Three University of California, San Diego, graduate students will receive full financial support from a private foundation to prepare for careers with the federal government. 

The new Robertson Fellows Program, which begins with the current 2010-11 academic year, is being funded by the Robertson Foundation for Government, which has pledged $450,000 over the next four years. The program will cover expenses for outstanding students to complete their master’s degrees at UC San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. Robertson Fellows must have a proficiency in a foreign language upon graduation, and are required to work for the federal government for at least three of the first five years after graduation.

Established earlier this year, the Robertson Foundation for Government (RFFG) will in the years ahead invest several million dollars annually to provide funding for scholarships, graduate fellowships, mid-career training programs and other initiatives to address the talent needs of the federal government.  

“What makes this program unique is that we’re virtually the only private foundation in the United States to be in this space, supporting students interested in pursuing federal government careers, with a strong emphasis on foreign policy, national security and international affairs,” explains William Robertson, RFFG chairman. “In the next 10 years, there will be a huge outflow of public employees taking retirement, and we need to fill those positions with top-quality candidates. UC San Diego was selected because it has one of the best international relations programs in the nation. We hope to train some of the finest candidates to serve in the U.S. government and the foreign service corps, and allow those candidates to start the job without being thousands of dollars in debt.”

The School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), the University of California’s only professional school of international relations, trains students to excel in a world where global connections and international expertise is imperative. Dean Peter Cowhey notes, “After serving last year as the senior counselor to the Office of the United States Trade Representative under President Obama, I’ve seen first-hand the importance and need for the highest caliber employees in foreign policy, national security and international affairs.  This generous gift from the Robertson Foundation for Government will help us better compete in attracting exceptional students to our school, who in turn could become exceptional talent for the federal government.”

The first class of Robertson Fellows at UC San Diego includes:

• Chas Culverwell, a graduate of Brigham Young University with a BA in International Relations, worked as a Mandarin Curriculum Developer and studied at Nanjing University in China. “After visiting IR/PS, I was really impressed with the program, faculty and the other students that I met,” Culverwell states.  “I have a wife and a 1-year-old son; it would not be easy to support my family while attending graduate school and incurring a large debt load without the financial help I will receive from the Robertson Foundation.”

• Katy Donovan, a graduate of Mills College, Oakland, with a BA in Political and Economic Analysis and studied in Germany. “The United States needs well-educated, honest people working to make it better and to advance its interests in the world,” says Donovan. “I would like to be one of those people. The Robertson Fellowship means there is an organization that believes in my career goals and is rooting for me to succeed.  I think that is more important than the money.”

• Sharon McCoy, a graduate from the University of Georgia with a BA in International Affairs, studied in Chile and worked as an intern at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.  McCoy adds, “With its ideal location near the U.S.-Mexican border, regionally-based curriculum and numerous opportunities for research and internships, UC San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies is an excellent choice to prepare for my professional ambitions.  Being a Robertson Fellow is an amazing honor.  It definitely means having no debt upon graduation, which I sincerely appreciate, before starting my career in government.”

The Robertson Foundation for Government gift contributes to UC San Diego’s Invent the Future student support campaign, a $50 million fundraising effort to increase the number of scholarships and fellowships.   “I would encourage people to support higher education programs in their areas of interest, but to do so thoughtfully and with great care, so their gifts accomplish a strategic purpose,” says William Robertson.  “Our partnership with the University of California, San Diego meets that test—and will help some very talented students graduate with a serious and important goal in mind and without being saddled with huge amounts of debt.”