Announcements
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** The application for the ’24–’25 cohort is now available**
Submission Deadline: 11:59AM PT on Friday, March 1, 2024
Please visit our How to Apply page for tips on how to start preparing your application now! -
Upcoming Haas Scholars Workshops:
- Visit our Events page to register to attend future Info Sessions linked here
- Visit our Events page to register to attend future Research Proposal Workshops linked here
- View HSP Info Session Slides
Program Overview
Each year, twenty highly qualified, academically talented undergraduates with financial need come together to build a supportive intellectual community during their final year at UC Berkeley.
Haas Scholars come from all walks of life and every major on campus, but they are united by their desire to strive for excellence–both in their individual academic pursuits, and as an interdisciplinary cohort. Applicants are evaluated primarily on the merit and originality of their proposal for an independent research or creative project that will serve as the basis for a senior or honors thesis. Once selected, Haas Scholars receive close mentoring from members of the UC-Berkeley faculty, seminars and workshops to assist them in the research and writing process, the opportunity to present their work at a program conference, and up to $14,800 each in financial support.
Haas Scholar alumni have gone on to become leaders in their respective fields, including academia, medicine, law, industry, the arts, and public service. You are invited to explore this website for an introduction to the community of Haas Scholars, and if qualified, we encourage you to apply to join us!
About Robert and Colleen Haas
The Haas Scholars Program was created in 1998 through the generous vision and support of Robert and Colleen Haas. A Cal alumnus, Robert (Bob) Haas majored in English and was valedictorian of the class of 1964. Following graduation, he taught English in Western Africa (Ivory Coast) as a member of the newly formed Peace Corps. Bob earned his MBA from Harvard in 1968, and served as a White House Fellow in the Johnson Administration, before returning home to San Francisco to work as a management consultant. In 1973, he joined the family business, Levi Strauss & Co., which was then the world’s largest apparel company. The following year, he married Colleen Gershon, a graduate of Stanford School of Law and a criminal defense attorney with the civil rights firm of Garry, Dreyfus, McTernan, & Brotsky. The CEO of Levi Strauss from 1984 until 1999, its Chairman from 1989 through 2008, and Chairman Emeritus since 2008, Bob Haas has been widely recognized for his progressive philanthropic and business leadership. Bob was named “Cal Alumni of the Year” in 2009, and in 2020, he and Colleen announced that they would endow the program for perpetuity with a gift of $14 million. He and Colleen live outside of San Francisco with their daughter Elise.
Contact
Please contact via email to make an appointment – in person or via Zoom, your choice!