Educational Exchange
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) administers the following educational exchange programs:
Humphrey Fellowship Program
Named after the late U.S. Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey, the fellowships allow accomplished professionals from developing countries to go to the U.S. for study and related practical professional experiences. Fellows are nominated by the U.S. Embassy in Kingston based on their potential for national leadership and also to enhance their professional competence. This highly competitive program provides a year of professional enrichment in the U.S. for mid-career professionals with potential for leadership and fosters an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding through which the U.S. joins in a significant partnership with developing countries. Lasting productive ties between Americans and their professional counterparts in other countries are enhanced by providing these future leaders and policymakers with a shared experience of U.S. society and culture. They are also exposed to current U.S. approaches to the fields in which they work. Fellows pursue tailored study programs at participating U.S. institutions. There is no provision for Fellows to request a particular university for placement.
Applicants should not assume that they can become degree candidates after they arrive in the U.S. Fellowships are granted competitively to professional candidates with a commitment to public service in both the public and private sectors, specifically in the fields of communications/journalism; HIV/AIDS policy and prevention; trafficking in persons, prevention and policy; natural resources and environmental management/climate change; public policy analysis and public administration; economic development/finance and banking, agricultural development/and rural development; human resource management; law and human rights; urban and regional planning; public health policy and management; technology policy and management; and educational administration, planning and policy. An additional substance abuse component of the field of public health policy and management emphasizes drug education, treatment, and prevention (a candidate in this field must either have a research background in the field or demonstrate an ability to learn to understand the results and policy implications of current research).
Prospective Fellows should be policy rather than research oriented, with a minimum professional experience of five years, and should be between the ages of 35 and 45. Preference is given to applicants who have not lived, studied, or worked overseas within the last five years. PAS announces this program in mid-April with a mid-July deadline for the submission of applications in hard copy to KingstonExchanges@state.gov. The program begins in August of the same year.
Fulbright Graduate Student Program
Candidates in the humanities, natural sciences, mathematics/engineering or social sciences are eligible to apply for a Fulbright scholarship to pursue either master’s or doctoral degrees in any of the following disciplines: Humanities (History, Languages and linguistics; Literature), Performing arts, Philosophy, Religion (Divinity, i.e., M. Div. or D. Min. excluded), Visual arts, Social sciences (Anthropology; Archaeology; Area studies; Cultural and ethnic studies), Economics (MBA excluded), Gender and sexuality studies, Geography, Political science, Psychology, Sociology, Natural sciences (Space sciences; Earth sciences; Life sciences), Chemistry, Physics, Computer sciences, Mathematics, Agriculture, Architecture and design, Education, Engineering, Environmental studies and Forestry, Family and consumer science , Health sciences (Nursing and Medicine excluded), Human physical performance and recreation, Journalism, media studies and communication, Library and museum studies, Military sciences, Public administration and Social work (M.S.W. excluded).
Professional degrees and those leading to a professional credential are excluded. No one with a Pass degree or an overall C average or below may apply. This is a very competitive program and consideration will only be given to Jamaican-citizen graduates of local universities with first-class honors, upper second-class honors, or lower second-class honors Bachelor's degrees. Persons with "green cards" (alien registration cards), or already pursuing studies at a U.S. university, or who are living in the United States, are NOT eligible to apply for these awards. Recipients should plan to return to Jamaica on completion of their studies in the U.S. and must spend at least two years in Jamaica before becoming eligible for consideration to immigrate to the U.S.
Applicants are required to take the next sitting of the paper-based Graduate Record Examination (GRE) on February 12, 2011 (registration deadline/receipt date at the Educational Testing Service [ETS] in Princeton, New Jersey: December 31, 2010). Detailed information about the Graduate Record Examinations can be obtained at their site To schedule an appointment for the paper-based Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), one may do so on-line at their site. by calling 1-800-GMAT-NOW; or by completing the International Test Scheduling Form in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) bulletin, if paying with a U.S. credit card. Additional information about the GRE and GMAT can be obtained from the embassy’s Information Resource Center at 702-6172 or 702-6163. No application will be considered without these scores.
