A Geography graduate student in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is among the fourteen Florida State University graduate students from underrepresented populations joining the 2022-2023 cohort of McKnight Doctoral and Dissertation Fellows, funded by the Florida Education Fund, or FEF.
The FEF’s McKnight Doctoral and Dissertation Fellowship Programs are designed to address the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities in Florida by increasing the pool of citizens whose doctoral degrees qualify them to teach at the college and university levels.
“The Florida Education Fund has a legacy of supporting the presence of Black and Hispanic scholars earning doctoral degrees in crucial disciplines through its McKnight Fellowship Program,” said Adrienne Stephenson, assistant dean of The Graduate School and director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. “Their efforts to promote teaching and research and provide funding through their fellowship programs speak volumes about their long-standing commitment to diversify the professoriate.”
The Doctoral Fellowship provides $17,000 per year in tuition, fees, and stipends for up to five years. The Dissertation Fellowship Program provides up to one year of support to individuals working to complete dissertations in STEM disciplines with a stipend of up to $12,000.
Students from Florida State have been awarded 308 of the coveted fellowships to date, with 42 fellows currently matriculating.
Current fellows attended the 37th annual McKnight Fellows’ Meeting in Tampa from Feb. 10-12. The conference is designed to address the needs of matriculating graduate students, research scholars, and tenure-earning professors. It’s one of many opportunities available to fellows throughout the year that informs, trains, and connects them with other fellows, recent graduates, established professionals, and industry experts throughout the country.
Adrianne Jackson earned the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship in 2017 and graduated in 2022. She is currently employed by the U.S. Air Force in the Integrated Resilience Division as a Prevention Operations Program Manager, and she said the McKnight Fellowship helped fuel her desire to finish her doctoral degree.
“The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship allowed me to complete my Ph.D. without having to take out loans,” Jackson said. “It also provided me with a network of scholars and employers to collaborate with during and after my doctoral journey. The fellowship helped fuel my desire to finish the Ph.D. and mentor budding scholars along the way.”
Since its inception in 1984, the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship has awarded more than 1,500 scholarships and increased the number of African Americans and Hispanics who have earned doctoral degrees in disciplines where members of underrepresented groups have not historically enrolled and completed degree programs.
COSSPP 2022-2023 McKnight Dissertation Fellowship recipient:
Nicole Zampieri, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Geography
A first-generation American and college student of Nicaraguan descent, Zampieri’s dissertation research explores the patterns and drivers of structure, function, and diversity within longleaf pine ecosystems. These ecosystems are important reservoirs of biodiversity and ecosystem services and are some of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. The longleaf pine tree species is globally endangered. Zampieri’s research centers on furthering our understanding of how to best manage and restore these ecosystems, to preserve their functioning and provisioning of services. Zampieri is a two-time FSU alumnus as she earned her B.S. in Environmental Science in 2016 and her M.S. in Geography in 2020.
Congratulations to COSSPP Geography doctoral student, Nicole Zampieri, and all fourteen FSU graduate students joining the 2022-2023 cohort of McKnight Doctoral and Dissertation Fellows!
To learn more about ways for graduate students to fund their academic interests, visit FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards at ogfa.fsu.edu.
For more information about the McKnight Doctoral and Dissertation Fellowship programs, visit ogfa.fsu.edu/about-us/mcknight-fellowships.