Fund: Marguerite Waller Endowed Award in Sustainability Studies Fund Department: Gender & Sexuality Studies Dept D01032 Purpose: Undergraduate Student Support Fund Purpose: This Fund shall be used to provide support for undergraduate students majoring in sustainability studies, a program housed within the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies. Eff: 12/31/2021 - True endowment converted from endowment intent #6I0107. BACKGROUND: Marguerite “Margie” Waller served as Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at UC Riverside from 1991 to 2018. She also served as Chair of the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies and led efforts to found the undergraduate major in Sustainability Studies in 2015. This interdisciplinary major emphasizes social and environmental justice issues and is offered through the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies. It was the first of its kind nationally. Before arriving at UCR, Margie earned her PhD in Comparative Literature from Yale University and rose as faculty at Amherst College in English and Women’s Studies from 1974 to 1991. She is considered a “Pioneer Woman” as a result of her time and contributions there. Professor Waller’s teaching interests included feminist discourse, human rights, peace studies, film and media studies, critical theory, and the Italian renaissance (e.g., Dante’s Commedia). She directed the University of California Rome Study Center from 2007-2008. She also went beyond her academic job and career to organize several national and international feminist conferences and work in the early 90’s with the women’s border justice and art-making collective Las Comadres, active in the San Diego/Tijuana border region. Family, friends, and colleagues of Professor Waller have pledged to donate the necessary funds to create an endowment to honor Margie’s legacy. This named memorial fund will allow the department to support students majoring in sustainability studies through financial awards to recognize excellence and/or assist students pursuing experiential activities related to their major. General Purpose This Fund shall be used to provide support for undergraduate students majoring in sustainability studies, a program housed within the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies. Criteria and Selection Process: The Fund is to be administered by the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies. A committee of sustainability studies faculty shall be responsible for making award decisions. The Fund shall support annual awards to declared majors in sustainability studies. Awards may be given in recognition of academic or research excellence, or in support of experiential activities including internships, service opportunities, research, conferences, or travel including studies abroad. It is preferable for selections to be made in the spring quarter for awarding during the next academic year. Selection shall be based on merit and need. In years when there is no candidate who meets the criteria, awards will be held until the following year.