Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Awards $625,000 to NSOE

The Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University has been awarded a $625,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to renew its Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship support for the next five years. The fellowship identifies and supports future leaders dedicated to conserving the environment in the United States. Launched in 1997, the fellowship initially was offered at Duke, the University of Michigan and Yale University. The foundation's new $2.61 million award also will expand the fellowship program to Cornell University, the University of Montana and the University of Wisconsin. To date, fellowships have been awarded to 19 Nicholas School students who are pursuing Master of Environmental Management degrees. Selected by the school, fellows receive up to $32,000 to support tuition, an internship at a nonprofit conservation organization, and educational loan repayment for fellows who pursue careers in nonprofit or public sector conservation. "The Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship program opens the door for some of the best and brightest Nicholas School students to pursue employment in the public and nonprofit sector and enhances their preparations for becoming tomorrow's environmental decision-makers," said Nicholas Dean Norman L. Christensen Jr. Joan E. Spero, president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation said the grants "demonstrate the continuing commitment of the foundation to address the need for conservation leaders who are educated in science, economics and public policy, and are able to work with diverse groups toward the critical goal of conserving flora and fauna." Created in 1996, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation seeks to improve the quality of people's lives by preserving natural environments, nurturing the arts, seeking cures for diseases, and helping to protect children from abuse and neglect.