Only in September of each year a preliminary application form, along with information about this Fulbright program, is available electronically by contacting the U.S. Embassy at KingstonExchanges@state.gov; University of the West Indies, Mona at cheryl.brown@uwimona.edu.jm; University of Technology, Jamaica at gimoru@utech.edu.jm; or Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville at bcameron@ncu.edu.jm. Completed application forms, along with supporting documents and the applicants’ GRE or GMAT scores, must be submitted in hardcopy to Public Affairs Section, US Embassy, Kingston, no later than the end of May of the following year.
Fulbright Visiting Scholars Program
The Fulbright Program in Central America and the Caribbean is administered as a regional program. Scholars from the region compete for awards not only with other applicants from their own country but also with applicants from the other countries in the region as well. PAS announces the competition for visiting scholars to conduct research in the U.S., to undertake an approved academic training course, or to do a combination of both. University faculty and professionals are eligible to apply and must have at a minimum a master’s degree and either three years of university teaching experience or five years of professional experience. This program is not designed for study toward a graduate degree, for the completion of a doctoral dissertation, professional travel, or conference attendance.
Candidates who have not visited the United States for an appreciable period within the past five years will be given preference. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents qualified to hold a valid passport issued by the country from which they apply. Persons holding permanent U.S. visas are not eligible. Applications are accepted in all fields. PAS announces this program in early September with an early October deadline for the submission of applications online to the Fubright Office
Award Categories
Research: Research awards are available in all academic disciplines for scholars to undertake a planned program of reading and research at a U.S. academic or research institution toward production of scholarly work. Research scholars are expected to be experienced university faculty or administrators, research institute specialists, professionals or independent scholars. Grantees will be responsible for arranging their own research affiliation or suggesting two or three viable potential hosts and then working with the Council of the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C. to secure a host affiliation. Applicants should initiate contact with potential host institutions to gauge their interest and suitability to act as hosts. Applicants who completed all or some of their graduate education at a U.S. institution may not affiliate with that same institution. Whether arranging their own affiliation or working with CIES to arrange one, applicants’ proposals should clearly demonstrate that the anticipated affiliation is a suitable venue for conducting the type of research proposed.
Academic Training: Applicants wanting to use the award in full or in part to participate in a training or professional development program will be responsible for all costs and making all arrangements. Information about a proposed training program, including the proposed venue, dates, cost, deadlines, eligibility, etc., will be required with the proposal along with a justification for the proposed program. Applicants need not be already enrolled in the training program at the time of application, but only provide evidence that a training program has been identified. If selected for a grant, the candidate will need to provide evidence of registration in the training program in advance of travel to the U.S. Proposals should demonstrate how the training contributes to the grantee’s professional growth and how it will allow the grantee to contribute to his/her home institution.
Grant Length: The grant is expected to support three months of activity Research only – grant length of three months; Academic training only – training programs mustbe a minimum of two months unless paired with a research affiliation; joint academic training and research - grants for academic training programs of less than two months must be paired with a research affiliation, and joint training and research programs MUST be three months in length.
Grant Provisions: Round-trip economy international travel for grantee only; a lump sum grant of U.S. $10,000-- to cover all expenses, including settling-in costs, room and board, associated research costs, and academic training program costs (if applicable); sickness/accident insurance.
Fulbright/LASPAU (Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities) Faculty Development Program
The scholarship is for lecturers and it is for one year beginning August/September and is renewable for a second year. It does not cover expenses for the grantee’s family. Recipients of a previous Fulbright grant are not eligible to apply for three years starting from the date of completion of the original grant.
Candidate Requirements
Citizenship and current residency in Jamaica; undergraduate degree and excellent academic performance (first class or upper second class honors); commitment to university lecturing and/or research and nomination by applicant’s university.
Fields of Study
All fields of study are included, with the exception of medicine, nursing, and dentistry.
