Resources for Hosts
Thank you for your interest in hosting a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow! Please use the information below to help you prepare for and recruit your fellow.
COVID-19 Statement: For finalists, fellows and hosts, COVID-19 practices and vaccination status are important. Fellows new to host offices will need specific information regarding office policies and protocols with respect to COVID-19. In compliance with NOAA policy, we are directing that all Knauss Fellows complete the Non-Federal Employee and Visitor Certification Form and carry it with them along with proof of vaccination (if applicable) when they need to enter a federal facility. Fellows should expect to have to present these documents when entering a federal facility.
Host offices should ensure that your fellow is clear about the current COVID-19 policy for your office, and your requirements, particularly related to vaccination status and the need and timing of relocation to the Washington, DC area as they enter their fellowship year. As a stipulation of the award all fellows must have the ABILITY to move to the DMV region. We encourage you to have clear and consistent messaging about the status and expectations of your office and note that fellows are likely to ask those questions during the interview process. Fellows are expected to follow the health rules and guidelines laid out by your office, and we want to ensure that both Fellows and hosts are aligned with those expectations.
Documents & Forms for Prospective Hosts
Host Video Directions
Host Ranking Form
Download here.
Ratification Document
Direct Hire Authority
With the implementation of the National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2020, Sea Grant Knauss Fellows are eligible for Direct Hire. The NOAA interpretation of this law can be found in hiring bulletin HRGB#1004. We encourage everyone to work with their business advisor to learn more about the process. We encourage all partner agencies to consider the use of the DHA!Â
Past Position Descriptions
2023 Position Descriptions (Executive/Legislative)
2022 Position Descriptions (Executive/Legislative)Â
2021Â Position Descriptions (Executive/Legislative)Â
2022: Executive Host Prospectus; Legislative Host ProspectusÂ
Timeline
Updated July 28, 2023
|  September 6, 2023 (1:00-2:30 EST) |  Perspective host webinar (Register HERE)  *Note this will be recorded* |
 September 25, 2023 |  Host Application and Get To Know You Videos (optional) are DUE |
 October 5, 2023 |  Deadline to submit presentations in PDF format |
| Â October 10, 2023 | Â Deadline to submit interview availability during Placement Week |
 October 11-24, 2023 |  Placement Process Wednesday/Thursday (11/12): Host Office presentations Friday (13): Interviews scheduled and provided to hosts Monday – Friday (16-20): Interviews with finalists Friday (20): Host “Office Hours” Monday (23): Host Office ranking of finalists due to Sea Grant Fellowship Manager before 6:00 AM on October 23 (oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov) and Matching Process Tuesday (24): Notification Friday (27): Return Ratification |
 February 1, 2024 |  Fellowship begins |
| Â February 1-3, 2024 | Â Mandatory Knauss Orientation (Fellows Only) |
 March 2024 |  Professional Development Plans due to Program Manager |
 Summer 2024 |  Mid-Year Reviews between host mentor and fellow to discuss progress |
 January 31, 2024 |  Fellowship ends |
Host Schedule
Host 101
To watch the webinar recording, please visit this link. If you have not yet registered for the webinar, you will need to register to access the recording.
Host Position Submission Form
View the final position list here.
If you have trouble accessing the Google Form, please download this Word document and submit your position via email to oar.sg.fellow@noaa.gov
Host Presentation Schedule
Knauss Finalist Headshots, Videos & Application Packages
Scroll through and click on each finalist to view their respective application packages and follow the links to their Get-to-know-you videos.
Host Welcome Letter
Timeline
Host Schedule
Legislative Host documents will be updated in November 2023. Thank you for your patience.
Host 101
To watch the webinar recording, please visit this link. If you have not yet registered for the webinar, you will need to register to access the recording.
Host Position Submission Form
Legislative Host documents will be updated in November 2023. Thank you for your patience.
Host Presentation Schedule
Legislative Host documents will be updated in November 2023. Thank you for your patience.
Knauss Finalist Headshots, Videos & Application Packages
Legislative Host documents will be updated in November 2023. Thank you for your patience.
