Fund: Visible Voices Scholarship Fund Department: MFA Writing Desert Campus Dept D01283 Purpose: Graduate Student Support This fund shall be used to provide scholarship assistance to and aid in the recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds applying for entry to the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. BACKGROUND The UCR low-residency creative writing program is the only one of its kind in the UC system and a 21st century MFA program. Launched in 2008 and based out of UCR Palm Desert Center, the format consists of seven quarters of online study and five 10-day residencies over a period of two years, training writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting, attracting students from all over the country. Because of the inclusion of top professionals in relevant fields, graduates go on to find success in publication and production and also contribute to the artistic life of their own communities. The low-residency MFA is a UC-designated self-supporting graduate professional degree program and only able to offer its students scholarships and awards thanks to generous contributions from its graduating cohorts, alumni, faculty, and Coachella Valley supporters. In order to attract a diverse group of writers and better compete with other low-residency creative writing MFA programs, the program wishes to establish The Visible Voices Scholarship to aid in the recruitment and support of future storytellers belonging to historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, who can contribute to the diversity of the program and literary and creative industries. General Purpose This Fund shall be used to provide scholarship assistance to and aid in the recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds applying for entry to the LowResidency MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. The program will administer the Fund. Criteria and Selection Process Under the direction of the Low-Residency MFA program director, this graduate scholarship will support entering students who will contribute to the diversity of the program. The intent of this scholarship is to provide access to higher education for students who might otherwise find it difficult or impossible to successfully pursue graduate study. The director or his/her designee may appoint a committee to review and select recipients from the pool of candidates. To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must: - Submit a completed application for admission to the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts; - Submit a supplemental scholarship application; - Demonstrate high potential and promise; and - Meet the UC Definition of Diversity. Individuals from cultural, racial, linguistic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in graduate education and the arts are especially encouraged to apply. In years when there is no candidate who meets the criteria, awards will be held until the following year.