Educational Exchange

Acadamic Exchange

Under the Fulbright Program, PAS is invited to nominate qualified African university faculty for participation in the centrally-funded and regionally competitive African Senior Research Program (ASRP) and the Junior Staff Development Program (JSDP). Applicants are in competition with candidates from other sub-Saharan African countries, representing a variety of disciplines. Consequently, nomination is contingent upon the quality of the scholar’s proposal and availability of funds.

The ASRP Program is divided into two different types of grants. Both grants will follow the same timetable and formal application proces.

The African Senior Research Scholar Grant provides an opportunity for senior academicians and scholars who already have their Ph.Ds or equivalents to conduct postdoctoral research and lecturing beginning August of each year. Awards vary in duration from three to nine months and enable scholars to conduct research at a U.S. academic or research institution. Most grants are for six months. Grants of up to nine months are made only when a research proposal justifies the need for extended time. Awards are given on the basis of academic excellence, the quality of the research project proposal, and recommendation letters. Preference is given to those applicants who provide strong justification for undertaking their research in the United States, i.e., the need for access to research facilities or materials not readily available elsewhere, or the desire for collaborative research with an American scholar.

The Professional Development Grant enables college faculty members to undertake a planned program of reading and research. The rationale behind this program recognizes that many senior scholars, because of heavy teaching loads, extensive administrative and advising responsibilities unrelated to their field of academic specialization, and lack of access to all of the latest literature in their fields need a period of time to bring themselves up to date in their professional fields. Applicants with Masters' degrees and at least five years university/college teaching experience will be considered for awards in the professional development category. Professional Development grantees will reside on an American university campus for a period of three to five months.

The deadline date for submission of applications to PAS is July 31.

The African Fulbright Junior Staff Development Program (JSDP)    is designed to strengthen African university faculties by providing advanced training towards Masters degrees or for participation in a non-degree one-academic-year research program for promising young faculty members. Since all candidates selected for degree study are funded by the Fulbright Program for a maximum of only 2 years, Ph.D. degree applications are not encouraged unless candidates secure direct financial support from other sources. The candidates are nominated on the basis of open competition set up by PAS Addis Ababa, in accordance with Board of Foreign Scholarship (BFS) policy statements. To be eligible for these grants candidates must be proficient in English and affiliated with one of the Ethiopian universities. Applicants for these programs must be recommended by their institutions and are expected to have an excellent academic record. Institutions are also expected to cover round trip air fare costs and must guarantee positions for participants on their return to Ethiopia. The deadline for submission of application to PAS for this program is July 15.

American Fulbright Senior Scholar Programs:

Each year, PAS posts are requested to provide a listing of Fulbright lecturing/research opportunities available to American senior scholars in their host country.

Lecturers - The Fulbright American Lecturer Program serves two primary purposes:

(1) It promotes academic and professional developments; and

(2) It not only enables Americans to learn first-hand about other countries and culture, but also enables the people of other countries to learn more about the U.S. and its citizens.

In this program, American scholars are assigned to universities and colleges in Africa. They teach courses, develop and design curricula, and provide other consultation services depending upon the interests and the objectives of the institutions to which the lecturer is affiliated for one academic year (eight or ten months).

Lecturing/Research - This award was established to signal lecturers that time and opportunity exists for research during the grant period. This category is also for researchers who also have a light teaching load. The proportion of research and lecturing activities can vary among assignments within a single country.

Junior Lecturing/Research - These are available to individuals who have recently received a Ph.D. or who are advanced Ph.D. candidates. Ordinarily, anyone holding a Ph.D. for less than five years is classified as a junior scholar.

The Fulbright American Student Program - is designed to offer qualified American students the opportunity for study and research in African countries. The majority of Fulbright grants for American students are provided for doctoral dissertations. USIS Addis Ababa is invited to participate in the program and to submit a statement for inclusion in the Institute of International Education (IIE) publicity brochure after consultation with host institutions.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Program is designed to meet the requirements of policy makers, planners, administrators and managers who have a public service orientation, are committed to their country's development and have demonstrated leadership potential. Candidates are recruited from either the public or the private sector. The Fellowships are granted competitively to professional candidates with a strong academic background (B.A./B.Sc., or M.A./M.Sc. degrees), a good command of the English language and solid professional background. Candidates are required to submit a recommendation letter from their current employer and a guarantee of position upon return to Ethiopia.

The U.S. Embassy selection committee examines potential candidate qualifications, interviews the candidates, and transmits their applications with comments to IIE. Candidates' review panels, composed of expert representatives from the U.S. academic community, business, government, and/or international organizations evaluate and rate candidates according to the criteria set and guidelines prepared by IlE. The panels recommend principal candidates for awards to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholars Board (BFS) which has overall responsibility for the final selection of Humphrey Fellows. The announcement of Fellowship awards is made by IIE after approval by the BFS.

The Humphrey fellowship provides for international and domestic travel, tuition and fees, books, and a monthly maintenance stipend for the grant duration to cover rent, food and clothing. Priority will be given to those candidates whose institution covers travel costs. The program does not provide for dependents, and fellows are not allowed to work for a salary or to receive consultant fees during their Humphrey year.

The deadline date for submission of application to PAS is July 31.

University Affiliations Program

The University Affiliations Programs provides grants for the development of partnerships between U.S. and foreign institutions of higher education for three years in the fields of humanities, social sciences, education, and communication. This funding is authorized by the Fulbright Hays Act. Grants are awarded through an annual competition and may be used to defray costs for international travel, per diem, expenses of reciprocal faculty/staff for working, lecturing, and research, and a small allowance for educational materials to be used at and donated to the foreign institutions. Both partner institutions must maintain their faculty/staff on full salary and benefits during the exchange.

The program is intended to foster and strengthen institutional relationships between U.S. and foreign institutions of higher education, and to assist institutions to establish new affiliations or develop new programs for existing affiliations not previously funded by this program. Although the initiative to form a linkage may come from either side, the formal proposal to USIA for funding must be submitted by the U.S. partner. PAS Posts are asked to comment on affiliation grant proposals. The program is funded in Washington.