Benefits
Airline travel to and from the United States; tuition assistance, in the form of a scholarship or assistantship, provided by the host university, with the exception of the fields of business and law, where grantees are expected to contribute towards the cost of tuition; monthly stipend for grantee; monthly book allowance; and health insurance.
Fulbright NEXUS Scholar Program for the Western Hemisphere
The Nexus program is a New Western Hemisphere regional initiative of the Fulbright Scholar Program involving research exchange visits to the U.S. for a minimum of two months, not to exceed three months. The Fulbright Program has long pioneered exchange programs that promote cooperation among various sectors as outline below to increase mutual understanding and address critical global issues. Building upon this tradition, the Fulbright regional network for applied research (Nexus) program will offer a collaborative model for regional scholarly exchange that will be multi-national, multi-disciplinary, and multi-sectoral in scope; it will encourage the formation of new networks of scholars, practitioners and applied researchers. It also aims to provide a forum to share best practices, cultivate multi-sectoral partnerships, promote indigenous solutions, deepen regional ties, and foster private-public ventures.
Participants will be engaged in collaborative thinking, analysis, problem-solving and multi-disciplinary project-oriented research in sustainable energy. They will conduct individual and team based research projects, designed to generate knowledge-based, policy oriented solutions with immediate and practical implementation potential at the local, national, or regional levels. Research proposals may cover areas such as: renewable and sustainable energy (hydro, wind, air, solar); energy poverty and energy security; energy efficiency and environmental security; energy industries as drivers of economic growth; energy independence at regional, national, community and household levels ; energy innovation and indigenous sources of energy to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions; energy infrastructure and regional integration as related to emergency preparedness (earthquakes, hurricanes, offshore drilling); research, development, deployment and dissemination of cleaner, cheaper and more efficient energy technologies to drive low carbon-economic growth.
Scholars will be expected to participate in three week-long meetings of the full group, including an orientation meeting in May, a mid-term meeting in October and a final plenary seminar in April of the following year. Participants must also complete a two to three month research exchange visit to the U.S. In addition to these meetings, participants are expected to maintain intellectual collaboration in relevant thematic areas of the program for the duration of the grant period.
In their applications for the program, scholars will be required to identify local stakeholders across a range of sectors (i.e. NGOs, government, business and industry, community) to promote implementation of derived activities based on the scholar’s research project. A Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree is preferred, but is not required. Candidates with a master’s degree are required to have a minimum of five years research experience. Preference will be given to early or mid-career academics; applied researchers and/or practitioners with research experience in the public, non-profit, or private sector; and those without recent experience in the United States. Applicants who have previously received a scholar grant under the Fulbright program of more than two months are ineligible to apply for another grant within five years from the date of termination of the previous grant. Each candidate is required to submit an on-line application via the on-line management system administered by CIES at by early November. PAS announces this program in September and conducts interviews of shortlisted candidates in PAS in mid-November. Nomination does not guarantee selection. Final selections are made by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) in the U.S. The program begins in May and ends in April of the following year. The grant covers the following: travel and research funding for grantee only; a lump sum grant of US$30,000 (to cover all program meetings, travel and maintenance for the exchange visit, research materials and assistance); accommodations and meals for program seminar meetings; and limited sickness/accident insurance.
Seven Summer Study of the United States Institutes
These institutes last for six weeks beginning in June annually and each is hosted by a U.S. college or university that is determined through a grant competition by the U.S. Department of State. The State Department covers all participation costs, including insurance coverage. Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 30-50, highly-motivated and experienced faculty and specialists. Study of the United States Institutes are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty and other scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of American society, culture, and institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad.
