Valdez Fellowship

The application for the Fall 2023 Valdez Fellowship is now closed.

The Valdez Fellowship is designed to identify the country’s most talented students aspiring to executive levels in local government. For more information on previous Senior Vice President for Business Affairs at the University of Arizona Joel Valdez, click here.

Benefits

Valdez Fellows receive the knowledge, training, and necessary experience to become future city/county managers in local government.

  • Paid Management Internship Position

    • In both their first year and second year, Valdez Fellows enjoy the prestige associated with working as a paid management intern for the Towns of Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita (earning 6 credit hours for internship, to apply towards MPA degree completion).

  • A Graduate Tuition Waiver in the amount of $10,000 for the 2023-2024 academic year ($5,000 for fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters).

  • UA International City/County Management Association Membership

    • Must serve as an active and engaged UA ICMA Board member either as a de-facto position, or apply and be selected for one of the five other open positions (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Communications Chair, or Recruitment Chair).

    • Responsibilities include being the local government liaison for the organization, and ensuring the board's commitment to its academic year strategic plan. 

  • Arizona City/County Management Association Membership, which includes ACMA Summer/Winter Conference Attendance.

 

Application Process

Applicants to the Valdez Fellowship program are accepted once every two years (odd years only) for admission to begin in the Fall semester. The program will admit one student based on a competitive application review process designed to identify the most talented individual aspiring to executive levels in local government.

To apply:

  1. Submit an application for admission via GradApp to the Master of Public Administration OR Master of Public Policy program. Please be sure to review the admissions criteria prior to applying.

  2. Submit an application to the Valdez Fellowship. Please note it is strongly recommended to receive admission to the MPA OR MPP program prior to applying for the Valdez Fellowship.

Eligibility requirements:

  • All applicants must apply and receive admission to the Master of Public Administration OR Master of Public Policy program.
  • Applications for both the MPA/MPP program and the Valdez Fellowship must be received by the posted deadlines.
  • Applicants must be considered an incoming graduate student at the time of application. Students currently in the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) are not eligible to apply to the Valdez Fellowship program.

 

The application for the Fall 2023 Valdez Fellowship is now closed.

Valdez Fellowship Application Deadline: March 31st