Vanderbilt Law School Dean Chris Guthrie has announced the endowment of a new scholarship to support students committed to social justice and public interest careers by Amy Price Garrison (BA’79) and Frank M. Garrison ’79 (BA’76) through the Amy and Frank Garrison Social Justice Law Fund.
Starting this spring, a Garrison Social Justice Scholar will be selected each year from among current first-year Vanderbilt Law students who apply. Available to students preparing for social justice or public interest careers, each Garrison Social Justice Scholar award will provide a supplemental annual scholarship for years two and three as well as stipend support for unpaid work experiences in social justice or public interest organizations during the two summers prior to graduation.
The Garrisons endowed the Garrison Social Justice Scholar award through an additional gift to the Amy and Frank Garrison Social Justice Law Fund, which currently provides summer stipends to law students who do unpaid legal work with organizations that advocate for social justice. Each year, at least three students who accept unpaid positions with advocacy organizations receive Garrison Public Interest Fellowships to help defray their travel and living expenses; recipients are selected from among all J.D. students applying for summer stipend support. Eleven Garrison Fellows have worked with social justice, government and public advocacy organizations for all or part of a summer with support from the program since its inception in 2012.
“Thanks to Amy and Frank Garrison’s generosity, Vanderbilt law students who aspire to pursue careers in social justice and public advocacy will have access to a scholarship that reduces their costs for law school and provides them with the support they need to gain experience, make contacts and hone their professional goals during both summers while they are in law school,” said Dean Chris Guthrie. “I’m grateful for their thoughtful gift, which—in addition to benefiting students who seek to work in the public interest—will also benefit the communities where they will live and work after graduation.”
Students in the Class of 2017 who are committed to preparing for a career in social justice or public interest may apply for the Garrison Social Justice Scholar award through February 27.
