Administered by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the Virginia Municipal League, the Wallerstein Scholarship provides support to an exceptional individual for a period of one year for the purpose of undertaking research either a) as a rising senior or graduate student at the University of Virginia, University of Virginia’s Wise campus or any of UVa’s regional centers or b) as a Fellow of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
A student shall be defined as a person pursuing an academic degree, preferably at the graduate level, who has an interest in local government. Interest in local government can be demonstrated by past experience with internships, volunteering, relevant research, or by a brief essay defining an interest in local government. This scholarship is targeted towards graduate students, but rising seniors may be considered.
A Fellow shall be a practitioner who would like to undertake a significant research project within a higher education environment, and who has reached a point in his/her career when he/she would benefit from time to pursue a sustained program of research.
A Fellow can also be a retired practitioner or academician who would like to pursue research that would benefit Virginia local government.
The Wallerstein Scholarship was established in 1973 at the University of Virginia by a gift from Ruth C. and Morton L. Wallerstein to foster interest and research in Virginia local government. Morton Wallerstein (pictured here) was the first paid executive secretary of VML. Several previous scholarship recipients hold policy-making and management positions in state and local government in Virginia.
To download the 2014-2015 scholarship application, click here. The application deadline is March 31, 2014.
Students in the University Internship Programs may apply for the Wallerstein-UIP Scholarship for Summer Internships in Virginia Local Government. For more information, click here
Questions? Contact either the Cooper Center at (804) 371-0202 or wallerstein@virginia.edu or the Virginia Municipal League at (804) 649-8471.
