Sheena Zeng selected 2024-2028 Self Graduate Fellow

Sheena Zeng, first-year doctoral student in mathematics, was selected along with fourteen doctoral students to receive the University of Kansas' prestigious Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The Self Graduate Fellowship’s mission is to identify and recruit exceptional doctoral students who demonstrate the promise to make significant contributions to their fields and society.

The fellowship is a four-year package awarded to incoming or first-year doctoral students who demonstrate leadership, initiative and passion for achievement. The fellowship covers full tuition and fees, provides graduate research assistant support of $34,850 per year, a $5,500 professional development award, a first-year $5,000 start-up award, $1,000 textbook and technology awards (years 2-4), and a unique professional development program.

The Fellow Development Program provides general education and training in communication, management, innovation, policy and leadership to assist Self Graduate Fellows in preparation for future leadership roles. The role of the development program is to complement the specialized education and training provided in doctoral programs. The total value of the four-year doctoral fellowship exceeds $200,000.

The late Madison “Al” and Lila Self launched and permanently endowed the Self Graduate Fellowship in 1989, motivated by their strong belief in the vital importance of developing leadership for tomorrow. Madison Self was a 1943 KU graduate in chemical engineering. Lila Self attended KU with the Class of 1943.