Weiss Fellowship
The Weiss Fellowship program extends lifelong learning to its recent graduates (within the last 10 years) in preparation for leadership positions in service.
A Weiss Fellow serves a two-year term on the college’s board of trustees to hone the skills expected of volunteer leaders: patient analysis, thoughtful reflection, respect for collegiality, ethical decision-making, and financial stewardship. Muhlenberg graduates independent, critical thinkers who are intellectually agile and committed to lifelong learning. The Weiss Fellowship program ensures that this expertise is shared in service with all types of nonprofits around the world.
Responsibilities and Benefits of a Weiss Fellow
Each Weiss Fellow will:
- Serve a two-year term on the Muhlenberg Board of Trustees, with a year overlap between fellows
- Attend all board meetings (tri-annual) during their term as a non-voting but participating member
- Receive a stipend for necessary travel and accommodations during board meetings and for useful learning resources (i.e. subscription to Trusteeship magazine, attendance at an Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges workshop).
- Receive training in the fiduciary obligations, leadership responsibilities, and skills of effective trusteeship
- Choose to serve on one or more board standing committees or a task force to develop specific skills
- Review relevant board materials for the committees in which they participate with accountability for confidentiality and fiduciary responsibility
- Have the opportunity to attend the annual gathering of trustees emeriti to learn how former trustees continue to lead after their terms of service are completed
- Partner with a sitting trustee who serves as a mentor throughout the two-year fellowship
- Develop lifelong relationships with fellow trustees from varied industries who share their commitment to skilled governance
Application Instructions
Graduates of the last decade are eligible to apply by submitting the following application materials:
- A résumé or curriculum vitae
- A 500-word reflective statement answering the questions: What is my vision for volunteer service as a board member? How will this fit into my professional and volunteer leadership plans?
- Two written references from individuals who speak to the applicant’s leadership skills and their capacity to grow through the Weiss Fellowship program
The application for 2026 will be posted in the spring.
For questions or more information, please contact WeissFellow@muhlenberg.edu or the President’s Office at 484-664-3125.
Selection Process
- The nominations and governance committee will recommend one Weiss Fellow to the board at its spring meeting.
- Accepted applicants are notified of their selection via written letter and email in May.
- New Weiss Fellows are announced via internal and external Muhlenberg channels.
- Term of service begins July 1 of the year in which a Weiss Fellow is selected and ends in two years on June 30.
- Applicants who are not selected are welcome to reapply.
Remembering Life Trustee Harold Weiss ’52
As a young man, Bishop Harold “Hal” Weiss ’52 sold chickens on his family farm each summer to pay his Muhlenberg tuition. After World War II, he became a theologian, a pastor, and a beloved bishop within the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1978, Muhlenberg awarded Weiss an honorary doctorate of divinity. After two distinguished terms as a Muhlenberg trustee, the board bestowed on Hal its highest honor: the designation of life trustee.
Life trustees are individuals whose wisdom, insight, and diplomacy are so valued to the college that they are selected as leaders who always have a seat at the table of governance and decision-making. Weiss represented the gold standard of board service and led with dignity and intention until his passing in August 2017.
To honor Harold Weiss’ memory, and to perpetuate his process of thoughtful leadership, the board established the Weiss Fellowship program.