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George Leadership Fellowship

Made possible through a generous gift from the George Family Foundation, the George Leadership Fellowships support selected students in the joint program offered through Harvard Business School (HBS) and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) with a $10,000 stipend. The fellowships reflect the foundation’s commitment to enhancing public service by investing in character formation and leadership development.

The George Leadership Fellowship is awarded based on the recipient’s potential to lead change for the common good. George Leadership Fellows have a strong moral compass and the capacity to work across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Special emphasis is placed on authentic leadership, character development, and ethical leadership. Applicants are asked to provide an example of a crucible moment in their lives that helped shape who they are as an authentic leader and how this experience shaped how they lead and empower others.

Ratnika Prasad

 

 

“The George Fellows community was a critical source of support and guidance for me as a third-year joint degree student, as I navigated what it meant to be a tri-sector athlete across the public, private, and non-profit sectors."

 

-Ratnika Prasad, MPP/MBA '21

Application Information

 

Completed applications may be sent via mail or dropped off in person. The application period closed in early March, 2020 and applications will be available beginning in February, 2021.

Interviews
Finalists for the George Fellowship will be interviewed by the George selection committee sometime in Spring 2021.

Note:
Before submitting your application, we expect that you have thoroughly reviewed all pertinent information related to the George Fellowship, including but not limited to: program requirements, eligibility information, and the background and purpose of the fellowship, including the history and background of the donor. Being a CPL fellow carries with it certain responsibilities including maintenance of good academic standing as required by your degree program; attendance at all fellowship programming for the entire duration of the fellowship; leading program sessions and service activities including a field experience trip; and responsible conduct in representing CPL and Harvard University.

Please visit our Fellowship FAQs page for more information.

Commitment to Nondiscrimination
As a matter of commitment, policy, and law, Harvard Kennedy School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, color, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, intellectual focus, disability, or veteran status. The School strongly believes diversity enhances the value of all its activities, from research and teaching to degree programs and public events. The School encourages applications from candidates who are interested in careers in public service and acknowledges a special responsibility to train effective leaders in public policy and management.

 

Program Information

WHAT WE OFFER

The fellowship provides:

  • Partial financial aid for third year joint HKS/HBS students at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School

  • A one year co-curricular/leadership development program with sessions that are fellows-led

  • Most importantly, a network of exceptional peers and mentors who will enhance your ability to impact the communities you serve

THE AWARD
Recipients of the George Leadership fellowship will receive $10,000 financial during their third year as a jointee at HKS/HBS, attendance to all CPL faculty workshops, annual retreat and Outward Bound experience.

ELIGIBILITY
The fellowship is open to all incoming third year joint degree students at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. Domestic and international students are encouraged to apply.

The fellowships are merit-based and administered by the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. The George Leadership Fellowship is awarded based on the recipient’s potential to lead change for the common good. George Leadership Fellows have a strong moral compass and the capacity to work across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Special emphasis is placed on authentic leadership, character development, and ethical leadership. Applicants are asked to provide an example of a crucible moment in their lives that helped shape who they are as an authentic leader and how this experience shaped how they lead and empower others.

THE FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE
The George Fellows are expected to participate fully in the co-curricular program including a welcome dinner for new fellows, Thompson Island Outward Bound Program, CPL All-Fellows Retreat, monthly fellows-led co-curricular sessions during the academic year and three dinners with Bill George (dinners are generally held in September, February, and April). Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops and activities as part of the CPL community, with the exact schedule to be determined.

The fellows will create a vibrant network of students and alumni committed to advancing knowledge, collaborating on solutions to pressing problems, and building leadership capacity in their communities, their nation, and the world.

 

Bill George is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, and is the former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic. He is the author of Discover Your True North and The Discover Your True North Fieldbook, Authentic Leadership, True North, Finding Your True North, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis and True North Groups. Bill currently serves as a director of the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities and is a Life Director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.  Bill has previously served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, The Mayo Clinic, ExxonMobil, Target, Novartis and The World Economic Forum USA. In 2018, Bill was presented with the Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication by the Arthur W. Page Center. The Franklin Institute presented Bill with the Bower Award for Business Leadership in 2014. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012 and was named one of "Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years" by PBS. Mr. George received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech, his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. He has received honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College, and Bryant University. 

Penny Pilgram George is board chair of the George Family Foundation in Minneapolis. Established in 1994 by Penny and Bill George, the foundation fosters wholeness in mind, body, spirit, and community by furthering the work of authentic leaders and transformative programs serving the common good. Dr. George is a pioneer and leader in the integrative health and medicine movement, working to transform society’s consciousness around health and wellbeing on both the institutional and community level. She is co-founder of the Bravewell Collaborative, a national collaboration of philanthropists dedicated to advancing the principles and practices of integrative medicine and co-founder of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Allina Health, which is the clinical service line responsible for prevention, wellness and integrative medicine across the entire system. Dr. George currently sits the board of the Penny George Institute Foundation. As a consulting psychologist, she specialized for more than twenty years helping diverse organizations select and develop senior executives and build high-performing teams—expertise she draws upon in her philanthropic work and leadership roles. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in psychology from the University of St. Thomas.