women, and persons with disabilities. The Dunn Fellowship Program is now administered by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services. Dunn Fellows, however, receive placements as fellows in the Office of the Governor and they are assigned Governor's Office supervisors and represent the Governor's Office as full-time staff during their fellowship. On July 15, 2009 the Dunn Fellowship was cut from the Fiscal Year 2010 budget by Governor Pat Quinn. After an outpouring of support, the program was restored in August 2009. Eligibility and selection process Selection of each incoming class of Dunn Fellows is highly competitive. Applicants typically demonstrate strong performance in areas of academic achievement, community leadership and involvement, extracurricular activities, and career development. While there is no minimum GPA to apply, successful candidates normally appear in the upper percentiles of their graduating classes. Minimum criteria for applying to the Dunn Fellowship Program are as follows: Have completed at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited university by the time of the start of the program (August 1 of each year). Be a recent college graduate (or have recently completed graduate school). While there is no time limit defining "recent," the program is designed for graduates who have recently finished their college education. Be legally allowed to work in the State of Illinois. Complete the application packet. There are no preferences to academic majors or programs of study when considering candidates for fellowships. However, certain programs tend to offer training and experience in areas valuable to fellows. Successful candidates usually have participated in programs that encourage academic rigor, analytical skills, public policy research, and critical thinking. After the application deadline has passed, senior members of the Governor's Office and Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Personnel Division will review applications and select approximately 50 candidates for in-person interviews. Fellowships will be awarded shortly after interviews are completed. Approximately 19 fellowships are awarded each year. Program composition and activities Fellows are classified as full-time employees with the Illinois State Government. Fellows work in a variety of policy areas and administrative teams, directly assisting with the day-to-day operations of the State. Throughout the program history, fellows have either been assigned a work post for an entire year, allowing the fellow to specialize in one specific area of government administration, or fellows have cycled through a variety of posts throughout their fellowship (i.e. changing posts after each 3-month period to receive