academic audiences; and 
  • Developed a broader understanding of actionable higher education policy research.


 

COMPENSATION

The TACC Policy Fellowship is a part-time, temporary position, which will begin on January 14, 2025 and end on June 30, 2025.  The policy fellow is expected to work an average of 20 hours per week.  TACC will compensate the policy fellow a monthly stipend of $4,000.00. There is some flexibility on the schedule, though consistent times during regular business hours will be established. 


 

The policy fellow may perform a portion of their primary responsibilities from a remote location.  However, TACC does require the policy fellow to attend in-person meetings and events as needed. 


 

SELECTION PROCESS

Qualified candidates should apply for the TACC Policy Fellowship by December 9, 2024.  Applicants will need to submit the following: 

  • A letter of interest;
  • Resume / CV;
  • List of references; and 
  • Brief policy writing samples   


 

Complete applications should be submitted to Jacob Cottingham, jcottingham@tacc.org, with the subject line “TACC Policy Fellowship.”