Archive for scholarship – Page 13

$2 Million to Help Fund The Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR): The Fund for Global Environment and Conflict Resolution Masters Fellowship Program, 2009-2010

If you have had the opportunity to attend an information session at SIPA that I have led you might remember that I take a minute or two to talk about applying for outside awards and scholarships.  Part of my speech is to always be prepared.  In the instance below, if you are qualified admitted applicant, you could earn $22,500 toward your costs at SIPA.

I talk specifically about two things.  One is that once you start applying for outside scholarships you might recognize that the essay questions might not sound all that different.  Thus if you apply for one or two scholarships and write an essay, you just may very well be able to use the essay again or modify it slightly for submission for another opportunity you discover.

Second is advice that I credit to my high school guidance counselor, Ms. Steele.  Ms. Steele encouraged me to continue to look for scholarships as long as I was a student (the process never stops), and to be prepared, to ask those composing a letter of recommendation for me to print multiple copies, seal them each in an individual envelop, and give them to me so that each time I found out about a new opportunity I would be prepared.  So if I found about ten different scholarship opportunities and I had ten envelops each containing a letter of recommendation, I did not need to bother my recommendation writer ten different times.

You never know when you might find out about an opportunity that fits you, and it helps greatly to be prepared.  It just so happens that I found out about a great opportunity for admitted SIPA applicants, and the deadline is next Wednesday.  Yes, not a lot of time.  Thus being prepared for opportunities like this turns out to be pretty good advice.

The details, application, and program guidelines are below.  Good luck!

The Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of the Italian Government are pleased to announce the establishment of the Fund for Environment and Conflict Resolution (The Fund).

Over a period three years, the $2 Million Fund will provide support for research, teaching and fellowships. Thanks to The Fund, CICR will promote research conducted by prominent scholars at Columbia University, in Italy and other countries around the issue of the global environment and conflict resolution.

The Fund has three major focus areas. First, it will look at the relationships between sustainable development and post-conflict in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru and Colombia where the Italian Ministry has on-going activities. Second, the research will focus on the prevention of potential conflicts in the use of natural resources, paying particular attention to China, the Middle East and North Africa. Third, the research will focus on the relationship between climate change and international security. The Fund will also give the opportunity for fellowships and scholarships, for scholars and students interested in these areas.

The student must be from one of the following countries/regions in order to be considered for this fellowship: Italy, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia, China, the Middle East, and/or North Africa.

For more information on teaching, research and fellowships related to this grant please contact CICR’s Assistant Director, Josie Lianna Kaye, [email protected].

CICR Italian Overview

CICR Application

SIPA Fellowships

I like to try to be as transparent as possible concerning admissions and financial aid at SIPA – I am not a cloak and dagger type of guy.  I like two button sport coats, bright ties, and sneakers . . . but this is not about my fashion sense.

I know that paying for school is a big issue, both from a personal and professional standpoint.  Personally, I attended graduate school and borrowed a substantial amount of money to do so.  Professionally, it is almost impossible to talk with a prospective student and not have the topic of the cost of education come up.  In order to provide some additional insight into the situation at SIPA I thought I would post some basic information about fellowships.  There are a lot of words in this entry and no pictures, so hang in there and read carefully and I think you will find the information valuable.

First I will note that we are not able to give out near the amount of money we would like to give to first year students.  Each year we award approximately 10% of incoming students funding and the average award is around $15,000.  Below are two examples of common emails we receive after admission decisions have been sent out:

  • I am very happy to have been admitted to SIPA, however is there any way that the admissions committee can reconsider me for fellowship funding (or increase an award I have been given)?
  • I have been admitted to SIPA and to another school and the other school is offering me funding.  Can SIPA match the funding provided by the other school?

The SIPA Admissions Committee actually spends twice the amount of fellowship money we have.  Why do we do this?  Because history shows that not everyone we award funding to will attend.  Thus we greatly overspend which means that if an applicant declines their award, we cannot simply shift that money to another applicant.

Regarding the second question, each school has a different committee, different applicant pool, and different budget.  In my Apples and Oranges entry a while back I talked about how comparing an offer from one school to another may seem like a logical thing to do, but the comparison is fraught with complications and variables.  And as stated above, as much as we are excited about having you come, we simply cannot base our decision on the capability of another school to provide funding.

So what about the second year?  I am happy to say that the majority of second year students at SIPA that are qualified to apply for fellowship do receive funding.  So how do you qualify?  In order to apply for second year funding at SIPA a first year student must have a 3.2 GPA at the end of the first semester.  If you meet the GPA requirement, you will submit an application to the Office of Student Affairs at SIPA in March of your first year.  Roughly 70% of those who apply are awarded funding and the average award is around $20,000.

Second year students who are awarded fellowship funds typically have some sort of work requirement associated with the fellowship.  This can include working for a professor or in administrative department such as admissions, career services, or institutional technology.

This is a good time to put in a plug for our summer math tutorial.  Since second year funding is so dependent on academic performance, it behooves you to do all that you can to make sure you do well in the first semester –  a semester in which you will be taking a heavy dose of core requirements which are quantitatively heavy.  In May admitted applicants who have chosen to enroll will be sent instructions on how to participate in an on-line summer math tutorial.

