Wallenberg Studio Travel
In 1944, as First Secretary of the Swedish delegation in Budapest, Raoul Wallenberg is credited with saving more than 100,000 Jews from death at the hands of the Nazis. The following year, he was captured by the Russians. Seven decades later, his fate remains unknown.
Each year the architecture program exhibits and juries the best work from the final undergraduate design studio. Awards, funded by the Raoul Wallenberg Scholarship Fund established in 1985 by the Benard L. Maas Foundation in memory of Wallenberg, are offered in the form of a stipend for international travel to a country of the student’s choosing.
Born in 1896, Benard Maas achieved success as an innovator and industrialist for the automotive industry. He dedicated himself and his fortune to enhancing the lives of young people, and became one of the state of Michigan’s most generous philanthropists. The Benard L. Maas Foundation continues his lifelong support of higher education through grantmaking, including the gift to establish the Raoul Wallenberg Scholarship Fund.
In establishing these travel awards, it was hoped that students would engage in the culture of the country they visited, exploring architecture and culture, and getting acquainted with the people. Students are inspired and humbled to learn that Wallenberg was once an architecture student like themselves who had the courage to do the right thing during terrifying and dangerous events in history. It was expected that students would return with a broadened understanding of the world and an appreciation and feeling for the people they encountered.
Students must submit a report about their travel and experience upon their return.
2023 Winners
Previous Recepients
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