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Graduate FellowsGraduate students in the Political Science program at the University of Washington typically support their education by working as teaching assistants. Teaching, particularly for new instructors, consumes a great deal of time that could otherwise be devoted to developing their skills as political scientists. One of the Center's objectives in seeking outside support has been to support promising public policy and American politics graduate students financially, in order to facilitate their development as nationally recognized researchers. The Center has been remarkably successful in this regard, but we clearly need to do more. We need to be able to offer applicants to our program a competitive recruitment package. In today's environment, this means that we need to be able to promise funding for at least several of a student's years in the program. However, our ability to do so depends on generating a funding base that extends beyond the two year cycle of the typical grant, and for this reason we have made the establishment of graduate fellowships a top priority. Graduate students associated with the Center have benefited from an exceptional educational experience. The value of proximity for collaboration cannot be overemphasized. Graduate Fellows in the Center share the same physical space with faculty. Instead of being segregated, they are integrated and learn about the research process both through a structured training program and by osmosis. Although the Center was only recently established, these efforts are bearing fruit. Our students are participating in national conferences and training programs; they are passing their qualifying exams with distinction; and the quality of their work is being acknowledged through the award of nationally competitive fellowships, and peer-reviewed publications. |
  
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© 2004 Center for American Politics & Public Policy, University of Washington |