Three Seniors Awarded Rockefeller Fellowships

Three Harvard seniors named Rockefeller Fellows will receive a stipend of $9000--$1500 more than past Fellows have been alloted--to pursue projects overseas next year.

Audrey H. River '87-'88, Shawn A. MacDonald '88 and Jacqueline M. Klopp '88 were chosen last Friday from a pool of 30 applicants.

The fellowship selection committee this year raised the amount of each grant from $7500 to $9000 to ensure that the falling value of the dollar in world markets would not strain the recipients financially, said Kristine L. Forsgard, fellowship director at the Office of Career Services (OCS).

Because of that, the committee named three Fellows while last year and in other years it has awarded four grants of $7500 each. The selection committee chooses between two and five fellows each year, depending on the quality of the applicant pool.

Because the Rockefeller grant is not part of the University endowment, market fluctuations do not necessarily affect the money available each year. But officials in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences said that other University fellowships may be affected by the market crash.

Seeking Solutions

Forsgard said that OCS officials are currently seeking solutions to the problems created by the falling dollar and the decrease in the endowment's return. "We're still discussing what's going to happen with other fellowships," Forsgard said, adding she was sure OCS would be able to meet all of its obligations. "We're not going to leave anyone high and dry in Tibet." she said.

Founded to commemorate Michael Rockefeller '60, who disappeared while working for the Peace Corps in New Guinea, the Rockefeller Fellowships are chosen by a committee of college officials, members of the Rockefeller family, friends of Michael Rockefeller and previous Fellows.