Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program Expands With New Winners

2/19/2002

From: Maureen Caruso of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP), 212-984-5558; e-mail: M.Caruso@fordfound.org

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 -- The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) today announced the selection of 173 new Fellows from more than 9,500 applicants in 14 countries throughout the developing world. The winners in this second round of competitions, like the first 96 Fellows named in June 2001, will receive support for up to three years of graduate study at any university in the world.

The new IFP Fellows were selected by local committees formed by IFP partner organizations that administer the program in their countries or regions. These organizations work closely with Ford Foundation offices in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Future competitions will be held on a coordinated annual basis. In the next round, scheduled for fall 2002, Fellows will be selected from a total of 21 countries and territories.

"The IFP has tapped into a reservoir of talented people who have the qualities to become future leaders but would normally have very limited chances for advanced study," said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. "One of the program's distinctive strengths is its partnerships with experienced regional, national and international organizations, which understand local realities and have used innovative recruitment and selection procedures to reach target groups. These organizations work closely with our own overseas offices, which see IFP as central to our program work."

More than 30 staff members from IFP's partner organizations are attending a workshop in New York City this week (Feb. 19-23) to share what they have learned about recruitment and selection of Fellows, university placement, and other issues, during the program's first year of operation.

"Working globally demands that you consult locally," noted Donald McHenry, chairman of the International Fellowships Fund, IFP's parent organization, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. "IFP is finding these remarkable Fellows by collaborating closely with its many partners worldwide."

All the new Fellows meet IFP criteria: outstanding academic achievement, commitment to the development of their communities and countries, and strong leadership skills and potential. They also reflect the broad diversity of individuals who are IFP's principal target -- people from groups and communities lacking systematic access to higher education. Of the 173 second-round Fellows, 107 are women and 138 live outside major cities. Many are the first in their families or communities to have an opportunity for graduate studies and 13 have overcome serious physical disabilities to continue their education. Photos and brief biographical sketches of several Fellows may be viewed on the IFP Web page, under "Major Initiatives" on the Ford Foundation Web site: http://www.fordfound.org.

IFP was launched in November 2000 with $280 million from the Ford Foundation, the largest single grant in the Foundation's history. Some 3,500 fellows will be selected over the program's ten years. The IFP secretariat in New York City coordinates work with the program's 15 partners worldwide.

IFP partners that conducted Fellowship competitions in their respective countries or regions in this second round of awards are: the Institute for International Education/China, Beijing; the United States Educational Foundation in India, New Delhi; the Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam, Hanoi; the Association of African Universities, Accra, Ghana; the Inter-University Council for East Africa, Kampala, Uganda; the Center for Research on the Mesoamerica Region, Antigua, Guatemala; the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Science, Mexico City; the Institute of International Education/Latin America, Mexico City; the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Santiago, Chile; and the Institute of International Education/Russia, Moscow. For the next round of selections, IFP will also work with partners in Indonesia (Indonesian International Education Foundation), Philippines (Philippines Social Science Council), Mozambique and South Africa (Africa America Institute), Egypt and Palestine (AMIDEAST), and Brazil (Carlos Chagas Foundation).

IFP Fellows may pursue studies in areas consistent with the Ford Foundation's goals to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Some individuals receive short-term language instruction or other training before starting their graduate studies. During and after their studies, Fellows will join IFP-sponsored leadership training and other activities to build practical skills and promote connections among them.

"IFP is a truly global association of partners sharing a common vision and a common goal," observed IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin. "And we see that similar networks are already growing among our Fellows."

IFP is a program of the International Fellowships Fund, an independently incorporated supporting organization of the Institute of International Education (IIE). The program works closely with several of IIE's country offices, as well as its New York headquarters, which provides university placement and related services for many IFP Fellows, and with Ford Foundation offices around the world.

More information about the International Fellowships Program may be found under "Major Initiatives" at http://www.fordfound.org.