Arts, humanities and social science students entering their studies during the next academic year have something to be excited about! Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter and Jeffery Gibeling, Dean of Graduate Studies, are thrilled to announce a major new fellowship initiative to support Ph.D. and M.F.A. students. The Provost's Fellowships in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences program is scheduled to begin the 2012-13 academic year.

"UC Davis needs to become much more competitive in our ability to support graduate students – across the board, but especially in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences," adds Hexter. "I hope this is the first step along a path to even more robust funding." These fellowships will help to ensure students complete their degrees in a timely manner and at high rates of success in disciplines that tend to have a great dependence on teaching assistantships.

The Provost's Fellowships in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences also represent the first of many future efforts to raise funds in fellowships for graduate students. "It will have a significant positive impact on the quality of graduate education in the arts, humanities and social sciences," Gibeling says. In turn, this investment will enhance the overall quality and excellence of UC Davis by strengthening graduate education.

Eligible programs will offer first year fellowships to their most qualified applicants for fall 2012. First year fellowships that are not accepted will be combined with the balance of the fellowship funds to create a pool of dissertation year fellowships to be awarded to current doctoral students on a competitive basis across programs.

Nominations for dissertation year fellowships will be reviewed by faculty committees in the participating disciplines organized by the college/division deans.

Participating graduate programs will provide additional information regarding both fellowship opportunities.