Archived Resources for Reference Only
2023 Executive Host Office Timeline
Updated August 4, 2022|  September 8, 2022 (3:00-5:00 EST) |  Perspective host webinar (Register HERE) *Note this will be recorded* |
| Â September 28, 2022 | Â Host Application and (optional) Get To Know You Videos are DUE |
| Â October 6, 2022 | Â Deadline to submit presentations in PDF format |
| Â October 11, 2022 | Â Deadline to submit interview availability during Placement Week |
|  October 12-26, 2022 |  Placement Process Wednesday/Thursday (12/13): Host Office presentations Monday (17): Interviews scheduled and provided to hosts Tuesday – Friday (18-21): Interviews with finalists Friday (21): Submit up to five finalists for Call Backs Monday (24): Call backs Tuesday (25): Host Office ranking of finalists due to Sea Grant Fellowship Manager before 6:30 AM on October 25 (oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov) and Matching Process Wednesday (26): Notification Friday (28): Return Ratification |
| Â February 1, 2023 | Â Fellowship begins |
| Â February 1-3, 2023 | Â Mandatory Knauss Orientation (Fellows Only) |
|  March 2023 |  Professional Development Plans due to Program Manager |
| Â Summer 2023 | Â Mid-Year Reviews between host mentor and fellow to discuss progress |
| Â January 31, 2023 | Â Fellowship ends |
2023 Legislative Host Office Timeline
Updated November 14, 2022
|  December 15, 2022 (12:30-2:00 EST) |  Perspective Host Webinar (register HERE). *Note this will be recorded. |
 January 11, 2023 |  Host Application and (optional) Get To Know You Videos are DUE |
 January 18, 2023 (by 12:00 PM EST) |  Deadline to submit interview availability during Placement Week |
 January 23-27, 2023 |  Placement Week  Monday (23): Host Office presentations/Interview Schedules returned to hosts Monday – Thursday (23-26): Interviews with finalists  Thursday (26): Networking Events  Friday (27) (morning): Call Backs |
 January 27, 2023 |  Host Office ranking of finalists due to Sea Grant Fellowship Manager  Matching process  Hosts are notified of placements |
 February 1, 2023 |  Fellowship begins |
| Â February 1-3, 2023 | Â Mandatory Knauss Orientation (Fellows Only) |
 March 2023 |  Professional Development Plans due to Program Manager |
 Summer 2023 |  Mid-Year Reviews between host mentor and fellow to discuss progress |
 January 31, 2024 |  Fellowship ends |
Host Office Requirements
Hosts will provide an educational opportunity to fellows who will in turn provide substantial and professional contributions to the office. Hosts are expected to involve fellows in substantive issues that contribute to the office’s mission and honor the fellow’s educational and professional developmental goals. This is a professional development program, and hosts are also expected to encourage and allow fellows to attend hearings, lectures, conferences, and workshops as well as attend fellowship functions and participate in field experiences related to office goals and the fellow’s professional interests.Â
Host offices will be considered based on the following criteria:Â
- The quality of the fellowship opportunity;
- The level of educational benefit for the Fellow;
- The host office’s previous experience working with interns, fellows or other mentoring/educational programs;
- Executive hosts ONLY:
- Financial commitment. Executive hosts are required to provide the entire cost of the 12-month fellowship which covers stipend and professional development costs. For 2024, the cost of hosting an executive fellow is $81,500.
- For office-related travel, hosts have the option to add an additional $15,000 to the grant. Please let the National Sea Grant Office know if you plan to add additional funds.
- Legislative hosts ONLY:
- These costs are covered by the National Sea Grant Office.
- Travel may be funded by the grant, the host office, or invitational travel.
- Executive non-NOAA hosts ONLY:
- Ability to sign an Interagency Agreement prior to the start of the fellowship on February 1, 2024.
- Executive hosts ONLY:
Host offices will be required to fulfill the following:Â
- Participate in Placement Week (Exec: October 11-24, 2023; Leg: January 22-27, 2024), which includes providing a detailed job description for the position, developing a 3 minute video highlighting the character of the office giving a <5-minute presentation about the position to the finalists, and providing ample time for interviews throughout the week.Â
- Sign the required ratification document if matched with a fellow.Â
- Maintain contact with the fellow prior to their arrival, including the arrangement of start date and location.Â
- Provide necessary equipment, including a desk, phone, computer, Internet access, and file storage space. Provide general office information and paperwork prior to the fellow’s arrival (e.g., forms for obtaining an ID and starting the security clearance process, information on who to go to for general office support).Â
- Â Review office policies including: work hours, time for the fellow to work on outstanding graduate school commitments (if needed), vacation, sick leave, and attendance at fellowship functions, conferences, hearings, and meetings. This should include agency SASH and EEO Policies.
- Work with the fellow to create and sign off on a Professional Development Plan documenting goals and expectations for the fellowship year. Fellows are allocated funds to be used during the year for degree-related or professional development travel. The amount of funding available to the fellows varies among Sea Grant programs. Executive host offices may provide additional funds (up to $15,000) for office-related travel.Â
- Meet with the Knauss Manager once during the fellowship year to provide feedback on fellow performance.Â
- Complete a 6-month and end of year review with the fellow.
- Allow the fellow broad exposure to the issues and projects of the division/office. This may include meeting with other office staff or participating in joint projects with other offices.Â
- Provide mentorship to the fellow.Â
- Maintain a safe and inclusive work environment.
- Provide feedback to the fellow for their end-of-year report evaluating progress in achieving their Professional Development Plan at the conclusion of the Fellowship.Â
Host FAQs
When is Placement Week?
The placement process is scheduled for Exec: October 11-24, 2023; Leg: January 22-27, 2024. Host offices are required to participate in presentations and interviews scheduled throughout the full process.
