About the Next System Fellows program

The Next System Fellows are undergraduate GMU students participating in Mason's selective Arlington Fellows program. Their fellowships involve:

  • Internships with a partner organization, union, or research group, or with one of our projects at Next System Studies at Mason (Democratizing NOVA, Digital Commonwealth, Next Constitutions).
  • Preparation for a career in social and public service, organizing, research, technology development, cooperative and social entrepreneurship, teaching, and more.
  • Learning about and engaging directly with real world next system projects such as worker cooperatives and solidarity economy initiatives, community owned enterprises and services, campaigns for abolition and political democracy, transition and resilient communities, democratic and sustainable technologies, non-violent conflict resolution and restorative justice projects, and more.
  • Joining a cohort of students taking multiple courses together (two required, two electives):  
    • Social Change and the Next System Seminar (required)
    • Internship Practicum (6 credits) (required)
    • Big Data, Technology, and Society (elective)
    • Cooperatives and Social Enterprise (elective)
      Power, Politics, and Society (elective)
    • Social Movements and Political Protest (elective (Fall of 2024 course will count))

We provide a $500 honorarium to each Next System Fellow to support their participation in extra-curricular research and community engagement.

Recap from the Spring 2024 Fellows

Recap from the Spring 2024 Fellows

The 2024 Next System Fellows spearhead diverse and innovative community-driven projects, demonstrating their collective commitment to social transformation and equity.

The first Next System Fellows at Arlington

The first Next System Fellows at Arlington

The original Next System Fellows leaflets posed several thought provoking questions to their readers: “Where is our society going, and where does it need to go? How do we get there, and what must we do to get there?” By posing these questions, the program implies it can provide answers to them. And perhaps it can. But essential is the pedagogy involved. By calling students to address the systemic challenges of the 21st century, the Next System Fellows program invites students to become a part of creating solutions. 

Pearl, David, Dr. Ben, Frehiwot, Steph, Eden, and Finn take a break from class sessions during the 2023 Next System Fellows experience at the Mason Square GMU campus in Arlington.
Pearl, David, Dr. Ben, Frehiwot, Steph, Eden, and Finn take a break from class sessions during the 2023 Next System Fellows experience at the Mason Square GMU campus in Arlington.