The Rebus Foundation, in partnership with the Leadership Learning Community, invites you to join the Rebus Luminary: Fellowship for Education Leaders, a transformative experience redefining what sustainable and effective leadership can look like in postsecondary education. This fellowship offers a joyful, safe space for up to 15 postsecondary leaders across Canada and the US to slow down, connect with peers, and explore the possibilities of collective leadership. Over three months, participants will gather for three virtual Community of Practice sessions and a culminating in-person Summit in beautiful Vancouver, BC.
The Rebus Luminary Fellowship is grounded in Rebus’ mission to build collaborative communities where educators can rediscover passion, purpose, and potential in their work. If you feel called to deepen your leadership in these challenging times, we invite you to join a community where just work is done in joyous ways. Together, we’ll cultivate a support network, develop actionable practices, and foster the kind of leadership that higher education urgently needs. Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely or exhausting; let’s make it restorative, playful, and liberatory!
Applications are open until November 23, 11:59pm HST. Keep reading to learn more about the Fellowship outcomes and how to apply.
Quick Links
About the Rebus Luminary: Fellowship for Education Leaders
Purpose:
This fellowship is designed to empower post-secondary leaders in Canada and the U.S. to cultivate sustainable, authentic, and liberatory leadership. We aspire to have a cohort of 15 post-secondary education leaders, comprising individuals from a variety of backgrounds and at various stages of their careers, join us on a 3-month-long community of practice.
Outcomes:
- Fellows will develop a strong sense of connectivity, community, and leadership.
- Fellows will practice challenging conventional norms while dreaming up bright possibilities for their communities.
- Fellows will gain practical strategies and frameworks to operationalize liberatory leadership practices in their daily work.
- The post-secondary field leadership infrastructure will be strengthened through connectivity and collective practice of participants.
Our Shared Values:
- Reciprocity: We believe deeply in the reciprocal nature of the world. Our activities are not conducted in a vacuum, rather, everything we do is a collaborative, collective effort for the community — the onus of who we are, how we show up, what we do, and the benefits we reap are all shared.
- Authenticity: We center the human experience in our work and approach by actively creating an environment that encourages and supports people to authentically show up as themselves.
- Celebrating Joy: We center and celebrate joy at multiple points throughout the journey, in lieu of focusing only on the destination.
- Agency: We believe that people hold possibility and use collective agency to co-design new spaces for individuals to grow and communities to thrive.
- Curiosity: We stay curious to address key problems in education and to keep growing as individuals and as an organization.
Fellowship Details
This fellowship comprises 3 virtual meetings, a 1:1 virtual check-in, followed by an in-person summit. Participants are required to attend all meetings, notwithstanding exceptional circumstances.
Timeline:
This fellowship comprises 3 virtual meetings, a 1:1 virtual check-in, followed by an in-person summit. Participants are required to attend all meetings, notwithstanding exceptional circumstances.
Online:
All cohort meetings will take place on a Tuesday at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm PT / 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm MT / 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm CT / 2:00 – 3:30 pm ET.
Online Meeting Dates:
- January 20, 2026- 90-minute virtual community of practice kickoff meeting
- February 10, 2026- 90-minute virtual community of practice meeting
- March 3, 2026 – 90-minute virtual community of practice meeting
1:1 Meeting Dates:
1:1 meetings will be scheduled between Rebus staff and the participant between February 10 and March 3 2026, based on both their schedules.
In-Person Summit:
A 2.5-day, in-person summit will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 24th, 25th, and 26th, 2026. Transportation including flights, accommodations, and meals will be provided by The Rebus Foundation.
Cost to participate:
- This is an expenses-paid opportunity, made possible thanks to generous funding from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
- For some travel expenses (hotels, flights, some meals), you may need to pay upfront and submit for reimbursement. However, we’re happy to arrange everything directly if upfront costs create barriers to your participation.
- We’re offering childcare/care-taking stipends for participants who need to arrange additional care to attend. These stipends are intended for those not already paying for regular childcare (such as daycare) or other types of care during the event time.
Expectations for participation:
- Be present and attend all meetings, virtual or in-person
- Active engagement and reflection
- Agree to take your learnings away from the experience, but to leave the specifics of shared experiences with the cohort only. “What we learn, leaves here; what we say, stays here.”
- Lean into discomfort and stay curious
- Follow the community co-created rules of engagement
- Complete one blog post (written or video, or visual storytelling) on the Rebus website reflecting on your experience
How to Apply
Please complete the Rebus Luminary Fellowship Application by 11:59 pm HST on November 23, 2025.
Letters of acceptance will be sent the week of Dec 1, 2025. All applicants will receive a response from the committee in December 2025.
Rubric
View the Rebus Luminary Fellowship Rubric.
FAQ
- I’m interested, but should I apply?
If you are excited by this opportunity and feel unsure about applying, consider this as a sign that you care about your growth and what comes next. Sit with the curiosity. We wholeheartedly encourage you to apply and show yourself that you deserve more. Let this application be an act of hope and growth.
Your interest not only matters to you, but also to the collective, as it helps us gauge the demand for the Fellowship. It allows us to build a stronger case to offer the Fellowship again in the future if there’s enough interest. Apply for yourself and also to pave the way for the community to experience this type of opportunity again.
If this isn’t your moment to apply, that’s okay. Be gentle with yourself, and remember that choosing not to apply now doesn’t diminish your drive or leadership in any way. - Do I need to be in a leadership role to apply to the Luminary Fellowship?
Leadership can take many forms and the fellowship is open to all kinds of leaders, whether you’re in an executive position or leading open education initiatives. You don’t need “leader” in your title to apply. Please consider applying yourself or sharing this opportunity within your network. - Where will the in-person Summit take place?
The 2.5-day, in-person Summit will take place in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. We will share information about the venue and accommodations with selected participants in the new year. - Do I need a visa to travel to Canada from the United States?
A visa is not required for United States citizens and permanent residents. To learn more about what travel documents you’ll need to enter Canada, please review the Canadian Government site on Travel and identification documents for entering Canada. Rebus is pleased to offer an invitation letter, if needed, to selected participants to arrange their travel.
For any questions regarding this application or the Rebus Luminary Fellowship, please email us at contact@rebus.community.