Jack and Suzanne Peltason endowed the Peltason Fellowship to support incoming Ph.D. students who want to devote their careers to understanding and strengthening the democratic process in the United States and internationally.

Jack Peltason served as the 16th President of the University of California (1992-95), after serving as Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine (1984-92) and as Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1967-77). In addition, he was President of the American Council on Education (1977-1984). Peltason is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a founding member of the Center for the Study of Democracy.

Suzanne Peltason also has made very significant contributions to the spirit and the history of the University of California and the University of Illinois. She was an equal part of the team that helped to build the reputation of UC Irvine, and played an especially important role in developing a sense of community among the faculty and employees of the University. As UCI celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary, she authored UCI--The First 25 Years as a testament to what had been achieved. And when the Peltasons retired and returned to Irvine, Suzanne has continued to develop the sense of community and spirit that has made the university so successful.

These fellowships provide first-year support for students who enter the Ph.D. program in political science at UC Irvine and participate in the Center's Democracy Fellows program.