Jefferson Scholars Foundation

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation provides full-ride scholarships to select undergraduate and graduate students at The University of Virginia (U.Va). It has been named one of the two leading scholarship programs in the country.[3] Named after Thomas Jefferson, the founder of U.Va, JSF aims to "serve the University of Virginia by identifying, attracting, and nurturing individuals of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who possess the highest concomitant qualities of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship."[4] In addition to funding tuition and fees, the scholarship program provides undergraduates with extensive programming including an introductory outdoor weekend, international travel, a summer leadership and citizenship institute, internships and an extensive speaker series.

Jefferson Scholars Foundation
Established1980[1]
Location
President
James Wright
EndowmentUS$ 459.2 million[2]
Websitejeffersonscholars.org

History and background

Founded in the 1980–1981 academic year by the board of managers of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation was a product of the "board’s desire to put in place a tangible program that would reflect the educational ideals of Thomas Jefferson."[5] The first class yielded twelve scholars who graduated in 1985.

In time, the foundation worked to increase the size of incoming Jefferson Scholar classes. The regional competitions increased from just a few to the 50 that presently exist. The number of nominees has grown to over 1,800 each year, and volunteer committee participation utilizes roughly 800 U.Va. alumni and faculty who participate in the nomination and selection process.[6]

Jefferson Scholars Program

Selection Process

For aspiring Jefferson Scholars, the selection process can be quite rigorous. Students attending one of the more than 4,000 eligible secondary schools in the US must be nominated by their respective institution. Each secondary school is assigned to one of 53 regional areas across the United States which serve to select finalists in the competition. The regional selection process, executed by committees of U.Va alumni, varies and can include three levels of selection (an application and up to two interviews) to determine any finalists. These individuals are then brought to Charlottesville for the finalist selection weekend. Students not attending an eligible secondary school or students living outside one of the established regions (including international students) are automatically considered for the finalist weekend based on their U.Va application and selected by a separate panel. All finalist expenses for the selection weekend, including travel, are paid for by the foundation.

In 2016, 1825 student nominations were made by secondary schools; 120 of these students were selected for the finalist weekend, and 34 were awarded Jefferson Scholarships.[7]

Usually taking place in March, the finalist weekend is actually an exhaustive four-day experience allowing students the opportunity to exhibit their strengths. While some time is dedicated to informative activities concerning U.Va and a specialized tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the majority of the weekend is spent on activities where individual merits may be judged. Judges utilize a math & logic exam, a written essay, two sets of faculty moderated panel discussions based on readings provided before the weekend, and a final interview with a panel of judges to select a class. Of the finalists, a class of around 30 students is selected, representing less than 2% of those originally nominated.

The university has seen success in retaining students nominated for (but not awarded) the Jefferson Scholarship. In recent years, approximately nine percent of the incoming first year class were nominees from their respective secondary school.[6]

Programming

First Year

The class spends three days at an outdoor/high-ropes course in Charlottesville. The event is utilized to encourage team building among the class as they camp, cook meals, and participate in numerous activities including high and low ropes courses.

Second Year

Class participates in a Leadership and Citizenship Institute. Because leadership and citizenship are two pillars of the scholarship program, the foundation focuses on emphasizing these qualities through a specialized two-week program. Occurring in August before a scholar's second year, the class is housed on grounds at the university and participates in many different activities. These activities vary slightly by year but generally include numerous speakers and workshops, a service project, team building activities, and public speaking exercises. The weekend between weeks is left open for scholars to plan class activities.

Third Year

The international travel experience occurs during the summer before third year. The international travel program is broken into structured and independent portions. Students are awarded funding for one U.Va developed study abroad experience, as well as an independent international experience in the form of an independent study. In the spring semester of a scholar's second year, each student proposes a project to the foundation for their study. The guidelines for these projects are purposefully flexible and state that each scholar must choose a topic that cannot be fully explored from a computer and requires that they leave the country.

Jefferson Fellows Program

As reported by the foundation, the Jefferson Fellows Program was established in 2001. It is the premier graduate fellowship offered at U.Va. Based solely on merit, the Jefferson Fellowships program is designed to identify Ph.D. and M.B.A. candidates who demonstrate achievement and the highest promise as scholars, teachers, public servants, and business leaders in the United States and beyond. Jefferson Fellows are awarded the cost of attending the University, living and research stipends, space to engage in research and collaborative conversation, and professional development and enrichment opportunities.[8]

National Fellows Program

National Fellows can attend any college or university in the United States. Up to 8 are selected per annum.[9] They receive the following:[8]

  • One year of support for dissertation research and writing
  • A stipend of $25,000
  • Mentoring from a renowned senior scholar in the field
  • Invitations to two annual conferences, one in the fall and the second in the spring

Jefferson Scholars Foundation Professorship Program

In 2012, a series of $5 million professorships were established, designed to help attract the world’s most outstanding professors to U.Va. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $70 million for this effort and created partnerships with the College of Arts & Sciences, the Darden School of Business, the Law School, and the School of Medicine.[10]

Current JSF Professors include:

  • Jianhua “JC” Cang
  • Christa Dierksheide
  • Kevin Pelphrey

Funding

Early on, the Jefferson Scholars competition was overseen by the alumni association, with university clubs funding several of the scholars. By the mid-1980s, however, private support from individuals became the main focus of funding efforts.[4]

The foundation's endowment in 2016 stood at just over $359 million.[6]

For the 2015–16 academic year, the in-state monetary award for scholars exceeded $31,000. The out-of-state award exceeded $61,000.[7] This money is used to cover the full cost of attending U.Va which includes tuition, board, books, etc. The stipend for Jefferson Graduate Fellows is $30,000.[4]

Notable Alumni Accomplishments

Jefferson Scholar alumni have won many prestigious awards and scholarships, including the Knight-Hennessy, Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Fulbright, Schwarzman, Luce and more.

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References
  1. "Jefferson Scholars Foundation". Jeffersonscholarsfoundation.net. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. "The Provost's Forum". Provost.utk.edu. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  4. "Homepage - Jefferson Scholars Foundation". Jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  5. "Legacy | Jefferson Scholars Foundation". www.jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  6. "2016 Annual Report". www.jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  7. "The Jefferson Scholarship - Jefferson Scholars Foundation". Jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  8. "Fellowship | Jefferson Scholars Foundation". www.jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  9. "National Fellowship | Jefferson Scholars Foundation". www.jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  10. "Professorships | Jefferson Scholars Foundation". www.jeffersonscholars.org. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
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