Stanford University will sunset its Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence (DARE) Doctoral Fellowship Program by the end of this year,...
The program, established in 2008 to support advanced doctoral students preparing for academic careers "whose presence will help diversify the professoriate," has awarded fellowships to 374 students over its 17-year history.
In a May statement to faculty and administration, Dr. Ken Goodson, Stanford's vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, and Anika Green, the DARE director and assistant vice provost for graduate education, announced the decision, citing both budgetary constraints and compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against race-based affirmative action.
"With the significant shift in the selection process for DARE fellows, as well as the substantial reduction in general funds to VPGE, we took the opportunity to ask whether we can learn from the outstanding trajectory of DARE while evolving to new programs that can run on a lower budget," Goodson wrote.
This year's DARE cohort will receive only one year of fellowship support instead of the typical two-year program, The Stanford Daily reported. New programs supporting graduate students will be announced in winter and launch in fall 2026, according to Goodson.
The program traditionally defined diversity "broadly" to include underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, women in STEM fields, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, and others whose backgrounds would diversify the professoriate.
However, following the Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions decision, DARE stopped considering race and ethnicity in fellow selection. "While the program still advances diversity in a broad sense, excluding consideration of these elements is a real and significant change in focus," the statement obtained by The Daily read.
Current and former DARE fellows expressed disappointment and concern about the program's closure.
The university sent approximately 500 emails in May informing DARE alumni, faculty, staff stakeholders, and graduate students of the decision, The Stanford Daily reported. The replacement program will support students from all backgrounds who could benefit from similar mentorship and professional development, according to the May statement.
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