All admitted applicants to the SUSAG major will be financially supported by a graduate assistantship throughout their tenure in the program. Assistantships are through faculty-supported research grants (research assistantships) and/or departments (teaching assistantships). Assistantships pay a bi-monthly stipend, include a tuition scholarship (100% PhD, 75% MS), and provide single coverage health insurance at no charge. Tuition balances are calculated at the Iowa resident rate regardless of residency. Assistantships are identified by the nominating faculty member during the admission process. When contacting faculty members, applicants should inquire about the availability of assistantships.

All new nominated applicants will be considered for a Sustainable Agriculture Fellowship, which provides assistantship support equivalent to a 1/4-time appointment for 9 months. Current Iowa State graduate students are not eligible. Awards are based on a competitive review of academic credentials.
 

GPSA Scholarships

The GPSA program has two scholarship programs associated with the Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture that support student stipends and tuition. 

The Edna Rathman Fund in Sustainable Agriculture was established in 2002 to support students studying sustainable agriculture in the GPSA. Ms. Rathman owned approximately 1000 acres of farmland and was committed to maintaining and increasing the productivity her land through use of science-based soil and water conservation practices including rotations that included oats and forages, terraces, buffer strips, grassed waterways, and field border strips. She invested in the GPSA and its students in “hopes that the sustainability of production agriculture in Iowa will be improved.”

The Rathman Sustainable Agriculture Fellowship provides 2 assistantships annually. The first is the Rathman Colloquium Fellowship, which funds a TA stipend and tuition for the Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium (SUSAG 6000). The Rathman Colloquium Fellow coordinates the planning and implementation of the Colloquium, one of three foundational core courses that all GPSA students take. A call for applications is sent out to GPSA students during the spring semester to begin in the next fall semester. The second Rathman Fellowship is a 9-month, quarter-time assistantship. This Fellowship does not include tuition.

The second fellowship program is called the Graduate Fellowship in Sustainable Agriculture. This fellowship was established by an anonymous donor to support graduate students studying sustainable agriculture. The Graduate Fellowship in Sustainable Agriculture provides at least one quarter-time assistantship annually or every other year, depending on available funds. This Fellowship does not include tuition.

Any GPSA faculty may apply for a fellowship to support their students. Preference is given to accepted, incoming students, but in some cases current students may also be funded. To apply for a fellowship, faculty must submit a letter of application that outlines the research that the student will be undertaking. Letters of application should be submitted to Lynette Edsall at camelot@iastate.edu.

Gary and Ann Holck Graduate Scholarship in Sustainable Agriculture

Gary and Ann Holck of Spencer, Iowa established an endowed scholarship for students in the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture (GPSA) at Iowa State University. Gary and Ann are committed to the sustainability of our agricultural systems, especially reducing the impacts of nutrients on water quality. Their generous donation will help support students pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Sustainable Agriculture.

Gary and Ann met as undergraduate students at Iowa State University. After earning graduate degrees in Vermont and Missouri, the Holcks returned to Iowa, establishing Holco Agriproducts, a livestock feed company.

The Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture would like to thank Gary and Ann Holck for their generous support of the program and its students who are working to address the sustainability challenges that agriculture faces.

1. Availability: Two scholarships of $2,000 each as an award on the student's UBill.
2. Must be a Sustainable Agriculture major or co-major.
3. Must be a graduate student (MS or Ph.D.) at the time of scholarship disbursement. 
4. Preference will be given to students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

A call for nominations is held during one of the academic semesters.