Fletcher Donor Report 2021

Student Activities

Fletcher leading and learning at COP26

Last November, a delegation of Fletcher and Tufts students joined leaders and policymakers from around the world in Glasgow for COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

“This was my third COP, having attended my first (Paris in 2015) during my time as a MALD student,” says Tarun Gopalakrishnan, F16, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in climate adaptation finance at Fletcher. “The COP is the most ambitious multilateral diplomatic exercise there is, from both a logistics and policy standpoint. As a MALD, it was an opportunity to see Fletcher learning in action. As a fellow at the Climate Policy Lab, it is a venue to gauge our ideas’ practical impact and intellectual rigor.” Experiential learning opportunities like access to COP26 allow Fletcher students to interact with leaders in their fields and provide intangible benefits to influence their future careers. Outside-the-classroom opportunities like this are supported through the Fletcher Annual Fund, which provides the necessary flexibility of funding to bring students into real-world situations.

Bringing gender into all aspects of international affairs

Nine remarkable Fletcher students organized and led the seventh annual Conference on Gender and International Affairs on campus last fall, which showcased an impressive array of speakers from across sectors over two days.

“The conference itself provides a really great mechanism for a lot of people that don't have the time to engage with gender in their academic studies and gives them this chance to build that gender connection where they wouldn't normally experience it,” shared conference organizer Jerusha Simmons, F22. Student-led opportunities are part of what makes Fletcher unique, allowing students from diverse professional backgrounds and interests to engage with and learn about the pressing, cross-cutting issues in today’s world. Simmons noted, “Not only did I get to meet incredible people who are doing cutting-edge work in the gender sphere, I also met a bunch of other great students and co-organizers who were truly amazing, and the highlight of my time.” Philanthropy from the student and alumni community, as well as sponsorships, were critical to the success of the conference. Through the efforts of the organizers and the support of the Fletcher community, the conference raised more than $13,500 from more than 50 individuals and sponsorships, which helped bring key speakers and industry experts to campus.

In prestigious competitions, Fletcher teams shine

For many Fletcher students, competitions are a unique opportunity to hone skills and develop powerful new ideas in peer teams. Gifts to the Fletcher Annual Fund support many student activities, including prestigious competitions around the country and across many fields.

Cornell-Case-Competition & Morgan Stanley Runners Up

Student competitions not only help to launch remarkable careers; they also show the world the school’s diverse strengths to the world. This year, Fletcher students competed against dozens of qualified teams, both from notable business schools and from within Tufts, across a wide array of competitions. The impressive achievements of Fletcher student teams included first place in the global business case competition at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business Emerging Markets Institute; runners-up placement in the prestigious Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge; and first place prize (“Active Heirs” team) in the Social Impact track of the Tufts 100K New Ventures Competition. We are proud to celebrate these and other student competition successes, and grateful to Fletcher Annual Fund contributors for their support.

Alumni

Meet alumna Maitri Morarji, F05

“At a very basic level we've all been there. I haven't forgotten what it was like,” says Maitri Morarji, F05, director of programs at Foundation for a Just Society about how she still feels connected to Fletcher today.

Returning to the field of philanthropy after completing her MALD, Morarji credits her professional success to the rigor and attention to detail she learned at Fletcher and notes the value of the broad array of perspectives and experiences students bring to the classroom. “For me,” says Morarji, “the Fletcher Annual Fund in particular is the way to be able to create those types of opportunities for a diverse range of students that bring a wide range of disciplines and analysis to approaching international challenges.”

The life of Richard Butler Gray, F49

Generosity, curiosity, and a commitment to justice shaped the life of Richard Butler Gray, F49. Born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1922, Gray was an early champion of LGBTQ rights, affirmative action, and gender equality, and a vocal opponent of racial segregation.

He earned a master’s degree from Fletcher in 1949, followed by a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and went on to become a noted scholar and educator in Hispanic studies and international politics at Florida State University. Fletcher was honored to receive a generous gift from Gray’s estate, establishing an endowed scholarship in his name. By providing access to a Fletcher education for future students, this scholarship will continue Gray’s inspiring legacy and empower tomorrow’s global leaders.

Industry experts visit campus for the Fink Speaker Series

An education at Fletcher is about more than just classes. From networking with peers to intimate conversations with distinguished alumni, students can enhance their experiences through opportunities like the Fink Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series.

Established by Fletcher alumni Geoffrey, F94, and Cyrena Fink, F95, this lecture series allows students to connect with accomplished alumni across various sectors. These connections contribute to the versatility and value of a Fletcher education and equally importantly deliver real-world, real-time insights into what students require to become fellow leaders in their fields.

This year, two speakers visited (both virtually and in-person) to share their expertise, career advice, and the impact of Fletcher on the professional trajectory of their work.

Michael Castellano, F97, vice president for government relations at the Walt Disney Company, shared how Fletcher helped shape his journey throughout his career, from trade law to government relations.

