Fellowships support conservation teaching, research

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of eight campuses selected to serve as host universities for the prestigious Doris Duke Conservation Fellows Program during the next two academic years.

The program, which was launched in 1997 by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, is the nation’s premier leadership development program for future conservation leaders pursuing master’s degrees in multidisciplinary environmental studies programs.

Each year, the highly selective fellowship program will support 36 students enrolled at the following universities: Yale, Duke, Cornell, Florida A&M and Northern Arizona universities and the universities of Michigan, Wisconsin and California, Santa Barbara. Each fellowship provides up to $30,000 for tuition and a paid summer internship, as well as support for leadership development and national networking activities.

At UW–Madison, Doris Duke Fellowships are awarded to master’s degree students in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies who plan careers in conservation. Each fellowship provides a graduate assistantship for one academic year, a $5,000 stipend for a summer internship at a nonprofit conservation organization or government agency, and funding for participation in an annual fall retreat for Duke fellows from across the country.

Twenty-six Duke fellowships have been awarded to Nelson Institute graduate students since 2001-02, including six for the 2006-07 academic year.

“This is a testament not only to the reputations of UW–Madison and the Nelson Institute, but even more to the reputations of the faculty, staff and students involved with the institute’s programs,” says Jim Miller, the institute’s associate student services coordinator and primary contact for Duke fellowship awards.