Gift Funds
The University of Pittsburgh “Building our Future Together” Campaign has raised more than $1.401 billion toward an ambitious $2 billion campaign goal. Since 1997, SIS alumni and friends have contributed over $8 million to the campaign. It is through this critical support that the School has been able to offer scholarships to students, expand degree programs, conduct multidisciplinary research, and provide state-of-the-art laboratory experiences.
Now more than ever, students need your help. To make a gift to any of the following funds, simply indicate the name of the fund on your pledge card or online donation form.
To explore more giving options, please visit the SIS Giving Catalog.
Questions? Please contact Joelleen Yerace, Director of Constituent Relations, at jyerace@sis.pitt.edu or 412-624-9473.
The iSchool at Pitt greatly appreciates the generous donations made by individuals, foundations and corporations to establish the following named scholarships and awards (Please note: funds are listed in alphabetical order based on last name):
Alcoa Ambassadors Program
Supported by Alcoa, Inc., this fund provides scholarship support to underrepresented BSIS students that demonstrate high academic achievement; and programmatic support to the SIS Student Diversity Center.
Casimir Borkowski Scholarship
To provide tuition support for students studying the natural language processing, information retrieval, and/or linguistics in any degree program at the graduate level. Students not currently receiving more than 50% financial aid are eligible. The scholarship is named for Casmir Borkowski, former SIS faculty member dedicated to the field of natural language processing and linguistics.
Doreen E. Boyce Chair for Library and Information Science
Supported by a generous gift from the Buhl Foundation, endowment income is used to support a Chair in the LIS program.
Nina C. Brotherton Scholarship
The Brotherton Scholarship was established by the Carnegie Library School Class of 1925 to provide financial assistance to students in the LIS program.
Sarah C. Cohen Endowment
In honor of his late wife, Sara Cohen (MLIS ’95), Ed Cohen established the Sarah C. Cohen Endowment for the School Library Practicum Experience to provide awards to outstanding students in the School Library Certification Program (SLCP).
Margaret Corbett Memorial Award
To provide an annual cash award to a student presenting the best LIS dissertation proposal. The Fund was established by friends, graduates, colleagues, and relatives in memory of Margaret “Peg” Corbett, LIS secretary from 1990 until her unexpected death in 1997.
Ida M. Flynn Memorial Award
Created to honor the memory of Ida M. Flynn, Ph.D., a pioneer in IS, a dedicated mentor to many students, and a standout role model for women in IS, the Award is given to students in recognition of excellence and outstanding contributions to the BSIS Program.
Dr. Joan Brest Friedberg Scholarship
To provide scholarship support to a part-time, in-state student enrolled in the MLIS degree program. The scholarship was established to honor Dr. Joan Brest Friedberg, co-founder of Beginning with Books.
Fritz Froehlich Award
The Fritz Froehlich Award is presented annually to a student for outstanding contributions to the graduate program in Telecommunications.
Margaret Hodges Scholarship
In honor of the late Margaret Hodges, SIS Professor Emeritus, this fund provides scholarship support for outstanding students in the MLIS degree program who are pursuing a career in children’s librarianship.
E. J. Josey Scholarship for Minorities in Library Science
In memory of E. J. Josey, Professor Emeritus. Dr. Josey was a pioneer in the field of library and information science, working tirelessly to integrate libraries and the library workforce. Josey, one of only three African Americans to have been elected president of the American Library Association (ALA). The scholarship provides support for MLIS students demonstrating a potential for academic excellence and leadership in the profession.
Robert R. Korfhage Award
To provide an annual award of $500 to a student who submits the best scholarly paper co-authored with a faculty member with the intent to encourage more student-faculty collaborative research.
Lancour, Immroth, Brewster Endowed Fund
To provide support for LIS programs and activities in international and comparative librarianship. Expenditures are made at the discretion of the dean and may cover supplies, travel, books and awards.
K. Leon Montgomery Assistantship in Telecommunications
To provide an annual assistantship to full-time student enrolled in the MST degree program. Preference is given to students who achieve academic excellence through coursework, research, international focus, and leadership.
Catherine Ofeish and Gerald Orner Award
This annual award established by Dr. Gerald Orner in memory of his wife, an alumna of the School, recognizes a SIS student who writes the most original and innovative paper in the field of information science as judged by a faculty committee.
Frank B. and Anne J. Sessa Scholarship
To be used for scholarship aid to students who demonstrate high academic achievements and an interest in pursuing a career in public libraries.
Elva S. Smith Endowed Scholarship
To provide partial or full scholarship support to LIS students.
Elva S. Smith Scholarship in Children's Library Services
To provide support as a supplement to tuition scholarships to students enrolled in the LIS Children & Youth Services specialization.
Jennifer & Eric Spiegel Book Fund
To support full-time students enrolled in the BSIS degree program in School of Information Sciences and in the Communications Department in School of Arts and Sciences. Student must have 3.00 or higher GPA.
Subramanyam Scholarship
To provide an annual award for academic excellence to an outstanding LIS student.
James G. Williams Scholarship
To provide support to an outstanding student enrolled in the MSIS degree program. The Scholarship was created in honor of Distinguished Professor Emeritus, James G. Williams, Ph.D.
H. W. Wilson Scholarship
To provide scholarship support to students enrolled in the LIS program.
E. Blanche Woolls Endowed Scholarship
To provide scholarship support to students enrolled in the LIS doctoral program.
Wendell Wray Memorial Fund
To provide program support to the School of Information Sciences. The Fund was established by friends, graduates, colleagues, and relatives in memory of Wendell Wray, faculty emeritus in the Library and Information Science program.
Tung-Li and Hui-Hsi Yuan Family Award
To provide support to graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D. candidates) in the LIS program as determined by the chair.
Student Loan Funds
The Greer Student Loan Fund,Kolish Memorial Loan Fund, and Sochatoff Loan Fund provide emergency loans to deserving SIS students.
Other funds located within the School of Information Sciences provide discretionary and scholarship support for academic programs, research centers and specializations:
Alumni Fellowship Fund
To provide scholarship support for students in the MLIS degree program.
Archives Fund
To provide discretionary support for the LIS Archives, Preservation & Records Management Specialization.
Faculty Fellowship – Telecommunications
Provides support for a research fellow in the Telecommunications degree program
Geoinformatics Fund
To provide discretionary support for the MSIS Geoinformatics specialization.
Information Ethics Fund
To provide discretionary support in the area of Information Ethics, including travel expenses and honoraria for the Stephen Almagno Annual Lecture.
IS Scholarship Fund
To provide scholarship support for students in the IS degree program.
LIS Scholarship Fund
To provide scholarship support for students in the LIS degree program.
Partners Program
The Partners Program is the primary means of financial assistance within the MLIS degree. For more information, click here. Your gift will support the practical, hands-on experience through student stipends at area libraries, cultural institutions, and other organizations that cannot typically afford to fund this unique learning opportunity.
Sara Fine Institute
To be used annually to bring a distinguished speaker from information science, philosophy of science, psychology, or other field related to the machine-human connection.
School Library Certification Program
To provide discretionary support for the MLIS School Library Certification Program (SLCP).
Telecommunications Scholarship Fund
To provide scholarship support to students enrolled in the Telecommunications degree program.
