Udall Foundation Announces 2023 Udall Scholars
Posted: 5/5/2023
The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) is pleased to announce that 55 students from 46 colleges and universities have been selected as 2023 Udall Scholars. A 20-member independent review committee selected this year's group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Tribal public policy, or Native health care; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. The review committee also awarded 55 Honorable Mentions.
The newest class of Udall Scholars was selected from 384 candidates nominated by 172 colleges and universities. Thirty-seven Scholars intend to pursue careers related to the environment, nine Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Tribal public policy, and nine Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Native health care.
Selected statistics on the 2023 competition
Applicant Statistics
- 384 eligible applicants were nominated by their academic institution.
- 328 students applied in the Environmental category, 28 in Tribal Public Policy, and 28 in Native Health Care.
- 381 applicants came from four-year institutions and three came from two-year colleges.
- 117 Sophomores and 267 Juniors.
- Nearly 46% self-identified as non-white.
- 172 institutions nominated students; two schools nominated students for the first time.
- Nominees came from 47 states, the District of Columbia, one territory, and 38 Tribes and Alaska Native Villages.
Scholar Statistics
- 55 Scholars and 55 Honorable Mentions were selected.
- 37 Scholarships were awarded in the Environmental category, nine in Tribal Public Policy, and nine in Native Health Care.
- 14 Sophomores and 41 Juniors.
- Approximately 71% self-identify as non-white.
- Two Scholars were also Scholars in 2022; four Scholars were Honorable Mentions in 2022.
- 46 institutions have Scholars; three of those have Scholars for the first time and 17 have Scholars for the first time in three or more years.
- Scholars come from 28 states, the District of Columbia, and 14 Tribes.
Each Scholarship provides up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses for the Scholar’s junior or senior year of academic study. Since the program’s inception in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,898 Udall Scholarships totaling over $9.975 million and 1,279 Honorable Mentions.
The 2023 Udall Scholars will connect August 2-6 for the annual Udall Scholar Orientation to meet one another and program alumni; learn more about the Udall legacy of public service; and interact with community leaders in environmental fields, Tribal health care, and governance.
Learn more about the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship and meet the 2023 Scholars.
More Information
For more information about the Udall Foundation, please visit About us. For additional information about the Scholarship Program, please contact Jason Curley at (520) 901-8564 or curley@udall.gov.
About the Udall Foundation
The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall for his half century of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
The Udall Foundation is authorized by Congress to:
- Award Scholarships, Fellowships, and Internships for study in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and Tribal public policy.
- Connect youth to the Nation’s public lands and natural resources to foster greater understanding, appreciation, stewardship, and enjoyment of those lands and resources through photography, positive outdoor experiences, and environmental education through the Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus® Program.
- Provide funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes.
- Provide funding to the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, a program of the Udall Center, for research, education, and outreach on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues.
- Provide funding through the Udall Center to The University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections to serve as the repository for the papers of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.
- Provide impartial collaboration, consensus-building, training, and conflict resolution services on a wide range of environmental, natural and cultural resources, Tribal, and public lands issues, conflicts, and disputes involving the Federal Government through the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
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