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Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program Announces First Award Winners

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New York, N.Y., June 21, 2001--The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) today announced the selection of its first 96 Fellows, who will receive support to pursue graduate studies at universities anywhere in the world. Reflecting the program’s global goals, the new Fellows, from seven countries, come from diverse backgrounds, particularly from groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education. In addition to their academic strengths, they share a strong commitment to contribute to the development of their communities and countries. Over half of the Fellows are women, a large number belong to ethnic minorities, two-thirds are from outside major cities, and many are the first in their families to pursue advanced studies. Photos and brief biographical sketches of several of the new Fellows may be viewed on the IFP homepage, via www.fordfound.org.

"These 96 Fellows are a wonderfully talented and remarkably diverse group of individuals. All have demonstrated a strong desire to better their countries as well as to improve themselves," said International Fellowships Fund Chairman and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Donald McHenry. "They are very likely to become leaders in their societies."

Selection for IFP awards is based on academic achievement and promise, leadership potential, and candidates' commitment to serve their community or country. Studies may be pursued in areas consistent with the Ford Foundation's goals to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. IFP Fellows may study for up to three years in a suitable graduate program anywhere in the world, including their country of residence. Some individuals will receive language or other additional instruction before beginning their studies. During and after their studies, IFP will promote connections among the Fellows to develop their leadership skills and to enable them to stay current in their respective fields.

As it expands, IFP will continue to partner with regional and local organizations, as well as with the Ford Foundation's overseas offices, which have played a key role in program development. The program also works closely with the Institute of International Education through several of its country offices, as well as its New York headquarters, which provides university placement and related services for IFP Fellows.

"We are immensely pleased that our collaboration with our partners around the world has produced a first group of Fellows who are so dedicated to their communities as well as to pursuing post-baccalaureate degrees," remarked IFP Executive Director Joan Dassin. "The selection committees have chosen an extraordinary group of Fellows who represent the aspirations of the program worldwide."

"The IFP's aim is to broaden the pool of future leaders by providing opportunities for advanced study to talented people who otherwise would lack this option," said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. "Our hope is that IFP Fellows will use the knowledge and skills provided by a graduate education to strengthen their societies and to bring fresh vision to the global challenges faced by countries around the world."

The Fellows — from Vietnam, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Chile, Peru, and Russia — were chosen from among 4,500 applicants in those countries. The selection of Fellows in this first round of awards was coordinated by the IFP's local partners: the Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam in Hanoi; the Association of African Universities in Accra, Ghana; the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Santiago, Chile; and the Moscow office of the Institute of International Education.

The IFP was launched in November 2000 with $280 million in funding from the Ford Foundation, the largest single grant in the Foundation’s history. Over ten years, approximately 350 new Fellows will be selected annually from countries outside the United States in which the Ford Foundation maintains active programs. The IFP is currently expanding to include candidates from China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Guatemala and Mexico. Later this year, fellowship competitions will also begin in the Philippines, Mozambique, South Africa, Egypt, Palestine and Brazil. The IFP is a program of the International Fellowships Fund, an independently incorporated supporting organization of the Institute of International Education.

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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.