The Tocqueville Fellowship is a mentorship program of the Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative (CTLI) which assists UVU students to grow as citizens and civic leaders.

The purpose of the CTLI at UVU’s Center for Constitutional Studies is to develop citizens and civic leaders by cultivating the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and virtues necessary for a just, free, and flourishing constitutional republic.

The Tocqueville Fellowship offers the following for students from a variety of backgrounds and majors:

• Annual Fellowships with a $2,000 honorarium
• Meaningful engagement in civic-outreach projects
• Active participation in the Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative’s projects and events
• The opportunity to discuss texts and ideas pertinent to civic life and to attend educational and community-building colloquia
• Development of leadership skills and civic virtues
• A community of mentors and peers striving for the same ends
• The chance to participate in research and teaching apprenticeships

Through these experiences, Tocqueville Fellows grow as professionals, leaders, and citizens. 

Application Instructions 

We invite applications from UVU sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all majors interested in growing as citizens and civic leaders. Please follow these steps to complete your application: 

1. Speak with a UVU faculty member about endorsing you for the Tocqueville Fellowship. No formal letter of recommendation is required; however, applicants will be asked to list a faculty member willing to endorse them. All you need is the faculty member’s permission, name, and e-mail address.  
2. Write a 250- to 300-word response to this prompt:  What is civic education and why does it matter?
3. Applicants will upload this response as a MS Word or PDF document in the application under Attachments, Other #1. 
4. Fill out and submit the application here. 

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) was a French aristocrat, diplomat, and political philosopher. He visited the United States in 1831, initially to observe the prison system, but quickly became fascinated with the American way of life and its political system.

He returned to France and wrote Democracy in America, based on his extensive notes and reflections during his trip to America.

In his two-volume treatise Tocqueville characterized democracy as an equation that balanced liberty and equality, as well as promoted concern for the individual and the community.

He presciently observed that the United States would be "called by some secret design of Providence one day to hold in its hands the destinies of half the world."

According to neh.gov, Tocqueville's work "is universally regarded as one of the most influential books ever written about America," and as such is the figure for which this fellowship is named.