|
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Please see the important message from UNCFSP's Interim President and CEO regarding the Institute for International Public Policy Fellowship Program.
February 1, 2012
Dear Colleague:
I regret to inform you that recent congressional action, taken via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, eliminated funding for the UNCF Special Programs Corporation's Institute for International Public Policy. These funds have been part of the federal budget since the mid 1990s. The elimination of the program funding was part of larger reductions to the K-12 and higher education programs in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) budget. This unfortunate circumstance means that no new Fellows will be selected for the program in 2012.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 was signed into law on December 23, 2011. More information about the Act can be found at one of the following sites.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/news.html
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app12.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/23/statement-president-hr-2055.
Members of the UNCFSP and U.S. Department of Education staff are working diligently to determine next steps for the fellowship program. Additional information will be shared with the community as it becomes available in the coming weeks. If you have questions in the meantime, feel free to email Nicholas Bassey, program director, at nicholas.bassey@uncfsp.org.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Hester, Interim President & CEO
The Institute enhances US national security and global competitiveness by promoting excellence, international service, and awareness among a broader, more representative cross-section of the American citizenry. We prepare a cadre of well-trained, language proficient minority young people to compete in the global marketplace. The Institute helps ensure that those entrusted with the affairs of the United States reflect the diversity that defines us as Americans and confronts us as citizens of our global village.
With nearly two decades of demonstrated excellence as the leading provider of international affairs and public policy education for minority college students, the program has educated and trained hundreds of Fellows. Our focus is on providing quality education and practice opportunities to minority students beginning in their sophomore year of college. We offer these opportunities through our sequenced six-component program, which includes:
-
Sophomore Summer Policy Institute
-
Junior Year Study Abroad
-
Junior Summer Policy Institute
-
Summer Language Institute
-
Internships
-
Internationally Focused Advanced Degree
Our unique combination of short seven-week summer global policy institutes: a unique study abroad experience focusing on global public policy, service and research; and a pro-active and culturally sensitive approach to minority education that fosters international service and non-profit sector leadership provides the program with the means to meet the needs of its diverse students and help them succeed.
The Institute also provides outreach, recruitment and technical assistance services, as well as offering HBCUs and other minority institutions valuable resources to strengthen their international studies and globalization infrastructures.
February 15, 2012
Eligibility requirements from undergraduate sophomores include the following:
-
Are enrolled full-time at an accredited four–year baccalaureate-granting institution
-
Are U.S. Citizens or legal residents (documentary support required)
-
Have a minimum 3.2 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale)
-
Possess excellent critical analysis and leadership skills
-
Have a strong demonstrated interest in international affairs, public policy and language training
-
Are an underrepresented minority (African American, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander)
-
Plan to seek admission to an advanced degree program in international affairs
Though not a requirement, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete at least one of the following courses before starting the IIPP Fellowship: international affairs, foreign policy, a foreign language, political science, sociology, macro/micro-economics, statistics or a course in journalism.
(University Nomination Form) |
(Fellowship FAQ) |
(Fellowship Application Guidelines) |
|
 Nice to meet you in Six (or more) languages
 Even though she already speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Arabic and some Italian, Vi Nhan's, '08, day at the office is spent in a classroom learning Japanese for six hours a day, plus homework. As a new Foreign Service officer, Vi will be stationed in Osaka, Japan, in 2011 so she joins other Foreign Service officers learning additional languages on a Washington, D.C., campus and diligently prepares for her service abroad.
When Vi entered the University of Washington, she knew study abroad would be part of her undergraduate experience. Her first study abroad experience came the summer after her freshman year and was the first time Vi traveled without her family. Studying in Morocco was also 'one of those experiences where I came to realize that I'm an American but I'm also a Chinese American. Vi was the first non-Caucasian American most Moroccans she met had encountered, which dislodged some pre-conceived notions of what it means to be American. By explaining exactly what 'I am, I learned a lot about Moroccan culture but a lot about my culture as well.
These experiences laid the foundation for Vi's belief that cultural commonalities are easier to uncover than points of division.
As a sophomore, Vi was selected to be an Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP) fellow. As one of 20 IIPP fellows nationwide, Vi would spend the next few years preparing for international service through intensive summer institutes, study abroad to South Africa, and graduate school preparation in addition to completing dual majors in political science and international studies. The opportunities afforded to IIPP fellows over a five-year period could reach $100,000 in value.
In addition to the IIPP fellowship, Vi spent a summer in Hong Kong learning Mandarin on a Critical Language Scholarship. Vi spent the first 12 years of her life in Vietnam speaking Cantonese at home. Being in Hong Kong, where Cantonese is spoken, "was the first time in my life where I lived in an area where my mother tongue was spoken. It was amazing to hear all these people speaking my language."
After her summer in Hong Kong, Vi returned to the UW to complete her Honors thesis on media freedom in China. As she graduated, she was one of 20 students nationwide selected for the Rangel fellowship, which supported her graduate study at Johns Hopkins where Vi earned her master's degree in international relations and international economics. Part of the Rangel fellowship entails a three-year commitment to the Foreign Service, a career to which she already aspired.
