Graduate students reap benefits of $6 million grant
By David Molmen
Jan. 21, 2008 9:56 p.m.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation granted $6 million to support graduate students in the UCLA humanities department, UCLA announced Friday.
The $6 million private grant from the New York-based Mellon foundation followed a $1.9 million school-wide annual allocation from the University of California Office of the President. Both grants are aimed at helping graduate students pay for living and tuition expenses.
In the last five to 10 years, competition among universities for high-quality graduate students has become intense, said Scott Waugh, UCLA’s acting executive vice chancellor and provost.
Prior to the grant, UCLA had to syphon money from other programs to aid in graduate student funding.
Last year, the College of Letters and Sciences had to divert $4.5 million from teaching positions to graduate student support and recruitment, according to a UCLA press release.
Elite private universities are using money offers to get the best students and it’s been difficult for UCLA to compete. The Mellon grant gives UCLA a competitive edge, Waugh said.
The Mellon grant program will distribute funds to around 25 new and current graduate students annually.
Even though UCLA offers graduate students stipends comparable to other top universities, they are undercut by the high cost of living in the area surrounding campus, said Tim Stowell, dean of humanities in the College of Letters and Sciences.
“Los Angeles is one of the most expensive places in the nation to live, save San Francisco and Manhattan,” Stowell said. “With the grant we will be able to offer very competitive packages to the top students.”
Drawing superior graduate students may also improve the education of the undergraduate students.
Having the best graduate students will create a better undergraduate environment, Waugh said. A lot of these individuals UCLA attracts will also be teaching assistants for undergraduate classes. There will be a trickle down effect that will happen.
The other budget increase, a $1.9 million annual state fund, will provide scholarships to 160 non-resident graduate students over a period of four years.
“This is not private money,” Waugh said. “The UCOP gave $10 million to the University of California in graduate student support. … UCLA received $1.9 million of that. … One of the purposes of the fund was to support non-residential students in doctrinal programs.”
UCLA itself has been actively pursuing top doctrinal students, initiating a program in mid-2004 aimed at raising $250 million dollars over the next five years to help attract and maintain top-notch faculty and students.
To date, the program has raised $259 million.
James Fishburne, graduate student in art history, could use any funding he can get, he said.
“It costs me $8,000 per year, not including living expenses,” Fishburne said.
Some graduate programs require travel as well as other added expenses.
“A scholarship would be very helpful,” Fishburne said. “It would enable me to travel and do research while traveling. It would let me specialize and take more classes. I wouldn’t have to work while writing my dissertation.”
