Student Funding Source
Doris Duke Conservation Fellowships
Doris Duke Conservation Fellowships (DDCF) are awarded to master's degree students who show outstanding promise as future leaders in non-profit or governmental conservation. The Fellowships are supported by grants from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to selected universities.
Universities are chosen for the grants based on their superior interdisciplinary environmental programs and a commitment to educating conservation practitioners.
Intention to obtain employment in the public or non-profit sectors in the areas of conservation and/or environmental management upon graduation.
The current focus of the Foundation is on terrestrial habitat conservation in the U.S., and the preponderance of fellows should have a focus that matches that interest. However, the UM selection committee defines that interest area broadly (including, e.g., large-scale design and planning for conservation purposes, ecological restoration, environmental education through conservation-oriented nonprofit organizations, conservation policy, terrestrial ecosystem science or management, or an interest in aquatics if it connects to the landscape scale, among others).
The process:
1.E-mail announcement is sent by Diana Woodworth (in OAP) to all master's students in mid-September.
2. Information session is held to provide an overview of the program and to answer questions about the application process.
3. Interested students submit a statement of interest (500 word limit) and a current resume to Diana W. by deadline.
4. A committee of faculty representing a diverse set of disciplines will review the students' statements and resumes and will identify a short list of 14-16 by mid-November.
5. Diana W. will notify the students individually via e-mail, letting them know whether or not they made the short cut.
6. Students making the short list will be scheduled for 20 minute interviews during the first week of December. The interviews will be conducted by a committee of three: the DDCF program faculty coordinator (currently Steven Yaffee), an OAP representative, and one outside NGO leader from the Ann Arbor area.
7. The SNRE Scholarship Committee and the DDCF program faculty coordinator will consider the students' statements, resumes, Fall grades, copies of recommendation letters from admission folders, and interview results and the above criteria, and will select 7-8 fellows.
Factors to be addressed in the student's statement of interest:
1. leadership qualities and experiences
2. commitment to a career in conservation
3. commitment to the non-profit and/or public sectors
4. academic strengths
* Up to $5,000 support while participating in relevant summer internship following the student's first academic year
* Partial tuition support up to a maximum of $28,121