Laurie MacNamara, F87, senior U.S. federal technology strategist and director of strategic partnerships at the General Services Administration, spoke about her career pivot from consulting to developing strategies for technology implementation, including lessons learned from the rapid pandemic response.

Programs & Faculty

EconoFact—Raising the bar on the public debate

“One of the central tenets of Tufts and Fletcher is to be civically engaged,” says Michael Klein, professor of international economic affairs at Fletcher and founding director of EconoFact. According to Klein, “EconoFact is a way that economists who are among the top researchers in the world in their areas can be civically engaged with a wider public.”

EconoFact is a nonprofit media initiative within the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World that works to advance the public debate with accessible, high-quality, nonpartisan facts on timely policy issues. “EconoFact couldn't survive without the donations of individuals and the support of foundations,” notes Klein, who was thrilled that the project recently received two critical grants supporting its work. Support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation allows EconoFact to deepen its offering as a resource for everyone from thought leaders to the public and enables the project to have a real-world impact on important policy discussions. The network of leading economists who contribute to EconoFact helps people to understand how economic academic research can be applied to make a difference in the timely policy decisions being made today.

Fighting climate challenges through policy

Climate change is more than an environmental concern—it’s also a critical policy issue, one that the Climate Policy Lab at Fletcher is designed to address. The Climate Policy Lab regularly provides analysis and counsel that influence policy decisions focused on finding climate policy solutions that work and address the global challenges related to health, security, economic stability, conflict resolution, injustice, and sustainable development that intersect with climate change.

It’s no surprise that the independent, evidence-based policy research and analysis the lab produces was a natural fit for support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Longtime supporters of the Climate Policy Lab, the Hewlett Foundation’s recent commitment to continue supporting the center and sponsoring four new scholars and interns from China and the Global South will have a significant impact on the solutions the lab achieves. Kelly Sims Gallagher, academic dean and director of the Climate Policy Lab, commented about the value of this continued support: “These new grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation allow us to expand our climate policy analysis to new areas, including clean tech and social transitions, as well as nurture and train the next generation of climate leaders, whether they are in government, business, or the nonprofit sector.”

Digital Portfolios of the Poor receives major support

Earlier this year Fletcher faculty members Katrina Burgess and Daryl Collins received a significant grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their project Digital Portfolios of the Poor, which investigates how emerging technologies are viewed and used in low-income settings, particularly by women.

Katrina Burgess, associate professor of political economy and director of the Henry J. Leir Institute at Fletcher, explains that the project “fills a critical gap in our understanding of how poor people, especially women, use digital technologies at a time when these technologies are having a profound impact on livelihoods, social relations, and politics. The project also pioneers an innovative, new methodology for reaching marginalized populations at scale while still capturing the nuances of local dialects, norms, and cultures.”

Daryl Collins, director of Digital Portfolios of the Poor and senior fellow at the Henry J. Leir Institute, adds that projects like this one, which focus on leveraging digital technologies for the world’s poor, are important philanthropic investments because digital pathways can be efficient and cost-effective. Like Burgess, she is eager to explore how “low-income people in developing countries build their digital footprints…what they understand about managing that footprint, and their preferences and opinions about doing so.”

Digital Portfolios of the Poor was awarded through the Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor initiative, which aims to expand access to digital financial services to the world’s poorest people. Support from the Gates Foundation—the largest organization of its kind in the world—is an exciting opportunity to advance Fletcher research and an indicator of that work’s caliber and potential.

Fletcher by the numbers

Left image: 477 students received financial aid during the 2021–2022 academic year. Right image: 94% of students who requested aid received an award

Fletcher Associates, our leadership Annual Fund supporters

Showcasing Our Donors

Thank you for your generous support of The Fletcher School. Please visit our searchable donor listing to find your name and those of other supporters!

A message of thanks from Fletcher students

Fletcher by the numbers

Over $8 million of financial aid was awarded to students in the 2021–2022 academic year.

70% of all gifts to Fletcher come from alumni

Thank you for your generosity

All gifts to the Fletcher School count toward our $120 million goal as part of Brighter World: The Campaign for Tufts, a comprehensive fundraising campaign across all Tufts campuses. Fletcher’s achievement through fiscal year 2022 is $111.8 million, 93% towards our goal.

FLETCHER’S PRIORITIES INCLUDE:

Expanding our support for students through financial aid, internships, and Ph.D. opportunities
Attracting and retaining a world-class faculty
Building a foundation of annual support to sustain the school into the future

Thank you from Dean Rachel Kyte

Fletcher by the numbers

Student Activities

Fletcher leading and learning at COP26

Bringing gender into all aspects of international affairs

In prestigious competitions, Fletcher teams shine

Alumni

Meet alumna Maitri Morarji, F05

The life of Richard Butler Gray, F49

Industry experts visit campus for the Fink Speaker Series

Programs & Faculty

EconoFact—Raising the bar on the public debate

Fighting climate challenges through policy

Digital Portfolios of the Poor receives major support

Fletcher by the numbers

Showcasing Our Donors

A message of thanks from Fletcher students

Fletcher by the numbers