Weiss Urban Livability Program
Weiss symposium: Working Toward Water Justice in North Carolina
Tuesday March 26, 6-8pm
- The Program
- Unique Learning Opportunities
- About The Fellows
- Weiss Urban Livability Library Collection
- Faculty Board
- Contact Us
The Program
The Weiss Urban Livability Program supports talented graduate students who seek to improve urban livability. About eight fellowships are awarded annually to new graduate students in various disciplines at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The one-year fellowship provides:
- Financial support
- Experience designing a community project
- Opportunities for support and growth
- Access to the Weiss Urban Livability Library Collection
This fellowship provides a stipend, tuition and health insurance for one year. Learn more about the funding.
If you are interested in being a Weiss fellow, learn more about how Fellows are selected.
Unique Learning Opportunities
Community Project
A unique aspect of the program is the Community Project. Over the course of the year, Weiss fellows design a project to positively impact urban livability in their own community. Learn more about past community projects.
Seminar Series On Urban Livability
Through an ongoing seminar series, Weiss fellows meet regularly with people from the campus and community who study and work with issues relating to urban livability.
Mentoring
Fellows receive mentoring from senior faculty and a senior graduate fellow.
Inter-Disciplinary Collaboration
Fellows meet regularly to interact and collaborate on contemporary community issues.
About the Fellows
Former Weiss fellows have come from disciplines as diverse as Studio Art, Religious Studies, Maternal and Child Health, and City and Regional Planning.
The Weiss Fellowship has guided graduate students toward careers serving the community. Examples of some careers that Weiss fellows have gone on to:
- City manager
- Public health doctor
- Water and sanitation engineer
- Community development leader
- Transportation planner
- Social worker
- Teacher
When asked how the Weiss program impacted their lives, fellows remember:
- “I identify the Weiss fellowship as one of the great achievements of my life. It has given me an opportunity to learn about issues of urban livability and things that touch your heart.”
- “Interacting with the Weisses themselves and learning about the breadth and depth of their interests and accomplishments made me believe in the impact that individuals can have.”
- “Being a Weiss fellow reinforced the idea of using environmental knowledge to positively affect the human condition.”
2012-2013 Weiss Fellows
- Erin Bergstrom, Social Work
- Eloisa Berman-Arevalo, Geography
- Laura Fieselman, Folklore
- Karam Hwang, Sociology
- Evan Johnson, Public Policy, Senior Fellow
- Jasmine Kumalah, City & Regional Planning
- Katherine Merriman, Religious Studies
- Mawiyah Patten, Social Work
- Andrew Shapiro, Environmental Sciences & Engineering
View earlier Weiss Fellows and projects
Program History
Charles and Shirley Weiss, retired professors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, began this innovative program in 1992. They designed the program to improve communities through interdisciplinary exploration of urban livability.
The Weisses’ active involvement with the arts, education, and civic organizations, coupled with extensive world travel, convinced them that an interdisciplinary approach is essential to improving the quality of life in communities.
Believing that graduate students are an invaluable resource for the future, the Weisses created a program that supports and nurtures graduate students.
Weiss Urban Livability Library Collection
The Weiss Urban Livability Library Collection provides resources in order to stimulate and enlighten those interested in improving community life. The collection has over 300 volumes on urban livability. Topics range from the architecture of the city to the history of the environmental movement in the United States. This collection of books, monographs, articles, and memorabilia is donated generously by the Weisses. It is currently housed in the Center for Urban and Regional Studies,
Faculty Board
A faculty board administers the program. This board is composed of faculty from a range of departments across the university. These faculty members mentor fellows and select new fellows each year.
- Thomas Campanella, City and Regional Planning
- Perry Hall, African and Afro-American Studies
- Joanne Hershfield, Women's Studies
- Sandra Hoeflich, The Graduate School
- Jocelyn Neal, Music
- William M. Rohe, Center for Urban and Regional Studies
- Jason West, Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Contact Us
If you have questions, email gradfunding@unc.edu.