The Mina Rees Library will host the 14th cohort of the Open Knowledge Fellowship in June 2026 (see dates below). This 6-session program includes a stipend of $2000, paid via Financial Aid in Spring 2026. The first 4 will be held in person, the last 2 via Zoom.
We are proud to share that more than two-hundred of your fellow Graduate Center students have become Fellows over the past 5 years, since 2020. We encourage students from all academic disciplines to check out this excellent opportunity to learn more about open resources.
Apply by Monday, February 23rd at 10:00AM EST!
Fully enrolled students are encouraged to apply, including all Graduate Center students in PhD or MA programs who will be teaching at CUNY in Summer or Fall 2026. We prioritize students in the application process who have taught at CUNY and whose courses are able to be converted to OER (no textbook requirement). Please note: First year GC students are ineligible for this opportunity.
What is the Open Knowledge Fellowship? Read below for details, and see our series of short essay reflections from former Fellows. Past participants have completed ambitious, creative projects, including Annotated Open Resource Guides, openly licensed textbooks, extensive course sites, and more!
If you have any questions about how to apply or what the program entails, feel free to reach out: [email protected]
An Overview: Dates & Times
4 in person sessions: June 9, 11, 16, 18 | 2 sessions via Zoom: June 23, 25
In Person for Four Sessions: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am – 1pm. Optional working time from 1-2pm is available following the in-person sessions.
Eligibility Requirements: GC doctoral or MA students who will be teaching at CUNY in Summer or Fall 2026. Participants must be fully enrolled in Spring 2026 to receive the $2000 stipend, paid via Financial Aid. Full enrollment for doctoral students is 7 credits or weighed instruction units (WIUs); for MA students, 9 credits. (Please note: First year GC students are ineligible for this opportunity.)
What will happen during the Open Knowledge Fellowship?
The Fellowship provides interactive training through a series of activities and presentations, about how to find and implement openly licensed resources for the course you teach at CUNY. Often referred to as Open Educational Resources (OER), these may include textbooks, lab manuals, ancillary materials, videos. We’ll also talk about the economics of Open Access (OA) scholarship and how to locate high-quality journal articles that are freely available online. Overall, you’ll gain a sense of how to more effectively navigate the scholarly landscape in your field.
By the end of the Fellowship, you will have:
- Adapted the syllabus for the course you will be teaching at CUNY, so that it consists entirely of cost-free materials. Your course will be coded as “ZTC,” Zero Textbook Cost, no required textbook for students to purchase.
- Voiced and further developed a critical and informed perspective about economic/political issues in scholarly publishing that connects to your field of study.
- Created a set of unique strategies for inviting students into the creation of open resources, centered around the goals for your course!
We’re excited to work with you!
