The Corporation for National and Community Service and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have recently created the Civil Society Nonprofit Scholars program. It is designed to increase understanding of the complex relationship between civil society, the nonprofit sector, volunteerism, and public policy in the United States. Through an annual international competition, the Corporation and the Center will name up to three Civil Society Nonprofit Scholars who wish to spend nine months conducting applied research that will illuminate contemporary public policy issues. Scholars will receive a stipend based on their current salary, be located at the Corporation in Washington and develop relationships with other Washington area organizations. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that fit into three primary themes: (1) the relationship between democratic institutions and nonprofit organizations; (2) the role of service and citizenship in modern society and civil society; and (3) civic engagement and public policy. Proposals must explore these themes within an American context. Applications are due by late January, early February and decisions are announced in April.

Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception, more than 250,000 participants --chosen for their leadership potential-- have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions. Of these participants, 42,200 have been overseas academics and professionals who have conducted research or taught in U.S. universities as Fulbright Visiting Scholars, and more than 40,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who have engaged in similar activities abroad.

The Fulbright Scholar Program for Faculty and Professionals is offering research, lecturing and lecturing-research awards to the Baltic states, NIS, and countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Awards range from 2 to 10 months and opportunities are available in a broad range of disciplines. There are new research opportunities in Russia and Ukraine, as well as a new program with Serbia and Montenegro (listed in our materials as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.) While many awards specify project and host institution, there are a number of open "Any Field" awards that allow candidates to propose their own projects and determine their host institution affiliation. Foreign language skills may be required for certain research projects, but lecturing awards are in English. For general information about application requirements and staff contacts, visit the CIES Web site at www.cies.org. Application materials can be downloaded from the Web site or requested via e-mail to [email protected]. 

The Fulbright New Century Scholars (NCS) Program is a new initiative for multidisciplinary research collaboration.For the academic year 2002-2003, the research focus was “Addressing Sectarian, Ethnic and Cultural Conflict within and across National Borders.” NCS provides a unique research opportunity for 25-30 scholars from the US and abroad to pursue individual research objectives as well as to engage in ongoing collaboration and interaction focusing on the NCS research theme. NCS Fellows will not only undertake a 3-6 month international research visit during the program year but will also come together for a pre-program orientation and goal setting session, a mid-term meeting, and a final plenary seminar. Benefits include individual awards in the amount of $41,500 plus travel and perdiem to cover participation in program seminars and meetings. Program details and application materials are available on the web at http://www.iie.org/cies/NCS/. Specific questions may also be addressed to Dr. Micaela S. Iovine, Senior Program Officer, CIES, at: [email protected].

Human Rights Watch awards five International Human Rights Fellowships each year  to recent graduates of law schools or graduate programs (master's and above) in journalism, international relations, area studies, or other relevant disciplines. Fellows work full time for one year with one or more divisions of Human Rights Watch, based in New York City or Washington, DC. Fellows monitor human rights developments in various countries, conduct on-site investigations, draft reports on human rights conditions, and engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations. Application deadline: November 1.

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, Center for Civil Society Studies, has an International Fellows in Philanthropy Program to promote "advanced study, research, and training for a semester (four months) or a full academic year (nine months), for up to eight persons each year. Program participants are involved in studying or managing private, nonprofit, or philanthropic organizations outside the United States, or serve as government or corporate liaisons to the nonprofit sector. Positions in the program are available at Senior and Junior levels of appointment... The Program also sponsors a Fellows' conference each year in a host country overseas to encourage continuing interchange among Fellows and to assist in broadening understanding of this sector at the international level."

The Montreal International School of Management (MISM) in Montreal (Canada) invites applications from all over the world and offers scholarships to applicants from the countries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Duration of the IE-MBA and MBA programs: 18 months. Starting date of the next session: September 2003. Location: Montreal, Canada. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit the website <www.mism.org>.