I cannot recommend highly enough that applicants who plan on enrolling participate in the summer math tutorial.  Even if you took many quantitatively oriented classes in the past, it would do you well to knock off a little bit of rust.  Again I can speak from personal experience.  I started my graduate program when I was 28 and boy was it a shock to my system when the syllabus of the first class hit my desk.

And for those who might not have completed an economics sequence, high level math class, or a statistics class, taking a summer class from a college near you is a great idea.  Courses might include microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, linear algebra, precalculus, or calculus.

I hope this gives you a bit of insight into the process at SIPA and please click here to explore information related to cost of attendance at SIPA.  The financial aid staff in my office are working fast and furious and will be sending out financial aid letters with more information.  We try to send out an estimated award letter shortly after the admission offer is made to give you an idea of what aid you might be eligible to receive, but it does take us some time to give specifics regarding government and private aid you may be eligible to receive in an official award letter.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

Scholarship Program for Colombian Applicants

Applicants from Colombia who are admitted to SIPA will have the opportunity to apply for funding through a special program run by the Colombian government.  The objective of the COLFOTURO program is to help Colombian students study abroad with the goal of promoting the economic and social development of Colombia.  For information on the program, click here.

If admitted to SIPA, applicants who are citizens of Colombia can fill out the paperwork to be considered.  Please see their Web site for specific details.


Julius G. Blocker, MIA ’56, Donates $3.5 Million for Exchange Program

SIPA is pleased to announce the Julius Blocker Scholars Fellowship Program. Through a $3.5 million bequest from the estate of alumnus Julius G. Blocker, MIA ’56, SIPA will endow a program to “fund and foster an international student exchange program between SIPA and a German university.”

Mr. Blocker was a Fulbright scholar in West Berlin while he was at Columbia University. Of the Fulbright experience, Mr. Blocker stated that “it was one of the best years of my life.” He strongly valued the experience and the opportunity to immerse himself fully in the language and culture of Germany and Berlin.

His gift to SIPA will allow students to have the same opportunities that he had studying abroad. As part of the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN), SIPA has a partnership with the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and will implement the Blocker Scholars program in the next academic year.  This scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, transportation, room, board, health insurance, and living expenses. Students will be selected in a publicly announced competition. Mr. Blocker divided his estate between his undergraduate school, Hobart and William Smith College, and SIPA. The School is truly grateful for this transformational gift.

Paying for School

The admission season is filled with ups and downs for applicants.  You may receive admission offers from some schools and not from others.  Those who are admitted may experience the exhilaration of all their hard work paying off only to experience the worry of how to pay for the tuition and all of the related educational expenses.

When I speak with prospective students I always try to be upfront and state that I do not like surprises.  I do not want people to be surprised by the fact that the cost of attending SIPA for two years can well exceed $100,000.  This figure includes tuition, fees, housing, food, travel, health insurance and everything it will take to support your studies for approximately two years in a city known for high prices.

I also do not want to hide the fact that we are only able to award funding to approximately 10% of first year students.  I am happy to say that 70% of those who apply for funding in their second year at SIPA are awarded a scholarship.

Having worked in higher education for many years now, I can say that it is quite common to have very emotional conversations with students about money and financial aid.  I can both empathize and sympathize with students I speak with because I attended graduate school and took a considerable amount of loan funding to do so.  I am also happy to say I did apply for and receive scholarships to attend school.

Unfortunately when I speak with students and ask them about the effort they have put into searching for scholarships or other sources of free funding, very few are able to respond in the affirmative.  It is common to hear responses such as: “I simply don’t have time.”  “I don’t know where to look.”  “I started to look but there was nothing out there.”

For me searching for scholarships is like many other things in life – the effort you put in equals the result.  If you want an “A” in a class you have to put in the time.  If you want to find an apartment in New York City you have to search, talk to people, and expend a great deal of energy.

In a way searching for scholarships is like saving for retirement.  First, the sooner you start the better off you are.  Second, it is wise to keep researching for ways to make your money and opportunities grow.  So my question to you applicants out there is, “How much time have you spent looking for funding?”

My hope is that you have been looking but if not it is never too late to start.  My advice to you would be to make scholarship searches a part of your normal routine.  Most of us have things we like to do that we will not miss.  It can be watching a T.V. show, going to the gym, or taking time to write a letter to a friend.  Schedule a time once a week to look for scholarships and it literally can pay off.  Here are some ways to get started:

• Check out SIPA’s own fellowship database. We search for scholarships for you and post them to the database.  The database is not SIPA specific.  As we search for and hear about funding, we make the information available to you.

• Use RSS technology to deliver news to your email account or RSS Reader.  RSS allows for news to be delivered to you without having to go look for it every day.  As an example, Gmail accounts have something called the “Alert” tool and I am sure other providers have the same capability.  All you have to do is put in text for searches and a search engine will perform the searches daily and deliver news to your email account.  You can type in search terms like “Graduate School Scholarships” or “International Affairs Scholarships.”  You can also utilize an RSS reader.  They are free and if you do not know what an RSS reader is, click here for a YouTube tutorial.

• Talk to people you know who have gone to graduate school and find out if they were able to find scholarship opportunities.

• Contact people who are willing to write you a letter of recommendation and have them make multiple copies of the recommendation letter and give them to you in sealed envelops so you are ready if a scholarship opportunity arises and there is a tight deadline.

I will not say the process of searching is easy and it can take a considerable amount of effort.  However, if you wish to reduce the amount of loan funding you might need to pay for school it is well worth the effort.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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