UDALL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2017 UDALL SCHOLARS
Posted: 5/1/2017
The Udall Foundation is pleased to announce that 50 students from 42 colleges and universities have been selected as 2017 Udall Scholars. A 15-member independent review committee selected this year's group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care, or Tribal public policy; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. The review committee also awarded 50 Honorable Mentions.
This highly qualified class of Udall Scholars was selected from 494 candidates nominated by 224 colleges and universities. Thirty-four Scholars intend to pursue careers related to the environment. Eleven Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Tribal public policy; five Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Native health care. Thanks to strong recruiting efforts from faculty advisors, professors, alumni, and partners, nominations in the Native Health Care and Tribal Public Policy categories increased 23.8% from 2016.
Each scholarship provides up to $7,000 for the Scholar’s junior or senior year. Since the first awards in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,574 scholarships totaling $8,090,000.
The 2017 Udall Scholars will assemble August 8-13, 2017, in Tucson, Arizona, 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 2017 Scholars.
Selected statistics on the 2017 competition
- 494 eligible applicants were nominated for the Udall Scholarship this year
- 390 students applied in the Environment category; 40 in Native Health Care; 64 in Tribal Public Policy
- 481 applicants came from four-year institutions; 13 came from two-year colleges
- 166 Sophomores; 328 Juniors
- 40% self-identify as non-white
- 224 institutions nominated students; nine schools nominated students for the first time; 71 colleges and universities nominated applicants to the Tribal Public Policy and Native Health Care categories
- Nominees were from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
Scholar Statistics
- 50 Scholars and 50 Honorable Mentions were selected
- 34 Scholarships were awarded in the Environment category; five in Native Health Care; and 11 in Tribal Public Policy
- 11 Sophomores; 39 Juniors
- 54% self-identify as non-white
- Three Scholars were also Scholars in 2016; five Scholars were Honorable Mentions in 2016; 11 Scholars were nominated in 2016 (but were neither Scholars nor Honorable Mentions then)
- 42 institutions have Scholars; one of those has a Scholar for the first time; 18 have Scholars for the first time in three or more years
- Tribal Public Policy and Native Health Care scholars are enrolled in 16 different Tribes; 11 additional Tribes have Honorable Mentions
- Scholars come from 35 states; 35 states have Honorable Mentions
About the Udall Foundation
Established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation awards 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; provides funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes and to the Native Nations Institute for research, education, and outreach on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues; and provides assessment, mediation, training and other related services through the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
More Information
For more information about the Udall Foundation, please visit About us. For additional information about the Scholarship program, please contact Kellcee Baker at 520-901-8564 or kbaker@udall.gov.
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