Clifford D. Clark Diversity Fellowship

Overview

Clifford D. Clark Diversity Fellowships are prestigious fellowships offered to prospective graduate students who have been newly admitted to a doctoral program at ßÙßÇÂþ»­ University and will be pursuing their degree full-time. By providing a release from teaching responsibilities, the Clark Fellowship is intended to (i) recruit and retain disadvantaged doctoral students, (ii) ease the transition into a full-time doctoral program, and (iii) accelerate progress in research, scholarship, and creative activities that form the basis of their doctoral dissertation.

Incoming graduate students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement and overcome a significant disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education are encouraged to apply. Candidates will contribute to the diversity of the student body by demonstrating their commitment to facilitating and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their academic programs and activities.

This competitive fellowship was named after Dr. Clifford D. Clark, a former president of ßÙßÇÂþ»­ and is jointly funded by New York State, ßÙßÇÂþ»­, and an endowment fund. Fellowships provide a full array of support including competitive academic-year stipends, full-tuition scholarships, health insurance, and opportunities for research and travel funding. Clark Fellows are guaranteed to receive this support for a specific period, assuming satisfactory academic progress.

Fellowship Eligibility

To participate in the Clifford D. Clark Fellowship, candidates are required to be (i) U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status, and (ii) recently admitted to a graduate program at ßÙßÇÂþ»­. Applicants must demonstrate strong academic achievement, leadership abilities, or potential for success in their chosen field. Furthermore, applications for the Clark Fellowship must:

  1. Demonstrate how the applicant has overcome significant adversity or other impediments to success in higher education; and
  2. Demonstrate a commitment to contributing to the diversity of the student body by facilitating and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their academic programs and campus activities.

Preference will be given to candidates who are from low-income backgrounds (e.g., Pell-eligible as undergraduates), were first-generation college students (students whose parents have not earned a bachelor's degree), have overcome adversity, are AmeriCorps alumni, and/ or are veterans. Although financial need is not a requirement for program eligibility, applicants may utilize economic disadvantage as a basis for eligibility.

Applications will be reviewed using a holistic evaluation process that will include assessing an applicant’s academic background, community involvement, leadership roles, and socio-economic challenges articulated in the application. The Clifford D. Clark Fellowship is open to any and all prospective candidates regardless of race, color, national origin, or sex, and is consistent with all current governing federal and state nondiscrimination law. All application submissions will be assessed and evaluated in accordance with the required eligibility criteria.

Fellowship Details

Degree Programs Supported: Top priority will be afforded to incoming doctoral students who would normally be supported by a Teaching Assistantship provided by their home department/program. Individuals who have been admitted to master’s programs, doctoral programs in which there are no teaching responsibilities, or whose degree program does not require a culminating project (thesis or dissertation), will receive secondary consideration.

Stipend: Clark Fellowship stipends are competitive against national benchmarks from other doctoral institutions and vary by academic discipline. Summer awards may also be available.

All campus distributions are pending annual state budget approval. While we have been awarding campuses scholarships for many years, funding may not be guaranteed every year.

Tuition scholarships: Awardees will receive full-tuition scholarships.

Award period: Clark Fellows entering PhD programs with a bachelor's degree will receive up to 5 years of support, whereas fellows entering PhD programs with a master's degree will receive up to 3 years of support. Fellows entering master's programs with a bachelor's degree will receive up to 2 years of support. Continuing eligibility for support as a Clark Fellow is contingent on satisfactory progress toward the degree and maintaining good academic standing.

Other benefits, including health insurance: Awardees can enroll in an optional health insurance plan at a subsidized rate and receive reduced on-campus parking rates.

Research and travel opportunities: Funding for research purposes or participation in professional conferences is available on a competitive basis.

Professional experience: The Clark Fellowship is designed to give students an enriched graduate experience, remove barriers to success, and enable faster time-to-degree. To do this, Clark Fellows typically have no teaching responsibilities in their first year as a Clark Fellow (first semester, for Fellows in terminal Master’s programs) to focus on research and scholarship. In subsequent years, Clark Fellows will be appointed as teaching assistants, graduate assistants or research project assistants by their department in order to develop professional skills that will help distinguish them on the job market. Usually, this means alternating semesters between appointments as a Clark Fellow and teaching/research assistantships in years 2-5.

Expectations and limitations: Clark Fellows receiving tuition scholarships are required to abide by the Terms and Conditions for Acceptance of the Tuition Scholarship. In addition, Clark Fellows are expected to devote themselves full-time to the pursuit of their graduate degrees. Thus, Clark Fellows are not permitted to hold other employment or positions, including fellowships such as the Provost's Doctoral Summer Fellowship.

Fellowship Application Process

For Applicants

  1. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Graduate Director for their program prior to applying to discuss the Clark Fellowship.
  2. Complete the online Clark Fellowship Application form. Click here to access a PDF of the questions applicants will be expected to answer.
  3. Your application will be routed automatically to the Graduate Director that you list in your Clark Fellowship application.
  4. Graduate departments will review applications and make recommendations to the Graduate School for Clark Fellowship funding. Applicants must be admitted to their degree program before they can be nominated for a Clark Fellowship.
  5. The Graduate School will review complete Clark Fellowship nominations. A complete nomination will contain the Clark application essay as well as the nomination from the academic department. The Graduate School will notify the student awardees and graduate programs of the award between February 15th and April 15th.

For Department Faculty and Staff

  1. Applicants must be admitted to the program before they can be nominated for Clark Fellowships.
  2. Complete the online application form submitted to the Graduate Director from the applicant. The memorandum requires the graduate director to assess the nominee's strengths and weaknesses relative to the graduate program and specify a faculty advisor. A mentorship plan for the Clark nominee must also be provided.
  3. Applications received by February 15th will receive priority consideration. Applications received after that date will be considered on a rolling basis if uncommitted Clark Fellowships remain available. Given the competitive nature of these awards, early nominations of strong applicants are encouraged.

NOTE FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS REGARDING GRADUATE PROGRAM SUPPORT:

Applicants entering a doctoral program with a bachelor's degree are eligible for 5 years of funding. Students are fully funded by the Clark Fellowship for the first year, and graduate programs must guarantee 1 semester of tuition and stipend for each year after the first year of full Clark funding for a total of 4 years. If the Clark fellow is entering a doctoral program with a Masters already, they are only eligible for 3 years of funding.

Applicants entering a master's program are eligible for 2 years of funding. Students are fully funded by the Clark Fellowship for the first year, and graduate programs must guarantee 1 semester of tuition and stipend in the second year.

Some graduate programs have additional limitations on funding, such as limiting all graduate students to 4 years of funding. In such cases, the graduate program limitations apply. Graduate programs may provide more than 1 semester of support for each year after the first year, but graduate programs cannot rollover an unused Clark-funded semester to another year.