Knight-Hennessy Scholars
—A NEW GENERATION OF GLOBAL LEADERS
the opportunity
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In an era of increasingly complex global challenges, research universities are called to find new solutions to problems old and new and to educate courageous leaders who will forge collaborations and create change at scale. “While we have seen great achievements in this century, future progress will depend upon our ability to tackle issues such as global poverty. By identifying rising leaders from around the world and exposing them to real-life challenges, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program will equip scholars to lead ambitious change,” says Bob King.
Announced in February 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is an unparalleled graduate-level scholarship program that will prepare a new generation of distinguished global leaders with the multi-disciplinary skills needed to address the increasingly complex challenges facing the world in the 21st century and beyond. Stanford is uniquely positioned to be the home of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program because innovation, creative problem-solving, and entrepreneurial thinking are among its core characteristics. Stanford is also a leader in interdisciplinary studies, with seven world-class schools and an atmosphere that fosters collaboration and innovation. Stanford’s graduate academic programs are top-ranked internationally, and Stanford’s distinctive culture places a priority on working across disciplinary lines to advance knowledge and create solutions.
Interdisciplinary studies and leadership training
Innovation and entrepreneurship
*Photos by Linda A. Cicero courtesy of Stanford University
the initiative
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Each year the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program will identify 100 high-achieving individuals from around the world who demonstrate leadership and civic commitment. Each will receive full funding to pursue a wide-ranging graduate education at Stanford, with the goal of developing a new generation of global leaders. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed scholars program in the world.
The Kings have made a $100 million gift toward the Knight Hennessy Scholars program to fund a cohort of scholars from less economically developed regions of the world. The gift will also support the King Global Leadership Program, a distinctive training and development curriculum in which all Knight-Hennessy Scholars will participate to complement their core degree studies.