FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- Using part of the historic $300 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, the University of Arkansas Graduate School has accepted proposals from academic colleges and departments for 250 new doctoral fellowships.

Searches are under way to recruit new doctoral fellows for the 2003-04 academic year, and academic units expect to be announcing the results later this spring.

"These new fellowships and the outstanding candidates they attract will ensure that graduate education at the University of Arkansas will be competitive with other top graduate programs across the nation," said UA Chancellor John A. White.

"Arkansas needs many more Ph.D.s in its workforce if it is to succeed in the new economy that is based on knowledge and advanced technology, and these new fellowships will begin to supply them," he observed. "In addition, the influx of these new doctoral fellows will increase the scope, capacity and quality of our research programs, which also will enhance economic development and improve quality of life across the state.

"It’s appropriate to thank the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, once again, for making a tremendous difference for the University and our state," White added.

Of the 250 new fellowships proposals authorized by the Graduate School, 41 are Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships. Supported by an endowment of $24 million from the Walton gift, Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships are designed to be competitive with the most prestigious fellowships nationally. They provide a stipend of $30,000 per year, with $20,000 provided in income from the Walton endowment and $10,000 provided annually by the sponsoring academic department. The intent is to support up to 60 Distinguished Doctoral Fellows annually.

In addition, 209 new Doctoral Academy Fellowships have been authorized by the Graduate School. Supported by an endowment of $40 million from the Walton gift, the income provides supplements of up to $5,000 annually for existing doctoral fellowships, so as to make them more attractive to outstanding candidates.

The selections were made by a committee consisting of Chancellor White; Bob Smith, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; Collis Geren, vice provost for research and Graduate School; Carolyn Callahan, professor and holder of the Doris M. Cook Chair in Accounting; Dennis Brewer, chair of the Faculty Senate, professor of mathematical sciences and computer science, and associate head of the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering; and Roger Koeppe, University Professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

"We received 97 proposals from academic departments across the University asking for a total of nearly 500 doctoral fellowships," said Geren.

"We scrutinized everything, funded some in full, some partially, and a few not at all. Those proposals that promised the greatest returns for enhancing economic competitiveness and quality of life and elevating the University to international prominence did best," Geren added. "Next fall, we will repeat the call for proposals for doctoral fellowships and go through the process again."

The allocations of the Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships (DDFs) and Doctoral Academy Fellowships (DAFs) are as follow:

Dale W. Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences:

• Animal Science: 1DDF, 2 DAFs;
• Crop, Soil and Environmental Science: 1DDF, 15 DAFs;
• Entomology: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs;
• Food Science: 1 DDF, 4 DAFs;
• Plant Science: 1 DDF, 6 DAFs;
• Poultry Science: 1DDF, 5 DAFs.

J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences:

• Anthropology: 2 DAFs;
• Biological Sciences: 2 DDFs, 10 DAFs;
• Chemistry: 2 DDFs, 30 DAFs;
• Mathematics: 1 DDF, 7 DAFs;
• Physics: 1 DDF, 7 DAFs;
• Psychology: 2 DDFs, 14 DAFs.

Sam M. Walton College of Business:

• Accounting: 1 DDF, 7 DAFs;
• Finance: I DDF, 5 DAFs;
• Information Systems: I DDF, 6 DAFs;
• Management: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs;
• Marketing and Transportation: 1 DDF, 5 DAFs.

College of Education and Health Professions:

• Curriculum and Instruction: 3 DAFs;
• Educational Leadership, Counseling and Foundations: 6 DAFs
• Health Science: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs;
• Kinesiology: 2 DAFs;
• Recreation: 1 DAF;
• Rehabilitation Education and Research: 1 DDF;
• Vocational and Adult Education: 1 DAF.

College of Engineering:

• Biological and Agricultural Engineering: 2 DDFs, 5 DAFs;
• Computer Science and Engineering: 1 DDF, 5 DAFs;
• Chemical Engineering: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs;
• Civil Engineering: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs;
• Electrical Engineering: 2 DDFs, 7 DAFs;
• Industrial Engineering: 1 DDF, 3 DAFs.

Interdisciplinary programs:

• Cell and Molecular Biology: 1 DDF, 5 DAFs;
• Environmental Dynamics: 1 DDF, 15 DAFs;
• Microelectronics-Photonics: 2 DDFs, 12 DAFs;
• Public Policy: 2 DDFs, 5 DAFs.

Interdisciplinary within programs:

• Gerontology (Health Science Ph.D.): 1 DDF;
• Community Development and Growth (Public Policy Ph.D.): 1 DDF, 1 DAF;
• Literacy (Rehabilitation Ph.D.): 1 DDF;
• Materials Science: 1 DDF, 1 DAF;
• Science Education (within Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D.): 1 DDF;
• Center for Space and Planetary Sciences: 1 DDF, 1 DAF.