Students First Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Economics
What is the Students First Matching Initiative?
Students First is the University of Washington's endowed student scholarship
matching initiative that will provide scholarships or fellowships for
undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on any of the three
UW campuses. The UW has a remarkably economically diverse student body
and strong financial aid programs, ranking third in the nation among public
institutions for its proportion of undergraduates who receive Pell Grants.
The UW remains Washington's university, open to students regardless of
economic background or geography. To that end private support is key in
providing financially disadvantaged students with access to a UW education,
and opening doors to exceptional opportunities. The future success of
the UW depends upon the quality of its students, and increasing the size
of the UW endowment through gifts to Students First and other endowed
funds has been a consistent priority of Campaign UW: Creating Futures
since its inception.
How does it work?
- Endowed scholarship or fellowship funds for Students First may be created by an individual or by a consortium of people or organizations.
- Individuals or like-minded groups can create their own Students First endowed fellowship fund with a single or combined gift of $100,000 (minimum).
- In order to be eligible for the matching funds via Students First, the endowment must be new.
- Gifts and pledges must be made by June 30, 2008 to be eligible for matching funds.
- The commitment can extend for up to five years; pledges must be fulfilled by June 30, 2013.
- Corporate matches count toward the total gift amount.
What is the goal of the Department of Economics?
The Department of Economics hopes to create an endowed graduate
student fellowship fund through Students First from gifts and pledges
made by alumni of the department, members of our Visiting
Committee, and Friends of Economics that will be eligible for the
University match of 50%. To accomplish this goal, we need to reach $100,000
in gifts and pledged gifts by June 30, 2008. With a 50%
match from the University, the department would have a $150,000 endowment
from which to fund graduate student studies. An endowment is a permanent
source of funding which grows over time, making distributions on a quarterly
basis to support the purpose specified.
Why is the Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Economics needed?
Graduate students make tremendous contributions to the Department’s teaching and research missions and to its national and international reputation. Attracting high-caliber graduate students allows the Department to continue to draw and engage top faculty, which in turn benefits undergraduate students and the larger community. Diversity among our student population and equal access to education have also long been top priorities for the Department.
However, more resources are needed for the department to continue recruiting and retaining top-quality graduate students. One of the key challenges is that stipends for graduate students are significantly less than those offered at peer institutions and are not commensurate with the high cost of living in the Seattle area, with an estimated shortfall of nearly $3,800 per student per year. This poses a particularly serious barrier to international students, who must demonstrate additional financial support from other sources in order to qualify for a student visa. Moreover, most of our graduate student support is in the form of teaching assistantships, which place significant work requirements on the recipients. This places the UW at a tremendous disadvantage to institutions that offer support in the form of fellowships, which allow the recipients to devote full time to their studies.
Make a Gift to the Students First Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Economics. Your generous support will allow the Department of Economics to remain competitive in attracting top students.
Questions? Call or email Nicole Huntsperger, Economics Outreach Coordinator, 206-543-5945.
