The Department of Religious Studies has partnered with WellStar Health System to launch the WellStar Religion and Public Life Fellowship, a $12,000 yearly award for one M.A. student.
The WellStar Religion and Public Life Fellowship was created to support a master’s student interested in the Religion and Nonprofit Management Program the department offers. The two-year fellowship includes tuition coverage as well as the stipend.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our master’s students. We hope that this fellowship will help people realize that studying religion doesn’t just prepare you for becoming a religious studies professor but that religion plays a really important role in all facets of public life,” said Religious Studies Chair Kathryn McClymond. “If a company like WellStar thinks it’s important to invest in our program we anticipate that the broader business community will be interested in the program as well.”
Prospective students who apply to the religious studies master’s program and signal that they are interested in the non-profit management track will automatically be considered for the fellowship. A decision will be made based on applicants’ academic standing and letters of recommendation, which are already included in the program’s formal application process.
The primary goal of the fellowship is to provide students with hands-on experience of how religion operates in public life. Students selected for the fellowship will intern for WellStar, while completing coursework in the Religious Studies Department and the Andrew Young School of Public Policy.
“So far it appears that we are the only program with a fellowship like this in the state,” said McClymond. “It took us roughly three years to put this together. I want to thank Associate Dean MaryAnn Romski and Assistant Dean for Graduate Services Amber Amari for their hard in making this fellowship happen.”
About WellStar Health System
WellStar is a non-profit healthcare organization that offers high quality hospital, physician and other healthcare services. It is currently the largest healthcare system in Georgia.