iSchool expands scholarship to include graduate students
The School of Information Studies is expanding its Upstate Information Technologies scholarship to now cover graduate students studying data science and social media.
Though both degrees have been a part of the graduate program for less than two years, their addition to the Upstate IT scholarship is mainly due to their projected growth throughout the nation in recent years, according to an April 6 SU News release.
Four years ago, the iSchool began the original program of administering scholarships covering 50 percent of tuition to graduate students from the upstate New York area who are studying information management, said Susan Corieri, assistant dean for enrollment management and special academic program initiatives.
‘We wanted to make sure we were doing our part to help companies around upstate New York. It’s all about recognizing the economy is in tough times and what can we give to help,’ Corieri said.
Since the program started, the Upstate IT scholarship has helped 105 permanent residents pursue graduate degrees through the iSchool by providing them with $1.377 million dollars worth of scholarships. Corieri said iSchool officials have a scholarship plan every year, and they do whatever they feel they can provide.
‘These are not those scholarships,’ she said. ‘This is basically the school committing to taking less tuition.’
When it comes to scholarships, Corieri explained that graduate-level scholarships depend on the policy of the individual school, which is why the iSchool decided on a scholarship for only the graduate level.
At first, the iSchool used resources such as the city’s unemployment office and the local nonprofit organization CNY Works to find community members who were recently laid off and were interested in information technology. These people were the first recipients of the Upstate IT scholarship. It is now open to all graduate applicants.
The scholarship currently covers graduate applicants in areas of information management, telecommunications and network management, information security management, and information systems and telecommunications management programs, according to the release.
Scholarship recipients often work in different fields aside from information technology, including hospitals, telecommunications and factory work, Corieri said.
Elizabeth Liddy, dean of the iSchool, said in the release: ‘The scholarships demonstrate our commitment to the students and the employers of the Upstate region in helping both to access the most-up-to-date information skills and education to meet their needs.’
Published on April 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm
