Roy H. Park Fellowships

The Park Fellowships, established by the Park family in 1997 to support graduate students, are among the most generous among media and journalism programs nationwide.

Program Values

Four key values encapsulate what it means to be a Park fellow:

  • Excellence: Our fellows enter with a record of achievement, and we prepare them to strive for and achieve greater success at Carolina and after graduation.
  • Public impact: Our fellows are committed to making a public impact in their respective fields, as effective leaders, lifelong learners, competitive professionals and educators training the next generation of communication scholars and practitioners.
  • Leadership: Our fellows demonstrate ambition and potential to lead in an array of academic and professional settings, and we foster leadership through the program culture and curriculum.
  • Inclusion: Our program is committed to an inclusive community of scholars and practitioners that reflect diversity in all its forms.

 

Fellowship Benefits

The Park Fellowships to the UNC Hussman Ph.D. in Media and Communication program cover:

  • Tuition and fees for three years
  • Health insurance for three years
  • $20,500 nine-month annual stipend for three years
  • Support for research support and travel to conferences

About the Program

The Triad Foundation — led by Roy Jr. and Tetlow Park, Elizabeth Park Fowler and Troy Fowler, and Trip and Laura Park — supports programs that honor the legacy of Roy H. Park Sr. A self-made man, Roy Park was a public relations entrepreneur who created the Duncan Hines brand and, after its sale to Procter & Gamble, went on to build a media empire of newspapers and radio and television stations. He believed strongly in the free enterprise system.

The Roy H. Park Fellowship program began with a $5.3 million gift to our school. Ongoing generous support over the last two decades has extended and enhanced the support provided by the fellowships.

In addition to the fellowship packages, the school also receives support for a number of graduate program enhancements that distinguish our graduate programs from others:

  • Annual support for the Roy H. Park Library, a vital asset for graduate student research
  • Engagement in critical issues with leading scholars through the Park Symposia series
  • Recruitment support to interview top Park Fellowship applicants
  • Marketing support for the graduate programs

 

Roy H. Park1997 Park fellows2019 Ph.D. Park fellows

Pictured, above (left to right): Roy H. Park, 1997 Park fellows, 2019 doctoral Park fellows; top of page: 2019 master's Park fellows

How to Apply

U.S. citizens applying to UNC Hussman's doctoral program are eligible to apply for the Park Fellowship. In addition to the required components of the doctoral program application, you must submit an additional essay detailing how you have demonstrated the values of the Roy H. Park Fellowship Program in your life and professional experiences and how you will continue to incorporate those values in your future career.

Your essay should be 800 to 1,000 words and uploaded as a supplemental document in the Program Supplement portion of your online application. You should do the following when writing about Park Fellowship values:

  • Be clear about your record of achievement of excellence in previous work, and lay out a plan for producing excellent work in your graduate studies and subsequent career.
  • Articulate the public impact of your previous, present or proposed professional or scholarly work and your desire for further impact in the future. Specify the nature and scope of public impact, including industries or populations served.
  • Show your record of, or potential for, leadership in academic or professional settings. This could include prior academic work, extracurricular activities and/or jobs and internships.
  • Tell us about your views of diversity and inclusion and how you see your work affected by these views.