The University of Chicago will launch a new program for graduating College students during the next academic year, continuing efforts to expand meaningful career opportunities for College students.
The new Lawrence A. Kimpton Fellows Program will provide undergraduate students with paid, yearlong employment fellowships after they graduate from the College. The program is expected to begin with about 100 fellowships, starting with the Class of 2018. These fellowship opportunities will give students the skills and experience they need to launch a fulfilling career in their field of choice. The initiative is named in honor of Lawrence A. Kimpton, who served as chancellor of the University—the title used at that time for the University’s chief executive—from 1951 to 1960.
The program will offer employers a structured and convenient way to find talented candidates for their entry-level positions. Kimpton fellows will work for a wide variety of for-profit industries, not-for-profits, government agencies, research and philanthropic institutions, educational organizations, and social service providers. The program will serve students of all majors and career interests.
On top of their fellowship opportunities, Kimpton fellows will participate in professional development seminars that will teach them how they can take advantage of their fellowship experience to pursue their long-term career goals. All fellows will also have access to alumni mentors who are currently working in their field of interest.
The Kimpton Fellows Program will be the most recent addition to an extensive and distinctive set of career resources offered to UChicago students by the Office of Career Advancement.
“The Kimpton Fellows Program will add an exciting new piece to UChicago’s pipeline of internships, full-time jobs and other career opportunities for students,” said Meredith Daw, assistant vice president and executive director of Career Advancement. “As with our other experiential learning programs, the goal of the Kimpton Fellows Program will be to give our students meaningful experience that will make them competitive applicants for leadership positions throughout their career as well as for top graduate and professional programs.”
According to Dean of the College John W. Boyer, Lawrence Kimpton was a colleague of Harold “Jeff” Metcalf, AM’53, the namesake of the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program, which provides more than 2,000 paid, substantive internships for current College students each year. Metcalf served as Dean of Students at the Graduate School of Business from 1956-1975 and Director of Athletics from 1976-1981. Both men shared a commitment to join transformative, liberal arts education with top-quality experiences outside of the classroom for students.
Boyer said the two programs will complement each other in new ways, providing meaningful work experience and career opportunities while students are in the College and once they graduate.
“Kimpton and Metcalf were both champions of providing robust experiences for students, and the College is pleased to honor their legacy through these programs,” Boyer said. “These programs will ensure that our students have access to significant career opportunities during their time at the University and beyond.”
The Kimpton Fellows Program will be modeled on a network of post-graduation fellowship programs throughout the country, including the University of Chicago Public Interest Program, which placed students in yearlong fellowships with nonprofits, government agencies and social service providers. The College and Career Advancement are deeply grateful to the alumni, parents and employers who have supported these post-graduation fellowships.
The inaugural cohort of Kimpton fellows will be selected during the 2017-2018 academic year and will begin their fellowships in June 2018.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
