Dr. Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship

At a Glance

Number Awarded
1 award is available for 2025-26
Amount Awarded
$25,000 plus full base (main campus) tuition and individual student health insurance
Application Period
Deadline to apply is November 18, 2024
Process
By Nomination
Funding Type
Cash Award/Stipend
Tuition Award
Eligibility Category
Domestic Doctoral Students

About

Background

In honor of Dr. Maria Teresa Velez, former Associate Dean, University of Arizona (U of A) Graduate College, and her lifelong commitment to promoting graduate student diversity and inclusion and pushing for the highest of excellence, the Graduate College established the Dr. Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship. This award is given annually to a doctoral student who, through their teaching, research, or outreach and service, has demonstrated a commitment to furthering diversity in education, higher education, and the community at large.

Award amount

The award consists of $25,000 plus full base (main campus) graduate tuition and individual student health insurance (excluding fees and any differential tuition) for one year only. The selected Fellow may not hold concurrent graduate assistant/associateships or student wage positions or defer the award for the following year.

Application Deadline: November 18, 2024

Eligibility

Eligibility information for 2025-26 nominations 

Applicants must be nominated by their U of A academic unit (one nomination per U of A doctoral program only). Applicants may not apply directly. The Director of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Coordinator of the nominating program should fill out the application and upload the required documentation noted in the instructions section.

The nominee must be:

  • A domestic U of A doctoral student (U.S. citizen or permanent resident),
  • Admitted to a main campus doctoral program at the University of Arizona (UA Online, JD, MD, DVM, and Pharm-D students are not eligible to apply), and
  • In good academic standing with a current cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher

Instructions

Application instructions for nominations 

Applicants must be nominated by their U of A academic unit (one nomination per U of A doctoral program only) via the online application. Applicants may not apply directly.

U of A Directors of Graduate Studies or Graduate Coordinators should submit the following using the online application (one application per U of A doctoral program). The applications will be reviewed and recipients will be selected annually by a committee of U of A faculty and staff.

  1. Two (2) page essay from the nominee describing goal(s), effort(s) and accomplishment(s) in contributing to or achieving increased diversity and inclusion in education, higher education, and/or the community at large (please format as single spaced, 12 point font, with 1” margins all around).  
  2. Current Curriculum Vitae
  3. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member at the U of A is required. The letter should address the diversity and inclusion experience of the applicant. The letter may be uploaded at online application site by nominator or emailed separately to Donna Treloar, Director, Graduate Diversity Initiatives, Graduate College.
  4. List the nominee’s name on each page of the document

Contact

Please contact Donna Treloar, Director, Graduate Diversity Initiatives, 520-621-7808