SIT Receives $50,000 Anonymous Gift for Scholarship for Women
Scholarship Honors Dr. Karen Blanchard
BRATTLEBORO -- An anonymous donor recently gave $50,000 to the School for International Training (SIT) to endow a new scholarship in honor of SIT Associate Professor Karen Blanchard. The Karen Stromgren Blanchard Scholarship for Women is designated for women who wish to undertake graduate or professional development work in SITs intercultural leadership program. The school offers a broad array of studies in nonprofit leadership and management, ranging from sustainable development to conflict transformation and international education.
Blanchard, who earned her Ph.D. at the California Institute of Integral Studies, has taught at SIT since 1988. "It's a very kind, sweet, humbling gift," said Blanchard, "and it will be a great help to deserving women who want to participate in our programs." Blanchard, who will be involved in the selection of scholarship recipients, said that women following in the footsteps of recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai will be top candidates. Maathai, an environmentalist and advocate for social change, is also a trustee of World Learning, SIT's parent organization. Long before Wangari received the Nobel Prize, she was a grassroots activist who believed that change was possible, Blanchard said.
"This gift is a wonderful testament to the impact Karen Blanchard is making on so many students who come to SIT for the unique education the school provides," said Carol Bellamy, former director of UNICEF and new president of World Learning and SIT. "The generosity of this anonymous donor guarantees that Karen's commitment to making a difference in the world will be realized for many years to come.
For more information contact Ellen A. Holmes, VP for Development, at 802/258-3139 or email [email protected].
Note: A digital photo to go with this press release can be requested from [email protected].
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