Stipends available for course-based transit projects

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas, city of Lawrence and MV Transportation have announced that up to three $1,000 stipends will be available for KU instructors of record who will integrate a transit-related applied learning project into a spring 2018 course. In addition to the stipend, instructors may submit a project budget that can request up to $1,000 to cover materials, books and other project supplies.

Instructor stipends are funded by MV Transportation, the private transportation contracting firm that operates Lawrence Transit for the city of Lawrence and KU on Wheels, to support experiential learning opportunities for students.

“We are excited to be able to offer this support for KU instructors who want to incorporate experiential learning into their classroom,” said John Augusto, assistant vice provost for experiential learning. “This partnership has delivered some inspired individual student projects in the past three years, so we are expecting to see some great course projects as well.”

Since 2014, MV Transportation has supported student learning through scholarships for transportation research projects. In an effort to provide more students with experiential learning during the spring 2018 semester, funding will benefit a variety of KU courses that integrate classroom learning in real-world situations.

Michael Sweeten, MV’s general manager responsible for managing the Lawrence Transit operation, said, “This year we are taking a slightly new direction — to be more inclusive of faculty and classes — in an effort to extend the scope of the program, foster new ideas and areas of study, reach a broader audience and explore opportunities that exist in a rapidly changing transportation industry. It could be a very interesting year. I’m looking forward to it.”

Instructors teaching transportation-focused classes as well as courses outside of transportation-related fields are encouraged to apply.

An information session about the MV Transportation Instructor Stipend will take place from 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the English Room at the Kansas Union. Representatives from MV Transportation, KU on Wheels and Lawrence Transit will be available to answer questions.

For more information about the MV Transportation Instructor Stipend and to submit a proposal, visit the KU Experiential Learning Website. The proposal submission deadline is noon Oct. 27.