GREEN BAY (NBC26) — While public service was once a traditionally male-dominated field, Wisconsin Women in Governmenthas been working to help women enter public service with its scholarship program for the last 25 years.
The Wisconsin Women in Government Undergraduate Scholarship program is designed to provide financial support to women interested in pursuing careers in public service, public administration, or government affairs. The annual scholarship is available to current undergraduate students who likely would have difficulty continuing their education without financial assistance.
Women from a wide variety of majors are eligible for the program. Some majors may include political science, government, legal studies, criminal justice, or public safety.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is June 15th. Scholarships of up to $3,000 will be awarded to students who are attending any college or university that is part of the UW System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, or any in-state private college affiliated with the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
Applicants must:
- Be a resident of Wisconsin who identifies as female
- Have a financial need as determined by the receiving school based on applicant’s eligibility for Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) eligible grants such as the Federal Pell Grant Program, Wisconsin Grant (WG), or Talent Incentive Program (TIP)
- Be enrolled, at the time of the application, as a full-time or part-time undergraduate student at any eligible institution.
- Plan to be enrolled as a full-time or part-time undergraduate student at eligible institutions for the fall semester.
Hilary Shager is the Associate Director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UW-Madison and is also a member of the Wisconsin Women in Government Board of Directors. She says the scholarship program helps undergraduate women enter public service by providing them with a support network of professionals working in the industry.
"Certainly there's been a glass ceiling in terms of women who've been elected to office, but also who have leadership and management positions within state, local, and federal government agencies and are also working in government relations," Shager said. "We think having that perspective is really important."
Teri Zuege-Halvorsen, the Executive Director of the Institute of Women’s Leadership at UW-Green Bay says having that network is invaluable for women who may not have any connections in public service.
“It connects people with others in that field. We all know that networking, being able to connect to others that understand what is entailed in that area is really helpful to help people navigate,” Zuege-Halvorsen said.
