University Graduate School Presidential Fellowship

Committed to excellence in graduate education, FIU’s University Graduate School (UGS) offers fellowship opportunities for students from across the globe. The most prestigious among the fellowships awarded by UGS, the Presidential Fellowship, attracts top-quality graduate students to doctoral degree programs at FIU and provides a stable platform to help launch their careers.
One student whose dream has come to life through the Presidential Fellowship is Janice J. O’Driscoll, M.S.W., a Social Welfare Ph.D. student at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work.

“As a recipient of the Presidential Fellowship, I cannot adequately express how appreciative I am of donors who value education and are willing to provide their time and resources to invest in students like me. Donating to scholarships such as the Presidential Fellowship allows talented and inspired individuals an opportunity to pursue a higher education and to utilize their potential to give back to their respective fields of knowledge, their communities and their university,” said O’Driscoll.

Having completed her second semester in the Social Welfare doctoral program, O’Driscoll is determined to maximize the opportunities provided to her through the fellowship.
“I look forward to the day I can make my funders and mentors proud by producing a quality dissertation that makes a difference in public policy,” said O’Driscoll, whose research focuses on involuntary mental health treatment policies.
Students, like O’Driscoll, are awarded the Presidential Fellowship based on their potential to become outstanding scholars and future leaders in their disciplines.

A Culture of Appreciation

Presidential Fellows receive a stipend of $30,000 per 12 months for three years. The UGS provides the stipend for two of the three years and the fellow’s graduate program is expected to provide the stipend for the remaining year.
Since 2002, the UGS has awarded 113 Presidential Fellowships to deserving FIU graduate students. Additional information about the fellowship can be found on the University Graduate School website.
For O’Driscoll, the impact of the Presidential Fellowship on her graduate career cannot be overstated.
“The Presidential Fellowship means a chance to reach my full potential as a social worker, less restricted by the prohibitive costs of doctoral education. FIU creates a culture of appreciating its students, especially its graduate scholars. I genuinely believe that FIU is grooming me towards my full academic potential,” she said.