Presidential Fellow Academic and Professional Development Fund
The Presidential Fellowship Academic and Professional Development Fund, started in 2013, supports current fellows seeking experientially-oriented professional and academic development conference and training opportunities outside the university to complement their academic programs and their GW placement and leadership experiences.
Fellows who are recipients of the fund must submit a statement describing the conference, its relevance to their professional development and if they would recommend it to future students. Recipients also discuss their experience with other fellows at a weekly meeting.
To date, the Presidential Fellowship Academic and Professional Development Fund has supported over 14 requests to attend a variety of professional conferences and development experiences. Below are a few examples:
- Attendance at the American Evaluation Association's 2013 Annual Conference
- Attendance at the GW Women In Business 5th Annual Spring Conference
- Attendance at the GW Women's Leadership Conference
- Presenting at the 2016 Museums and Web Conference
- Travel to South Africa through the Graduate School of Political Management to meet with business, media, governmental, and nonprofit leaders.
Make a donation to support future professional development experiences for Presidential Fellows and include "Presidential Fellowship Academic & Professional Development Fund" in the "other" category.
How PAFs use the Fund

Max Attends Victory Institute’s 32nd International LGBT Leaders Conference
With the support of the PAF Academic and Professional Development Fund, Max attended Victory Institute’s International LGBT Leaders Conference..

Summer Abroad in South Africa
This summer, with the support of the PAF program’s Professional and Academic Development Fund, I studied abroad in South Africa. I curated an independent course where explored cultural diversity theory and expression.

Building Healthy Lives: 16th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference
On Friday, April 1, Chelsea attend the 16th annual Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC) on the Mount Vernon Campus thanks to financial support from the PAF Professional and Academic Development Fund. This year’s conference focused on “Building Healthy Lives.” Click to read more about Chelsea’s experience.
#MWXX Invades L.A. - Museums and the Web 2016
During the second week in April, Kelsey attended the 20th annual Museums and the Web Conference in Los Angeles to learn how museums are utilizing technology and new media. Not only was Kelsey a volunteer at the event, she was also a graduate student speaker. Click to read more about how Kelsey’s speech caught the museum tech community’s attention.
Interviewing in China
With the support from the PAF Professional and Academic Development Fund, Yuxuan to traveled to China from March 15 to April 1 to and attend the assessment round of a job selection process in Hong Kong. She said that the intensive interviewing process was a great learning experience. Click to read more about Yuxuan’s trip.