Millions of Americans live abroad and hundreds of thousands travel internationally each year. According to the State Department, on any given workday in 2009, nearly 52,000 Americans were issued a passport and more than 22,000 people received a non-immigrant visa to visit the United States. Consular officers around the world serve these and other needs as well as represent the United States. After completing her Japanese training, Vi will move to Osaka, Japan, to serve as a consular officer. So, if you lose your passport between 2011-13 near Osaka, Japan, you may be helped by a fellow Husky.
'I want to keep representing the United States and keep explaining to people what America is,' says Vi of her future goals. 'It's really bringing it back full circle to my experience in Morocco. I'm looking forward to building relations with local citizens. In some cases, we are the first Americans they'll see, so that's a pretty big impact on their lives. When she completes her tour in Japan, Vi will move to another country on another tour. Every few tours will be in Washington, D.C. While she will be living in places far from the Northwest, Vi notes the connections she made with UW faculty and staff as well as her family in Seattle, and says "no matter where I am in the world, I'm rooted in Seattle.
This article was published in the University of Washington's Alumni Association October 2010 eNews.
http://www.washington.edu/alumni/partnerships/undergrad/201010/international.html
Sophomore Summer Policy Institute (SSPI)
Students accepted into The IIPP Fellowship Program begin their journey with the to seven week Sophomore Summer Policy Institute (SSPI). SSPI is hosted by Howard University, one of the premier liberal arts institutions in the country and a pioneer among HBCUs – especially in the arena of international education. The SSPI introduces Fellows to the basics of international policy development, foreign affairs, cultural competence, careers in these fields, and options for graduate study. To assist Fellows in putting what they learn at the SSPI into context, they participate in site visits and briefings at the Department of Education, the Department of State, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as with such organizations as the Brookings Institution, the United Nations and the World Bank. The SSPI program runs from early June through the middle of July.
Junior Year Study Abroad (JYSA)
 After Fellows successfully complete the Sophomore Summer Policy Institute, they participate in the Junior Year Study Abroad component. Through study abroad at accredited institutions, Fellows study for at least one semester at approved overseas institutions. The Institute provides funding for as much as one-half the total cost of one semester abroad, with the unmet half being covered by a combination of government and institutional aid as well as some reasonable family contribution. Fellowship advising directs Fellows to study abroad programs that include the following components: (1) language study, (2) study of local culture, (3) international public policy, (4) service learning/volunteer activities, and (5) a research project focusing on a public policy issue.
Junior Summer Policy Institute (JSPI)
In early June, following their junior year abroad, IIPP Fellows attend the Junior Summer Policy Institute (JSPI) at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. The JSPI includes seven weeks of intensive, graduate-level work in international relations and foreign policy on such topics as security, development, economics and trade, and statistics. Coursework is designed to prepare Fellows for successful admission to and completion of graduate school.
At the JSPI, Fellows are introduced to international policy analysis and its core techniques through work on such contemporary issues as the digital divide, foreign aid, and national security. During the JSPI, Fellows participate in discussions with a variety of faculty and speakers, including career placement officers and specialists familiar with foreign policy issues. JSPI also builds on the concepts of "cultural competence" introduced at SSPI. Recruitment and career days provide Fellows with time to meet with representatives and admissions officers from international affairs graduate schools participating in the graduate school component of IIPP. The JSPI program runs from early June through the end of July.
Summer Language Institute (SLI)
 Fellows without previously demonstrated foreign language competency are required to participate in the Summer Language Institute (SLI), an intensive language-training program, during the summer following their senior year of college. Unlike the SSPI and the JSPI, the SLI is not administered directly by the IIPP. Rather, Fellows attend one of the many intensive language programs offered at the Middlebury College Language Schools in Middlebury, Vermont. Language immersion programs offered at Middlebury include Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. The summer sessions generally run from six to nine weeks (June-August) depending on the level and language of study. Click here to visit the Middlebury College Language Schools website.
Internship
 The IIPP internship component is generally a post-baccalaureate experience; however, an internship can also occur during the junior and/or senior years of college. Typically three months in length, these internships provide valuable job experience that strengthens a Fellow's graduate school applications and bolsters his or her professional credentials. Internship opportunities have been greatly enhanced through partnership agreements with a variety of internationally-focused organizations. These organizations include such organizations/agencies as: the Congressional Research Service; Defense Intelligence Agency; U.S. State Department; CARE; TransAfrica Forum; One World Now!; West African Research Center; Visions in Action; Ernst and Young; for India; the International Rescue Committee; and many others.
Internationally Focused Advanced Degree Program
 The IIPP Fellowship completes the education experience by providing matching funds to support each Fellow's pursuit of an internationally focused advanced degree. This portion of the IIPP fellowship is jointly funded by IIPP and participating graduate schools. The IIPP provides up to $15,000 in matching funds to Fellows attending an Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) graduate school. As partners in the IIPP effort, APSIA institutions provide matching fellowship support as it is available. Click here to visit the APSIA website. Eligibility for graduate school funding by the IIPP program is dependent upon a fellow completing all five components of the fellowship program leading up to the graduate school component.
|