The institutes are listed below:
- American Politics and Political Thought
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on American Politics and Political Thought. This institute provides a multinational group of foreign university faculty with a deeper understanding of U.S. political institutions and major currents in American political thought, and provides the participants insight into how intellectual and political movements have influenced modern American political institutions. It also provides an overview of political thought
during the founding period (constitutional foundations), and the development and current functioning of the American presidency, Congress and the federal judiciary. The examination of political institutions includes the electoral system, political parties and interest groups, the civil service system, media and think tanks, and the welfare/regulatory state. The institute addresses modern political and cultural issues in the U.S. (including but not limited to civil rights, women’s rights, immigration, etc.) and the significance of public discourse in the formulation of public policy. - Contemporary American Literature
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on Contemporary American Literature. This institute provides a multinational group of foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of contemporary American literature. Its purpose is two-fold: to explore contemporary American writers and writing in a variety of genres, and to suggest how the themes explored in those works reflect larger currents within contemporary American society and culture. The program explores the diversity of the American literary landscape, examining how major contemporary writers, schools and movements reflect the traditions of the American literary canon. At the same time, the program exposes participants to writers who represent a departure from that tradition and who are establishing new directions for American literature. - Journalism and Media
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on Journalism and Media. This institute provides a multinational group of journalism faculty and other related specialists with a deeper understanding of the role of journalism and the media in U.S. society. It will examine major topics in journalism, including the concept of a free press, First Amendment rights, and the media’s relationship to the public interest. The legal and ethical questions posed by journalism is incorporated into every aspect of the institute. It covers strategies for teaching students of journalism the basics of the tradecraft: researching, reporting, writing, and editing and highlights technology’s impact on journalism, addressing the influence of the internet, the globalization of the news media, the growth of satellite television and radio networks, and other advances in media that are transforming the profession. - Religious Pluralism in the United States
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on Religious Pluralism in the United States. This institute provides a multinational group of up to 18 foreign university faculty and practitioners with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present, through an examination of religious pluralism in the United States and its intersection with American democracy. Employing a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on fields such as history, political science, sociology, anthropology, law and others where appropriate, the program will explore both the historical and contemporary relationship between church and state in the United States. Participants examine the ways in which religious thought and practice have influenced and been influenced by, the development of American-style democracy; the intersections of religion and politics in the United States in such areas as elections, public policy, and foreign policy; and the sociology and demography of religion in the United States today, including a survey of the diversity of contemporary religious beliefs and its impact on American politics. - U.S. Culture and Society
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Culture and Society. This institute provides a multinational group of experienced and highly-motivated foreign university faculty and other specialists with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The program examines the ethnic, racial, economic, political, and religious contexts in which various cultures have manifested themselves in U.S. society, and the ways in which these cultures have influenced both social movements and historical epochs throughout U.S. history. The program draws from a diverse disciplinary base and provides a model of how a foreign university might approach the study of U.S. culture and society. - U.S. Foreign Policy
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy. This institute provides a multinational group of 18 foreign university faculty and scholars with a deeper understanding of how U.S. foreign policy is formulated and implemented with an emphasis on the post Cold War period. This institute begins with a review of the historical development of U.S. foreign policy and cover significant events, individuals, and philosophies that have dominated U.S. foreign policy. In addition, the institute explains the role of key players in the field of foreign policy, including the executive and legislative branches, the media, public opinion, think-tanks, non-governmental and international organizations, and how these players debate, cooperate, influence policy, and are held accountable. - Summer Study of the United States Institute for Secondary School Educators
The U.S. Department of State organizes a summer Study of the United States Institute for Secondary School Educators. This institute provides multinational groups of secondary educators, for example, classroom teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, Ministry of education officials, etc., with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, education, and culture, past and present. It is organized around a central theme or themes in U.S. civilization and has a strong contemporary component. Through a combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary approaches, the program will elucidate the history and evolution of U.S. educational institutions and values. The program will also serve to illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in secondary schools and other academic institutions broad. Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 25 to 50, highly-motivated and experienced secondary school educators. The ideal candidate will also be an experienced professional with little or no prior experience in the U.S., whose home institution is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. studies into its curricula, to develop new courses in the subject of the institute, to enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for education professionals in U.S. studies. Candidates should be willing and able to fully take part in an intensive post-graduate level academic program and study tour.
PAS announces these institutes in early September with a late October deadline for submission of applications by e-mail to KingstonExchanges@state.gov.
For more information on exchange programs conducted by the United States' Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit the website for the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. For more information on Fulbright programs please visit their website.