Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship
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The Thomas J. Watson Foundation is a charitable trust formed 1961 in honor of former chairman and CEO of IBM,
Thomas J. Watson Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American businessman who served as the chairman and CEO of IBM. He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's managemen ...
. The Foundation's stated vision is to empower students “to expand their vision, test and develop their potential, and gain confidence and perspective to do so for others.” The Watson Foundation operates two programs, the
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship The Thomas J. Watson Foundation is a charitable trust formed 1961 in honor of former chairman and CEO of IBM, Thomas J. Watson. The Foundation's stated vision is to empower students “to expand their vision, test and develop their potential, an ...
and the
Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship The Thomas J. Watson Foundation is a charitable trust formed 1961 in honor of former chairman and CEO of IBM, Thomas J. Watson. The Foundation's stated vision is to empower students “to expand their vision, test and develop their potential, an ...
. The two programs were based in Providence and New York City, but in 2006 the two fellowships were united in New York.Schram, Lauren Elkie
“As 50th Anniversary Approaches, Nonprofit Signs Deal to Move to Woolworth Building”
‘‘ Commercial Observer’’, November 27, 2017. Retrieve 2018-04-27.
In 2018 the Watson Foundation celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The Foundation moved into its new offices in New York's Woolworth Building that same year.


Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a grant that enables graduating seniors to pursue a year of independent study outside the United States. 1968 was the Fellowship's first year, providing graduates with a year to "explore with thoroughness a particular interest, test their aspirations and abilities, view their lives and American society in greater perspective and, concomitantly, develop a more informed sense of international concern". In 2018, the fellowship celebrated its 50th anniversary. In that time, over 42,000 students submitted applications, and nearly 2,000 fellowships were awarded, making the fellowship similarly selective to the
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
or Marshall Scholarships. Unlike those programs, only undergraduates in their senior year at 41 colleges are eligible to apply.


Background

The fellowship itself grants recipients money to spend one year traveling in pursuit of their projects. Recipients are forbidden from reentering the United States and their home country for one year. Projects are not academically oriented, as the fellowship is intended to encourage exploration and new experiences rather than formal research. Currently the award is $36,000 per fellow or $46,000 for a fellow traveling with a spouse or dependent. The stipend also provides student loan repayment for the duration of the fellowship. The Watson Foundation emphasizes that the grant is an investment in a person rather than a project. During their travels the Fellows remain unaffiliated with a college or university, instead planning and administering their projects themselves. They are barred from working on a paying job, and are discouraged from joining organized volunteer projects for substantial periods of time.


Selection criteria

Qualities sought in fellows include: Leadership, Imagination, Independence, Emotional Maturity, Courage, Integrity, Resourcefulness, and Responsibility. Institutions eligible to nominate Watson Fellows are 41 select small liberal arts colleges with an undergraduate population of fewer than 3,000 students:


Notable Watson Fellows

* Layla AbdelRahim, comparatist anthropologist and author *
David Abram David Abram (born June 24, 1957) is an American ecologist and philosopher best known for his work bridging the philosophical tradition of phenomenology with environmental and ecological issues. He is the author of ''Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cos ...
, cultural ecologist and philosopher *
Jay Allison Jay Allison is an American independent public radio producer and broadcast journalist. His work has been featured on radio programs such as ''This American Life'', as well as National Public Radio's ''All Things Considered'', and ''Morning Editi ...
, independent public radio producer *
Nancy Bekavac Nancy Bekavac was the sixth president of Scripps College and the first woman to hold that position. She began her tenure on July 1, 1990, and concluded it on June 30, 2007. Scripps College is a liberal arts women's college in Claremont, Califor ...
, former president of Scripps College *
Iram Parveen Bilal Iram Parveen Bilal is a Pakistani-American filmmaker, activist and entrepreneur. In 2020, her latest feature film I'll Meet You There debuted at South By Southwest (SXSW) in narrative competition. Early life Bilal was raised in Pakistan, and ...
, filmmaker and entrepreneur * Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and columnist *
Lynn J. Bush Lynn Jeanne Bush (born December 30, 1948)Joint Committee on Printing, Official Congressional Directory, 2007-2008: 110th Congress', p. 860. is a senior judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, appointed to that court in 1998 by Preside ...
, American Federal
Senior Judge Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at least ...
*
Gloria Borger Gloria Anne Borger (born September 22, 1952) is an American political pundit, journalist, and columnist. Borger is the chief political analyst at CNN. Since joining CNN in 2007, she has appeared on a variety of their shows, including '' The Situ ...
, CNN political commentator *
Ian Boyden Ian H. Boyden (born February 16, 1971) is a contemporary American painter, sculptor, and book artist, known for the paints and inks he makes from materials such as meteorites, shark teeth, and freshwater pearls. His paintings are often abstract i ...
, painter * Roberto Castillo, novelist, short fiction writer, translator and essayist *
Peter Child Peter Burlingham Child (born 6 May 1953) is an American composer, teacher, and musical analyst. He is Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a composer in residence with the New England Philharmonic. Educat ...
, professor of music at MIT and composer in residence with the New England Philharmonic * Tom Cole, U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma *
Nicolas Collins Nicolas Collins (born March 26, 1954 in New York City) is a composer of mostly electronic music, a sound artist and writer. He received his BA and MA from Wesleyan University, and his PhD from the University of East Anglia. Upon graduating from ...
, composer of mostly electronic music *
Howard Fineman Howard David Fineman (born November 17, 1948) is an American journalist who is global editorial director of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group. Prior to his move to Huffington Post in October 2010, he was Newsweek's chief political corresponde ...
, Huffington Post and MSNBC political analyst *
John Garang John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after the Second Sudanese Civil War, the comprehensive peace agreement ...
, late Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army and Vice-President of Sudan *
Yishay Garbasz Yishay Garbasz (born 1970, Israel) is an interdisciplinary artist who works in the fields of photography, performance and installation. Her main field of interest is trauma and the inheritance of post-traumatic memory. She also works on issues of i ...
, Artist and Activist. * David Grann, American journalist and best-selling author *
Aracelis Girmay Aracelis Girmay (born December 10, 1977) is an American poet. She is the author of three poetry collections, including ''Kingdom Animalia'' (2011), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. She is also Assistant Professor ...
, American poet *
Alia Gurtov Alia Gurtov is an American paleoanthropologist who is known for being one of the six Underground Astronauts of the Rising Star Expedition. Education Gurtov attended Wellesley College, majoring in French and anthropology. In 2006, she was g ...
, American
paleoanthropologist Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinship ...
*
Dan Hammer Dan Hammer is an environmental economist and winner of both the inaugural Pritzker Award and the Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by Young Alumni at UC Berkeley. He is a National Geographic Fellow, and served as the Senior Policy ...
, environmental economist and winner of the inaugural Pritzker Award *
Tori Haring-Smith Tori Haring-Smith is the former president of Washington & Jefferson College. Education Haring-Smith received a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a ...
, president of Washington & Jefferson College * Corey Harris, blues and reggae musician and MacArthur Fellow. *
Garrett Hongo Garrett Kaoru Hongo (born May 30, 1951) is a Yonsei, fourth-generation Japanese American academic and poet. His work draws on Japanese American history and his own experiences.Arakawa, Suzanne K. (2005). "Hongo, Garrett (Kaoru)", in He was a ...
, Pulitzer-nominated poet and academic *
Barbara Higbie Barbara Higbie (born 1958) is an American Grammy Award, Grammy nominated, Bammy Awards, Bammy award winning pianist, composer, violinist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has played on over 100 CDs including songs with Carlos Sant ...
, jazz and traditional musician *
Edward Hirsch Edward M. Hirsch (born January 20, 1950) is an American poet and critic who wrote a national bestseller about reading poetry. He has published nine books of poems, including ''The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems'' (2010), which brings toget ...
, poet, president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation *
Jackie Diamond Hyman Jackie Diamond Hyman (born April 3, 1949 in Menard, Texas, United States) is an American writer and former Associated Press reporter and columnist. Since 1982, she has written more than ninety novels in genres including Romance novel, romance, ...
, American novelist and reporter * Pat Irwin, composer, musician, and former member of the
B-52s B5, B05, B-5 may refer to: Biology * ATC code B05 (''Blood substitutes and perfusion solutions''), a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System * Cytochrome ''b''5, ubiquitous electron transport hemoprotein ...