The New York University (NYU) School of Law has created the first-ever LL.M. degree in Public Service Law as part of the Global Public Service Law Project. This is a one year masters program for lawyers who will have at least two years of post-graduate legal public service work experience upon arrival. At least ten scholars will be non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Scholars can apply for a full or partial scholarship. Full scholarships include a tuition waiver, travel, and stipend. United States citizens and permanent residents are not eligible for a full Global Public Service Scholarship. The Global Public Service Law Project defines public service law to be legal work for social and political justice, including such areas as the provision of legal services; human rights; labor advocacy and organizing; civil society and institution building; the protection of the environment, the rights of women, indigenous peoples, and minorities; government work; and criminal law.

The Project aims not only to provide a first-rate theoretical education to the 10-15 Global Public Service Scholars who visit NYU each year, but also to assist them practically in their difficult and often groundbreaking work making change in the legal structure and wider culture of their societies. This practical approach is woven into the Project by structuring the curricular and extra-curricular work to allow the student-lawyers to learn from each other and to trade practical strategies across borders, and by sponsoring the Global Public Service Fellowship Program, which supports graduates to work for up to one year at a law-related public interest organization of their choosing upon graduation. Through the Global Public Service Law Project, NYU hopes that it can, in a small but powerful way, help local activist lawyers in their work, while also feeding the emerging phenomenon of cross-border public interest legal work.

The deadline for applying for the 2004-2005 academic year is December 1, 2003. The Global Public Service Law Project's website is http://www.law.nyu.edu/programs/globalpublicservice/. The e-mail for the project is [email protected].

The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights at Colby College in Maine hosts an Oak Human Rights Fellow each year to teach and conduct research while at residence in the College. The purpose of the fellowship is to offer an opportunity for prominent practitioners in international human rights to take a sabbatical leave from their work and spend a period of up to a semester as a scholar-in-residence at the College. While all human rights practitioners are eligible, applications from those who are currently or were recently involved in "on-the-ground" work at some level of personal risk are most encouraged. The Oak Fellow's responsibilities include regular meetings with students either through formal classes or informal discussion groups and assistance in shaping a lecture series or symposium associated with the particular aspect of human rights of interest to the fellow. The Fellow will receive a stipend and College fringe benefits, plus round-trip transportation from the fellow's home site, housing for a family, use of a car, and meals on campus. The Fellow will also receive research support, including office space, secretarial support, computer and library facilities, and a student assistant. The Fellowship is awarded for the fall semester (Sept.-Dec.) each year. Following the period of the award, the fellow is expected to return to her or his human rights work.

The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies offers a number of fellowships and scholarships. The Imam Bukhari and Imam Tirmizi Visiting Scholarships are offered each year to scholars from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Preference will be given to those studying classical Islamic sciences, although other areas in the humanities and social sciences will be considered. The holder is expected to spend a minimum of three months at Oxford. The OCIS Chevening Scholarships provide opportunities for young scholars to spend up to a year at Oxford. Currently these scholarships are offered to citizens of South Africa and Uzbekistan. For further information write to [email protected].

The Master's in Public Policy (M.P.P.) is a one-year program at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs designed to meet the needs of rising leaders in the public service professions, including domestic and international government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Substantial financial support if often available. In addition, mid-career professionals from all World Bank borrowing member countries, including former socialist countries, are eligible to apply to the M.P.P. program as McNamara Fellows, so long as they meet the M.P.P. program’s normal eligibility requirements. They need not apply separately through the World Bank. Through this partnership between Princeton University and the World Bank, McNamara Fellows receive a full tuition fellowship, a travel allowance, and a stipend for living expenses.

Further Reference

• CSI's Educational Advising page has more information on scholarships and grants for foreign students wishing to study in the U.S.

• Study in the USA: A Resource for International Students offers information about universities and colleges in the USA, intensive English programs, and a link to EssayEdge, named "the world's premier application essay editing service" by The New York Times. EssayEdge's editors help applicants write "successful application essays" in the "ultra-competitive college and graduate school application process."

• U.S. Journal of Academics for non-U.S. Students is a Web site offering a guide to universities, colleges, English Language Programs, and internships! It also has information about international student scholarships, USA visa regulations, TOEFL, and ESL.