Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program Names 2003 Winners
Strong Demand For Fellowships Continues From Aspiring Leaders In Underserved Groups And Communities
NEW YORK CITY, NOVEMBER 6, 2003 - The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) today announced the selection of 460 new Ford Foundation International Fellows from among nearly 20,000 applicants in 22 countries and territories throughout the developing world, including for the first time in Thailand. The winners in this fourth round of competitions8212;each selected on the basis of IFP's three basic criteria of academic achievement, strong leadership skills and potential, and commitment to the development of their communities and countries8212;receive support for up to three years of post-baccalaureate study in an appropriate university program anywhere in the world. IFP especially seeks candidates from groups and communities that have had little access to higher education.
"The immense number of applications that IFP continues to receive is evidence that the program is reaching a deep pool of untapped and extraordinarily talented individuals who would otherwise be unable to pursue graduate-level education," said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. "These candidates have an important perspective on conditions that need to be changed and a passion for pursuing social justice that advanced education can refine and amplify. Many will be among the next generation of leaders around the world."
IFP continues to sponsor leadership and networking activities that complement formal graduate-level studies and aim to build an enduring cohort of IFP Fellows who can gain from each other's learning and experience. In July and August 2003, IFP conducted week-long leadership institutes in the United States and the Netherlands. The next leadership institute, for some 65 Fellows from Latin America and elsewhere in the world, will be held in Oaxaca, Mexico in January 2004, followed by one in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in July 2004.
"IFP is demonstrating that leadership qualities can be identified and cultivated," said Donald McHenry, chairman of the International Fellowships Fund, IFP's parent organization, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. "Our expanded definition of who is an excellent candidate for graduate studies reflects the realities and the needs of countries and societies in transition that will benefit from highly trained new leaders."
As its first Fellows complete their studies, IFP has launched short and long-term evaluations to help improve the IFP Fellowship experience and assess the results of the program. It is pursuing strategic partnerships with several universities around the world8212;in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, and in the developing world8212;that will enhance mentoring and networking opportunities for clusters of IFP Fellows.
"IFP is seeking both to improve its ability to select Fellows who best meet our program criteria, and to provide them with the strongest possible support in finding and excelling in the best appropriate university program," said IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin. "We are collaborating closely with our International Partners and educational organizations and institutions worldwide to reach these goals."
The 460 new IFP Fellows were chosen from among 19,625 applications received in Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palestine, Peru, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam. A total of 1,130 IFP Fellows have been named since the program's first fellows were named in June 2001. Approximately 3,000 IFP Fellowships will be awarded through the end of the decade.
IFP Fellows reflect the broad diversity of individuals who are IFP's principal target: people from groups and communities lacking systematic access to higher education. Many are the first in their families or communities to gain an opportunity for post-graduate studies. Of the 460 fourth-round Fellows, 240 are women and 21 have overcome serious physical disabilities to continue their education. Currently, 552 IFP Fellows are studying at 287 different universities in 34 countries. Approximately 32% of IFP Fellows are studying in the US and Canada, 34% in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, and about 34% in their home countries and regions. Photos and brief biographical sketches of several Fellows may be viewed on the IFP Website, www.FordIFP.Net.
IFP Fellows are selected by local committees formed by IFP International Partner organizations that administer the program in their countries or regions. These organizations work closely with Ford Foundation offices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia. Competitions are held on an annual basis, with specific regional or country application criteria set by IFP's International Partners. General IFP information and updates may be found at IFP's website, www.FordIFP.Net, along with links to partner websites.
ABOUT IFP
IFP was launched in November 2000 with a $280 million grant from the Ford Foundation, the largest in the Foundation's history. About 3,000 fellows will be selected over the next decade.
The IFP secretariat in New York City coordinates work on IFP Fellows' selection, placement, mentoring, and monitoring with the program's 16 International Partners worldwide: the Africa America Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa and Maputo, Mozambique; AMIDEAST, Cairo, Egypt, and Ramallah, Palestine; the Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand; the Association of African Universities, Accra, Ghana; the Carlos Chagas Foundation, São Paulo, Brazil; the Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam, Hanoi; the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Science, Mexico City; the Center for Research on the Mesoamerica Region, Antigua, Guatemala; Indonesian International Education Foundation, Jakarta; the Inter-University Council for East Africa, Kampala, Uganda; the Institute for International Education/China, Beijing; the Institute of International Education/Latin America, Mexico City; the Institute of International Education/Russia, Moscow; the International Fellowships Program Fund, Santiago, Chile; the Philippines Social Science Council, Manila, and; the United States Educational Foundation in India, New Delhi.
IFP Fellows may pursue studies in academic disciplines and fields that are consistent with the Ford Foundation's grantmaking goals to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Some Fellows receive short-term language instruction or other training before starting their graduate studies.
IFP is a program of the International Fellowships Fund, an independently incorporated supporting organization of the Institute of International Education (IIE). IFP 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. IFP is also cooperating with other international higher education organizations, including the British Council, the Dutch higher education organization, NUFFIC, and the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
For further information, please contact:
International Fellowships Fund
809 UN Plaza, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017 USA
tel: (1-212) 984-5558
fax: (1-212) 984-5594
email: query@FordIFP.Net
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.