Georgia State's Andrew Young School Alumni and Friends Endow Graduate Fellowship in Memory of Alumna Elizabeth Fitch

ATLANTA—A Georgia State University crowdfunding campaign has endowed a graduate fellowship in the Andrew School of Policy Studies to honor the memory of alumna, Elizabeth Fitch (M.P.A. ’01). The $25,000 Elizabeth Fitch Fellowship for Nonprofit Studies, which will provide financial support for Andrew Young School graduate students, was fully funded through contributions made to the crowdfunding effort.

The fundraising campaign to endow this fellowship was launched in July 2022 by Fitch’s friend Mickey Desai to honor the memory of Fitch, who died from metastatic breast cancer in 2011 at the age of 36. In a little more than a year, the project met its goal amount of $25,000 from a total of 88 gifts, including contributions from Fitch’s friends and coworkers.

“Elizabeth was a dynamic, loyal, wickedly smart and infectiously fun person who was passionate about her work helping others,” said Desai, a longtime friend and the lead for the Elizabeth Fitch Fellowship for Nonprofit Studies crowdfunding project. “Education and service were incredibly important to Elizabeth, so a group of her friends and I thought establishing this fellowship in her memory was a fitting way to honor her legacy. Our hope is that it will help students find the same fulfillment in education and in helping others that Elizabeth did.”

The Elizabeth Fitch Fellowship for Nonprofit Studies will be awarded annually to an Andrew Young School graduate student who is pursuing a degree with a nonprofit concentration, is enrolled in a nonprofit graduate certificate or has demonstrated an interest, work history or internship experience in the non-profit sector.

“This fellowship is a testament to Elizabeth Fitch’s character, the selfless legacy she left behind and her commitment to the work of building better communities,” said Dr. Jan Ivery, interim dean of academic affairs. “Andrew Young School students and alumni share her passion, and thanks to the generosity of Fitch’s friends and the school’s supporters, there will be more financial assistance for graduate students pursuing careers in the nonprofit sector.”

Learn about some of the many ways Georgia State’s donor dollars are making a meaningful difference at giving.gsu.edu and explore other impactful crowdfunding campaigns underway at impact.gsu.edu.