1997 was the 25th anniversary year of AT&T's support of the Cooperative Research Fellowship Program/AT&T Labs Fellowship Program. Many graduates of this program (and the related Graduate Research Program for Women) have made distinguished careers for themselves in science and engineering. AT&T's Fellowship programs have an excellent record of success - 65-70% of fellowship recipients have received their doctorates over the 25 years of the existence of the program. From 1978 to 1991, the program graduated 50 of the nation's 1,135 minority doctoral degree recipients in the major engineering/scientific fields of study. From 1988 to 1991, 14 of the 62 under-represented minorities in the nation receiving doctorates in electrical engineering were Fellows from these programs. | |
| "AT&T . . . can claim that 22% of all the under-represented minorities who have earned Ph.D.s in electrical engineering in the past 20 years have been part of a program the company has sponsored. AT&T has helped 67 students earn Ph.D.s by paying their graduate tuition giving them an annual stipend and summer employment, and setting them up with a mentor." Science, vol. 258 (13) November 1992, page 1196.
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| Similar achievements have occurred in the 1990s as AT&T has continued its commitment to this important area. These programs have been successful because they have combined the two necessary ingredients of financial support of qualified students pursuing their doctorates and personal interaction and mentoring of a practicing researcher. The AT&T Foundation provides the financial support to selected Fellows (educational expenses, living stipend, book allowance, etc.) while an AT&T Labs mentor is assigned to each Fellow giving the student the benefit of working with an experienced scientist. The mentor provides guidance, nurturing and advocacy both during the graduate years and beyond. The mentor can help open doors for the student and can help improve the relationship between a student and a thesis advisor. | |
| "AT&T's generous financial support and nurturing mentor system reward bright under-represented minority undergraduates with a unique opportunity to excel and flourish in graduate school. I am honored to have received the strong embrace of such a non-patronizing benefactor, and shall always be grateful for the crucial start it afforded me." - Dr. Arlie Petters, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Princeton University
"The fellowship (from AT&T) afforded me the opportunity to pursue a graduate education. They did not just pay the way. They helped with advice and support." - Dr. Charles Thompson, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1997 recipient Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring | |
| Many of the alumni of the AT&T fellowship programs have already made strong contributions to scientific research. Some of the distinguished alumni include: | |
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