For more than 30 years, Belle Zeller, an emeritus political science professor at Brooklyn College and expert on the legislative process, represented professors at the City University of New York.
Dr. Zeller served as the Parliamentary Conference of the City Colleges’ chairwoman from 1944 until 1972. This lobbying organization ultimately evolved into the first union to serve the permanent professors in the City University system.
The conference and the United Federation of College Professors, a rival organization that represents professors who work part-time, united in 1972.
Dr. Zeller presided over the combined organization’s Professional Staff Congress for the next four years.
Dr. Zeller fought for laws to establish tenure and pensions, which are now seen as some of the fundamental rights of pubic college teachers in New York State, as a labor champion for the professors.
She advocated for faculty members’ rights in the parliamentary branch by using her academic skills and becoming a well-known face in City Hall and the Capitol Building.
Dr. Zeller studied history and the social sciences at Hunter College, where she also received her undergraduate and graduate degrees (1924 and 1926, respectively).
When she started working at the Brooklyn branch of Hunter College in 1927, she was one of the very few female lecturers at the institution.
She stayed on when it became Brooklyn College in 1930 and became one of the school’s original professors.
She graduated with a doctorate in political science from Columbia University in 1937.
One of the earliest comprehensive studies of lobbying in New York State politics was her Ph.D. dissertation, “Pressure Politics in New York” (Prentice Hall, 1937), which was later reissued in 1967.
She later gained recognition as a leading expert on lobbying in the country and advised Senator John F. Kennedy and other lawmakers as they worked to update the Federal Lobbying Registration Act.
Dr. Zeller received many academic honors throughout the course of her long career, including the President’s Medal from Brooklyn College in 1980 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Grad School of City University in 1985.
ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP
The City University of New York’s instructional staff union, Professional Staff Congress/CUNY, founded the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund in 1979.
The fellowship is given in recognition of Belle Zeller, the founding leader of the PSC and a political science professor emerita at Brooklyn College for more than 40 years.
The goal of this scholarship is to recognize Belle Zeller’s special traits, which included her devotion to social justice and academic excellence. The Fund is a stand-alone nonprofit company.
AWARD AND ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Candidates must be registered for the semester, enrolled full-time, and carrying a minimum of 12 credits each for the Fall and Spring.
Four-year college seniors who are graduating are not eligible to apply. A cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher and the completion of at least 16 credits at any CUNY institution are requirements for applicants.
DEADLINE: yearly, early December
ACADEMIC LEVEL: Undergraduate level of education
Interested persons can now APPLY HERE https://bellezeller.org/