Cornell University
03/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/30/2026 08:47
Donor's fund enables dedicated humanities research
Jonathan Zhu, J.D. '92, would not have been able to attend Cornell without his A.D. White Fellowship. Initially pursuing study in English literature before eventually switching to law school, Zhu had a difficult time finding funding-an experience familiar to many students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences today.
"I thought, maybe I can do my little bit to help address that," he said.
In 2021, Zhu and Ruby Ye, M.S. '90, Ph.D. '92, established the Zhu Family Graduate Fellowships for doctoral students in the humanities. The fellowships support three students per year and allow them to focus fully on their research. For many students in these fields, doctoral funding comes in the form of a teaching assistantship, which requires a portion of each week to be devoted to teaching-related responsibilities.
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