Fulbright scholarships for Jamaicans

JAMAICAN PROFESSIONALS, academics and tertiary level students have the opportunity for educational advancement in the upcoming year, under the prestigious US Fulbright Scholarship Programme and the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Programme.

Application forms can be obtained from the US Embassy's Office of Public Affairs, 1st Floor, Mutual Life Building, 2 Oxford Road, Kingston 5 or from the US Embassy in Kingston's web site, at http://usembassy.state.gov/kingston. The closing date for applications for the 2002-2004 Fulbright/LASPAU Faculty Development Programme for current college/university lecturers is May 31, 2001, while the application deadline for entry in the 2002/2003 Fulbright Graduate Student Programme is September 7.

The closing date for applications for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Programme is also September 7. Fulbright opportunities include the Fulbright/LASPAU Faculty Development Programme for professionals dedicated to college or university teaching and the Fulbright Graduate Student Programme for college or university graduates with either a first class or upper second class honours degree. The Fulbright/Latin American Scholarship Programme of American Universities (LASPAU) programme is funded by the US State Department and allows professors and lecturers with outstanding academic and professional qualifications the opportunity for a grant covering tuition, a monthly stipend, books and return airline. Grantees can get up to two years' funding for Masters or Doctoral-level studies. The Fulbright Graduate Student Programme is open to university or college graduates seeking a Master's degree in all disciplines in the humanities or social sciences, with the exception of Business Administration. The grants are for two academic years. Applicants should have graduated from a reputable tertiary institution between 1996 and 2001. The Hubert Humphrey Fellowship is a non-degree, individually tailored study programme open to accomplished and mid-career professionals in the public or private sectors who have a commitment to public service. Fellows are nominated for the year-long programme based on their potential for national leadership.

All scholarships and fellowships under these programmes are awarded on a merit basis and only to citizens of the particular country in which they are offered. Recipients are obliged to return to contribute to the further development of their home country. The three programmes are disbursed through the US State Department via its various embassies worldwide. A local panel, consisting of noted academics and/or professionals, makes a preliminary selection from the list of qualified candidates. The final selection is made by a US panel of experts.

Scores of Jamaicans have been able to benefit from the Fulbright Programme Scholarships over the past two decades. These include the Director of the Institute of Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Errol Miller; former head of the Department of History at the UWI, Professor Patrick Bryan; the Head of the UWI Department of Literatures in English, Dr. Carolyn Cooper, Lecturer at the University of Technology (Utech), Terrence Bobb-Semple; General Manager of Television Jamaica (TVJ), Marcia Forbes; Opposition Senator Anthony Johnson.

former Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ken Chaplin, Executive Director of the University Council of Jamaica, Dr. Ethley London; and Business Development Manager of the Jamaica Herald, Franklin McKnight, among others.

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