$12 million raised to support distinguished graduate fellowships

Individuals and companies donated more than $12 million this past year to a new program, Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships, that will help UW–Madison gain a significant advantage in the heated competition for the nation’s best and brightest graduate students.

The money has provided nearly 50 Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships. UW–Madison officials expect to support as many as 400 graduate fellows by building a $200-million endowment over 10 years.

The Distinguished Graduate Fellowships program, which involves all UW–Madison schools and colleges and has received a commitment of up to $100 million in supplementing funds from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, would be among the largest programs of its kind anywhere.

“Everyone plays a critical role in generating this endowment — an effort clearly fortified by WARF’s financial commitment,” says Graduate School Dean Virginia Hinshaw. “Some of these new fellowships are already underway and the future looks bright. This is a great way to strengthen our future as a leader in research.”

For research universities like UW–Madison, graduate students are critical participants in the research, teaching and outreach activities at the heart of the institution. Graduate enrollment at UW–Madison fluctuates between 8,000 to 10,000 students annually, making it one of the largest graduate schools in the nation.

Committing such significant resources should help UW–Madison cope with the continuing decline in support for graduate study from state and federal governments.

Selected fellows pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees may receive up to $24,000 annually through the Distiguished Graduate Fellowship program. Full fellows also are eligible for remission of the non-resident portion of fees and tuition.

Leaders of the Graduate School, the UW Foundation and WARF are working with schools and colleges on campus to build the endowment. WARF is a not-for-profit corporation that manages and licenses patents on behalf of UW–Madison faculty and staff. The UW Foundation, also an independent nonprofit corporation, is the principal fund-raising organization for the university. Schools and colleges that have generated fellowships this year include Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Engineering, Education, Letters and Science, Pharmacy and the Graduate School.

“An impressive aspect is the diversity of programs designated to receive the fellowship support,” Hinshaw says.

Those programs include German, Scandinavian Studies, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Materials Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Accounting and Information Systems, Operations and Information Management, Distribution Management and Kinesiology.

“This is an exciting beginning — now only $89 million to go,” Hinshaw says. “We encourage potential donors to consider this form of giving.”

A gift of $250,000, coupled with matching funds, will provide an endowment for a full fellowship. Individuals or organizations making donations at that level may name and designate the fellowship.

For information on supporting the fellowship endowment, contact David Weerts at the UW Foundation, (608) 262-5250, or Jim Knickmeyer at the Graduate School, (608) 262-5801.