Description
The Environmental and Ocean Sciences Department at USD would like to improve the diversity of our program, and in doing so enhance our program. We would like to establish a scholarship that will help offset some of the costs of graduate school for BIPOC applicants. Please consider supporting this scholarship and helping us reach our $5,000 fundraising goal.
Donations are applied to...
Our short-term goal is to be able to add $5,000 to the acceptance offer for underrepresented applicants, and ultimately, through donations through both ChangeFunding and other sources, establish an endowment that could make this a permanent feature of our graduate program.
About the Scholarship
The current climate and environmental crises demand, among other things, the work of scientists in Environmental and Ocean Sciences. Further, there is ample evidence that increased diversity leads to greater innovation and novel scientific outcomes. And yet despite these facts, and that these crises disproportionately affect BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, these individuals are dramatically underrepresented in Environmental and Ocean Sciences.
There are a number of reasons for this lack of diversity, but among them is financial considerations. BIPOC students are much more likely to come from low-income backgrounds, and thus increased funding in the form of grants and scholarships improve access and retention of BIPOC students.
The Environmental and Ocean Sciences Department would like to improve the diversity of our program, and in doing so enhance our program.
Why are donations necessary?
To help create a graduate student body that more closely resembles our broader community, we would like to establish a targeted fund that will allow us to offset some of the costs of graduate school for BIPOC applicants.