Hosts begin the process by presenting a short overview of their office and the fellowship position to the Finalists (Finalists become Fellows once they have been matched with a Host Office).
Finalists then select Host Offices with whom they will interview. Interview sign-up sheets will be emailed to the Host Offices and interviews will ensue through Friday, October 20, 2023Â (Exec) or January 25, 2024Â (Leg).
How does a Host apply to the Knauss Fellowship Program?
All hosts are required to fill out the new Host Request Application Form.  If you need to update anything in the form after submission, please contact oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov
When is the deadline to apply as a host and submit a position description?
Host request forms are due by September 25, 2023Â (Exec) or January TBD, 2024Â (Leg)
What are "Get to Know You" Videos?
These videos are meant to be an opportunity for you to show the non-work side of your office. Be creative and have fun with them. Invite those who you expect to be involved in the interviews or with the fellows to join. Feature you dogs, cats, paintings, musical talents, shell collection ect.. We do encourage you to think outside the box, however, please keep these videos safe for work!
All videos will be available to the respective finalists cohort. Please review guidance provided above for detailed instructions.
The finalists will be asked to make similar videos that will be available to hosts throughout the process.Â
When does a Host submit their interview availability for Placement Week?
Hosts need to submit their availability for 30-minute interviews with Knauss finalists throughout Placement Week. Hosts should submit availability by October 10, 2023 (Exec) or January TBD, 2024 (Leg).
When and where are Host presentations?
Presentations are limited to a maximum of 5Â minutes. The National Sea Grant Office will provide a template for presentations. All presentations will either be recorded ahead of time or presented virtually.
Executive Hosts:
Wednesday/Thursday October 11/12, 2023. Presentations will be given between 12:00 pm-6:00 pm EST virtually via GoToWebinar.
Legislative Hosts:Â
Monday, January TBD, 2023. Presentations will be in person.
When will Hosts know how many Finalists signed up to interview?
Hosts will receive their interview schedule with finalist names via email. The host office will be expected to schedule their interviews using their preferred virtual communication platform.
Executive Hosts:
Friday, October 13, 2023Â by 6:00 pm EST
Legislative Hosts:Â
TBD
Where and when are interviews held during Placement Week?
Interviews take place virtually. Each host office will be able to use the platform of their choice. We prefer that all interviews are conducted with both audio and video.
Executive Hosts:Â **All times are eastern** **Note that due to the virtual nature of placement week, we are leaving ample time for interviews. Please be respectful of those in different time zones.
Monday, October 16, 2023. 2:00-6:00 pm
Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 9:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday, October 20, 2023, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm
Legislative Hosts: **All times are Eastern**
TBD
How does a host submit their ranking forms to the Sea Grant office?
Once interviews have been completed, each Host Office must put into rank order (one Finalist per rank) each of the Finalists interviewed by the Host office. All Host Offices must email these rankings to oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov by Monday, October 20 (Exec) by 6:00 am or TBD, 2023 (Leg). Failure to email these rankings to the National Sea Grant Office will disqualify a Host Office from consideration to host a fellow. We encourage hosts to rank everyone they interviewed.
How are Hosts and Finalists matched? How does placement work?
Hosts will fill out a ranking sheet (Excel) of Finalists they have interviewed and submit to the Knauss Program Manager by Monday, October 20 (Exec) by 6:00 am or TBD, 2023 (Leg). Placement decisions for both the executive and legislative classes are ultimately made by a matching algorithm. The algorithm is for two-sided matching markets – so it takes into account both the preference of the hosts and the fellows and produces ‘stable’ matches. This algorithm is most famously used in the National Resident Matching Program – used to match medical residents with hospitals (aka many-to-one” matching).
When and where are Placement Week Evening Activities?
The Executive process will be fully virtual.
The Legislative process will be in a hybrid format.
When and how will a Host know if it is successful in getting a Fellow?
Each office that is successful will be notified directly via a phone call or in person from the Fellow on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 24Â (Exec) or TBD, 2023Â (Leg). The Knauss Program Manager will notify each office that is not successful on the afternoon of the respective days.
How is the fellowship agreement finalized?
Fellows will be provided with a ratification document, which hosts and fellows will sign on Monday September 25, 2023Â (Exec) or TBD 2024Â (Leg). The document commits both the Host and the Fellow to the fellowship program. It is signed by a Host Office representative, the Fellow, and the Knauss Program Manager.
Executive Hosts: Guidance on funds transfer to Sea Grant to support the Fellow will also be provided as part of the Ratification Document.
If a Host is successful in getting a Fellow, when does the fellowship begin?
The fellowship dates are February 1, 2024 through January 31, 2025. The start and end dates are flexible so as to accommodate the host and fellow’s schedules. Please consult the program manager (OAR.SG.Fellows@noaa.gov) if you have questions regarding start and end dates.