US Embassy in Fiji announces scholarship opportunities for 2009-2010 studies for Pacific Islanders

The United States Embassy in Suva has announced the Fulbright Scholarship and Humphrey Fellowship opportunities for the 2009-2010 academic year to interested citizens of the following eligible Pacific island states: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a competitive award that aims to bring citizens of other countries to the United States for Master’s degree or Ph.D. study at U.S. universities or other appropriate institutions.

The program has brought some of the world’s finest minds to U.S. campuses and offers program participants insight into U.S. society and values. Many foreign Fulbright grantees are early-career professionals who will return to take leadership positions in their home countries, often working at universities or in government service.

In addition the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program provides ten months of non-degree academic study and related professional experiences in the United States. Humphrey Fellows are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service in either the public or the private sector.

The Humphrey Program fosters a mutual exchange of knowledge and understanding about issues of common concern in the United States and the Fellows’ home countries. The Program offers Fellows valuable opportunities for leadership development and professional engagement with Americans and their counterparts from many nations.

Humphrey Fellowships are awarded competitively to candidates who are mid-career professionals in many fields, among them:
 Agricultural Development/ Agricultural Economics;
 Communications/Journalism;
 Substance Abuse Education, Treatment and Prevention;
 Economic Development/Finance and Banking;
 Educational Administration, Planning and Policy;
 HIV/AIDS Policy and Prevention;
 Human Resource Management;
 Law and Human Rights;
 Natural Resources and Environmental Management;
 Public Health Policy and Management;
 Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration;
 Teaching of English as a Foreign Language;
 Technology Policy and Management;
 Trafficking in Persons, Policy and Prevention;
 Urban and Regional Planning.

Basic Eligibility Criteria:

 an undergraduate (first university) degree,
 a minimum of five years of substantial professional experience,
 limited or no prior experience in the United States,
 demonstrated leadership qualities,
 a record of public service in the community, and
 strong English skills.

Interested individuals are to submit written applications together with copies of detailed CVs and a list of at least three referees. Application deadline is July 1, 2008.

All applications must be marked either “Fulbright Scholarship” or “Humphrey Fellowship” and forwarded to:
US Embassy
31 Loftus Street
PO Box 218
Suva
or by email to usembsuva@connect.com.fj

Applicants resident in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, should forward their applications to:
Douglas Street
P.O. Box 1492
NCD Port Moresby
or by email to usembsuva@connect.com.fj

More details on the application forms can be downloaded from US Embassy Suva