Cornell funds focused fellowships
A donor-funded graduate fellowship at Cornell is underwriting focused humanities research, showing tight, impact-driven funds outperform broad appeals for certain donor segments. Those fellowship models are strong hooks for alumni who want a measurable legacy. (news.cornell.edu)
Jonathan Zhu, J.D. ’92, and Ruby Ye, M.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’92, established the Zhu Family Graduate Fellowships in 2021. (gradschool.cornell.edu) Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences will award three Zhu fellowships annually beginning in the 2025–26 academic year, with Directors of Graduate Studies invited to nominate third‑ or fourth‑year humanities Ph.D. students. (as.cornell.edu) The Zhu Fellowship cannot be banked, is explicitly designed to add to—but not replace—a Sage Fellowship, and candidates are evaluated on quality, originality and promise of research. (as.cornell.edu) Cornell states the award relieves recipients of teaching‑assistant obligations so fellows can focus fully on dissertation work rather than split weekly TA duties. (gradschool.cornell.edu) Departmental announcements identify the three 2025 Zhu Fellows as students pursuing art history, anthropology and science and technology studies. (arthistory.cornell.edu) Jonathan Zhu, who credited an A.D. White Fellowship with enabling his own Cornell attendance, framed the 2021 gift as a response to comparatively fewer funding alternatives for humanities students versus sciences and economics. (gradschool.cornell.edu) Elexis Trinity Williams, named a 2025 Zhu Fellow and a science and technology studies doctoral candidate, said working several jobs as an undergraduate made the fellowship’s dedicated time and resources “especially meaningful” for their dissertation progress. (gradschool.cornell.edu)