* Cleveland Johnson, Director, National Music Museum * Mat Johnson, writer *
Ian Kerner Ian Kerner is a sex counselor and practitioner of psychotherapy. He specializes in sex therapy, couples therapy and working with individuals on a range of relationship issues. Career Ian is a licensed psychotherapist and widely recognized sex ...
,
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bestselling author *
Raffi Khatchadourian Raffi Khatchadourian is an American journalist. He is well known for his investigative pieces on an array of topics such as WikiLeaks, the Iraq War, Tiversa, U.S. military experimenting, and genocide. His long-form pieceAzzam the American" which app ...
, American journalist *
Verlyn Klinkenborg Verlyn Klinkenborg (born 1952 in Meeker, Colorado) is an American non-fiction author, academic, and former newspaper editor, known for his writings on rural America. Early life and education Klinkenborg was born in Meeker, Colorado and raised ...
, author and
Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
*
Jimmy J. Kolker Jimmy J. Kolker (born 1948) is an American diplomat. He was the ambassador to Burkina Faso from 1999 to 2002 and Uganda from 2002 to 2005. He was Chief of the HIV/AIDS Section at UNICEF’s New York headquarters from 2007 to 2011. From 2011 to ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Uganda (2002-5) and Burkina Faso (1999-2002) *
Chris Kratt Martin William Kratt (born December 23, 1965) and Christopher Frederick James Kratt (born July 19, 1969), are American zoologists, actors, producers, directors, and educational nature show hosts. Sons of musical-instrument manufacturer William K ...
, Host of
Wild Kratts ''Wild Kratts'' is a live action/Flash-animated educational children's television series created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in the ...
and other educational nature shows *
Edwin M. Lee Edwin Mah Lee (Chinese: 李孟賢; May 5, 1952 – December 12, 2017) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco from 2011 until his death. He was the first Asian American to hold the office. Born in ...
, mayor of San Francisco * Joe Lewis, former dean of UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts * Jason Mantzoukas, actor and writer *
Mark Stephen Meadows Mark Stephen Meadows (born September 28, 1968), known by his artist name, pighed, is an American author, entrepreneur and artist. He is the author of over five books and inventor of patents relating to artificial intelligence, blockchain and ava ...
, American artist and entrepreneur *
Jonathan Meiburg Jonathan Meiburg is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead singer and songwriter for Shearwater. Biography Meiburg was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 1, 1976. His father, Stan Meiburg, was an influential environmental pol ...
, lead singer and principal songwriter for the band Shearwater * Michael Noer, executive news editor at ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' *
Dan O'Brien Daniel Dion O'Brien (born July 18, 1966) is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992. Early life O'Br ...
, playwright and poet *
John Payton John A. Payton (December 27, 1946 – March 22, 2012) was an African-American civil rights attorney. In 2008, he was appointed the sixth president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund serving in that post until his death. Prior ...
, civil rights attorney *
Peggy Pettitt Peggy Pettitt (born February 8, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, teacher, playwright, and storyteller. Pettitt is best known for her role as Billie Jean in the 1972 family–drama film ''Black Girl (1972 film), Black Girl'', starring alongs ...
, American actor, dancer, and storyteller *
Steve Raichlen Steven Raichlen (born March 11, 1953 ) is an American culinary writer, TV host, and novelist. Early life Raichlen was born in Nagoya, Japan. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, US. He is Jewish. Education In 1975, Raichlen earned a Bachelor of ...
, BBQ chef, author, and
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
cooking show host *
Eric Rosengren Eric S. Rosengren (born June 3, 1957) took office on July 20, 2007, as the thirteenth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, serving the First District. As a Fed president, he was a participant and voting memb ...
, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston * (Suzanne Seriff), Folklorist, cultural anthropologist, museum curator * Caroline Shaw, 2013 Pulitzer Prize for music *
David Shipley David Julian Shipley (born June 10, 1963) is an American journalist and the editorial page editor at ''The Washington Post''. Life and career Shipley graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Williams College. In 1986, he worked as an ...
, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' Op-Ed Editor *
John Siceloff John Siceloff (October 21, 1953 – March 6, 2015) was an American television producer. He was born in Frogmore, South Carolina. He created and was executive producer of the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS news magazine, ''NOW on PBS''. Car ...
, American television producer *
Alan Solomont Alan D. Solomont (born 1949) is the former United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. He was selected for the post by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 29, 2009. Early life and education Born to a Je ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Spain (2009 - 2013) * Julie Taymor, Oscar-nominated, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning director *
Francisco Valero-Cuevas Francisco Javier Valero-Cuevas (born 1964) is an engineer of Mexican origin, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering at th ...
, engineer and scientist *
Reetika Vazirani Reetika Gina Vazirani (9 August 1962 – 16 July 2003) was an Indian/American immigrant poet and educator. Life Vazirani was born in Patiala, India, in 1962 and went to the United States with her family in 1968. After graduating from Wellesl ...
, American/Indian poet *
Madhuri Vijay Madhuri Vijay is an Indian author living in Hawaii. She is the author of ''The Far Field,'' which won the second JCB Prize for literature, India's most prestigious literary award. Early life Vijay was born and grew up in Bangalore, India. In 20 ...
, novelist, author of ''The Far Field'' *
Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran (born November 14, 1947) was the 17th President of Kalamazoo College, succeeding James F. Jones. She was the first female president, as well as the first African-American president of the school. She retired at the end ...
, President of Kalamazoo College


