INI Student Receives Presidential Fellowship
By Jessica Corry
Congratulations to MS27 William Parks, who was recently named a Presidential Fellow in the inaugural class of Presidential Fellows and Scholars. He is one of 55 graduate students across all schools and colleges at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) selected to receive this prestigious honor. By providing financial support to recruit and retain outstanding graduate students, these endowed fellowships ensure Carnegie Mellon remains a world-leader in education and research.
“William’s selection as a Presidential Fellow speaks to the level of his previous accomplishments and lays the groundwork for his future success at the Information Networking Institute (INI),” said Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the INI. “As one of the highly select group of fellows, he represents the best and the brightest of Carnegie Mellon. The INI is fortunate to count him as one of our own and I am confident he will thrive in this program.”
CMU President Subra Suresh is the driving force behind the creation of the new fellowship and scholarship program. "This project is a direct outcome of the numerous suggestions and comments I received from the CMU community during my listening tour," Dr. Suresh said in an email announcement to the campus community. "It seeks to address one of the most pressing challenges for CMU as we compete globally to attract the best and the brightest students, as well as attract and retain the faculty who mentor them."
An endowment of more than $150 million has been established to support this and future classes of Presidential Fellows and Scholars across all seven of CMU’s colleges and schools. Presidential Fellows will be selected annually through a process overseen by the provost that invites nominations from department heads and deans of the schools and colleges at the university.
“Please join me in congratulating this year’s highly select group of fellows and scholars, and learn more about the program online,” said Dr. Suresh. “Their presence will enrich the CMU community, inspire faculty, and cultivate even greater societal, technological and artistic contributions from Carnegie Mellon University for decades to come.”