A new fellowship program announced Jan. 19 by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska will provide financial support and mentoring for advanced doctoral students within the university system.
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars program will award one- and two-year grants — each worth up to $25,000 annually — to a maximum of four doctoral students every year. The program is designed to foster the growth of diverse, exceptional graduate students conducting research about young children and their families, with particular attention to children placed at risk due to poverty and social and environmental circumstances.
The Buffett Institute Graduate Scholars program is the first financial support program for doctoral students who have reached doctoral candidacy at the University of Nebraska that focuses on young children and their development.
“The University of Nebraska has made a remarkable commitment on an interdisciplinary level to advancing research on young children, and the Buffett Institute believes strongly in strengthening those efforts,” said Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Institute. “We look forward to supporting and collaborating with talented doctoral students and faculty on the campuses.”
Meisels said the program is intended to reach across traditional higher education boundaries, supporting high-quality research from diverse fields that affect young children, including health, education, social work, music, art, the neurosciences and others. Multi-disciplinary research and practice — particularly from disciplines not typically associated with the field of early childhood education — and new methodologies will be encouraged.
The Buffett Graduate Scholars will work with their faculty mentors on a dissertation that represents an in-depth exploration of early childhood issues. The institute will create opportunities for graduate students and mentors to communicate, network and collaborate with one another.
Letters of intent from applicants are due March 15, and full applications must be submitted by April 15. Announcement of the inaugural award winners will be made by the end of June. To view the Buffett Institute Graduate Scholars Request for Proposal, click here.