Directors of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship

*Chris Kasabach, 2011-2012 * Cleveland Johnson, 2008-2011 *Rosemary Macedo, 2006-2008 *Beverly J. Larson, 2003-2006 *Norv Brasch, 2001-2003 *
Tori Haring-Smith Tori Haring-Smith is the former president of Washington & Jefferson College. Education Haring-Smith received a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a ...
, 1999-2001 *Noreen C. Tuross, 1997-1999 *William F. L. Moses, 1995-1997 *James A. Lehman, 1993-1995 *Mary E. Brooner, 1991-1993 *Steven V. Licata, 1989-1991 *Martin A. Brody, 1987-1989 *
Nancy Y. Bekavac Nancy Bekavac was the sixth president of Scripps College and the first woman to hold that position. She began her tenure on July 1, 1990, and concluded it on June 30, 2007. Scripps College is a Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal ...
, 1985-1987 *Joseph V. Long III, 1883-1985 *Jeanne C. Olivier, 1981-1983 *David C. Summers, 1979-1981 *John C. Elder, 1977-1979 *Daniel L. Arnaud, 1972-1977 *Robert O. Schulze, Founding Director, 1968-1972


Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship

In 1999, the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship was created to expose undergraduate students to work through three successive summer internships and mentorship. The fellowship is a competitive academic grant made each year to fifteen undergraduates nominated by 12 affiliated New York City colleges which provides successive summer experiences for three years, stipends, mentoring, seminars, and discovery fund. The fellowship is named after Jeannette K. Watson, the first female member of the IBM Board of Directors, and wife of
Thomas J. Watson Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American businessman who served as the chairman and CEO of IBM. He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's managemen ...
. During their first summer, Jeannette K. Watson Fellows intern at a New York City based partner, while the second and third summers can be in New York City, anywhere else in the United States, or overseas. Over the three year fellowship, fellows must go overseas at least once. Fellows are awarded three successive annual grants of $5,500, $6,500, $7,000 in addition to a $2,000 discovery fund. Fellows have gone on to win prestigious awards like the
Harry S. Truman Scholarship The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...
, the
Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
, and
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, founded by Paul Soros and Daisy Soros in 1997, is a United States postgraduate fellowship for immigrants and children of immigrants. In 2021, the Fellowship received 2,445 applications and aw ...
. They have also gone on to graduate school at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
,
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, and the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
.


Selection criteria

Qualities sought include high standards, ambition, openness, desire to explore diverse cultures and new professional fields, willingness to act on feedback, leadership, ability to work in groups, integrity and accountability, and a strong academic record. The following 12 partnering colleges nominate up to four candidates to be considered in a citywide selections process.


Eligible institutions

* Baruch College *
Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...
*
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
* College of Staten Island *
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
*
John Jay College The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts co ...
*
Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...
* Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus * Marymount Manhattan College * Pace University Manhattan *
St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...
*
Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...


History

The Fellowship was established by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation in 1999. Its founding Director, the late Alice Stone Ilchman, former President of
Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...
and Elizabeth Buckner, former Board of Advisors member, developed the original idea for the Fellowship and began working with eight colleges. Frank Wolf, its second director, served from 2006 until his retirement in 2012. Dean Emeritus of the School of Continuing Education at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, Wolf extended participation to four additional New York City colleges and expanded substantially the Fellowship's internships in the for-profit sector. In 2012 the Foundation combined the directorships of its two programs with the appointment of Chris Kasabach as the Executive Director of the Thomas J. Watson Foundation.


Directors the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship

*Sara Nolfo, 2016–present *Frank Wolf, 2006-2012 *Alice Ilchman, Founding Director, 1999-2006Fox, Margali
“Alice S. Ilchman, 71, Economist Who Headed Sarah Lawrence, Dies”
‘‘
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
’’, August 16, 2006. Retrieve 2018-04-27.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Official Site
1961 establishments in New York (state) Charitable trusts Scholarships in the United States Education in New York City Internship programs