Today, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the creation of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, a new component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship will allow U.S. citizens to contribute to the strengthening of the public sector abroad by serving in professional placements within foreign government ministries or institutions while simultaneously carrying out an academic research/study project. The fellowship will help advance public policy research agendas, fosters mutual understanding and builds lasting ties between the U.S. and partner countries.
The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship provides a distinctive opportunity for U.S. citizens to work side-by-side with the citizens of other countries to tackle the toughest public policy problems of the day. This new exchange is the vanguard of international public diplomacy, as it leverages the excellence of the Fulbright program to achieve global development objectives.
Fulbright Public Policy Fellows will serve in partner country governments, which include: Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand, and Tunisia. The State Department, partner country governments, and the Institute of International Education will coordinate professional placements for candidates in public policy areas including, but not limited to, health, education, agriculture, justice, energy, environment, public finance, economic development, housing, and communications. Candidates must be in receipt of a master’s or J.D. degree by the beginning of the Fellowship (Summer 2012) or be currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program. Applicants must also have at least two years of work experience in public policy-related fields. Final selection will be made by the Presidentially-appointed Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Applications will be accepted from November 4, 2011 through February 1, 2012. More information, including complete eligibility requirements, is available at http://www.us.fulbrightonline.org. Please visit http://us.fulbrightonline.org/applynow.html to apply. Fulbright Public Policy Fellows will begin their assignments in summer/fall 2012.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 310,000 participants from over 155 countries with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Media Contacts: James A. Lawrence, LawrenceJA@state.gov, (202) 632-3241, or John Fleming, FlemingJT2@state.gov, 202-632-6454.
