Hennessy’s commitment to drive more diversity in corporate leadership just got a major boost with the announcement of the Hennessy Fellows graduate program.
Hennessy has committed $10 million dollars over the next 10 years to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) – the pre-eminent national organization dedicated to promoting educational excellence among students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
Now accepting applicants for Fall 2019 at tmcf.org/HFP through May 5, Hennessy Fellows is a groundbreaking graduate scholarship initiative designed to equip the next generation of African American leaders through financial assistance, access to training and professional development experiences, and real-world skill application.
TMCF’s vision of “Changing the World… One Leader at a Time” aligns with Hennessy’s “Never stop. Never settle.” mantra, which reflects what one can achieve by pushing the limits of potential.
Born of these shared values, Hennessy Fellows was created for those graduate students who want to blaze their own trails and pursue their dreams, regardless of challenges faced along the way.
Last year, only 8.6% of Fortune 500 board seats were held by African American executives, further, most scholarships focus on undergraduate education, making post-grad level degrees less attainable to those who rely on scholarships and financial assistance.
The issue of financial aid is not only limited to undergraduate students on our HBCU campuses. Limited resources for graduate students also lead to student drop off,” said Dr. David Wilson, President, Morgan State University, one of the HBCUs eligible for participation in the Hennessy Fellows program.
“Hennessy’s initiative will be a lifeline of support providing more opportunities for graduate students that are often forgotten.” – Dr. David Wilson, President, Morgan State University.
Following a thorough application process, the Hennessy Fellows program selects ten high-achieving, high-potential graduate students per year and offers them a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
Recipients will be awarded financial assistance towards collegiate graduate level education programs, as well as curated corporate development experiences, including training forums and networking to enhance the exchange of ideas, and provide direct exposure to the inter-relatedness of corporate, social and economic systems.
“We are honored to announce a ten-year partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund,” said Jim Clerkin, President and CEO of Moët Hennessy North America. “As a charter corporate sponsor of the fund, we continue to support the work of this organization in developing a pipeline of talent and future leaders from historically Black colleges and universities. I am proud of the work we have done together to date and look forward to continuing our efforts to build a broader, more inclusive talent base for corporate America.”
The program is open to students enrolled in accredited HBCU or PBI Graduate programs, and offers the following:
1:1 executive coaching
Up to $20,000 per academic year
$10,000 annual stipend for other educational expenses
Opportunity to compete for a community-related project grant up to $10,000
Access to online training forums, boot camps, networking events and professional development experiences.
Hennessy Fellows is now accepting applications at tmcf.org/HFP.
