ISP News

Michigan State University has been selected to join 12 other major U.S. universities for participation in the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. The program, named after former U.S. Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr. (1911-78), is a nondegree program that brings midcareer professionals in leadership positions from around the world to select U.S. campuses. Once in residence, they participate in rigorous and tailored academic and professional development activities over the course of a ten-month period.

MSU's first-year cohort of approximately 10 Humphrey Fellows is slated to arrive on campus in August 2002. Each participant will be funded by a stipend covering travel, tuition and fees, living allowance, and limited professional development activities such as conference attendance. Similar size groups will be on campus during subsequent years.

At MSU, the Humphrey Program will be coordinated by the Center for Advanced Study in International Development (CASID) with Director Jeff Riedinger acting as faculty coordinator. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for MSU and CASID," remarked Riedinger, who spearheaded MSU's application process along with International Studies and Programs Assistant Dean Murari Suvedi. "The breadth and depth of our faculty and course offerings and the availability of faculty mentors were critical to our success in being awarded the designation of host institution."

According to Riedinger, the new five-year agreement designates MSU as one of two Humphrey Program hosts in the area of economic development. The other 11 participating institutions are designated hosts in thematic areas such as agriculture and rural development; drug abuse education, treatment, and prevention; journalism and communication; public administration and public policy; public health policy and management; and urban and regional planning.

Over the 24 years of the federally funded program, 39 U.S. universities have been home to more than 2,800 Humphrey Fellows from 135 countries. Host universities, chosen through a competitive application process, are typically "large, research-based institutions with a known track record for successful and flexible international program capacity," according to the official guidelines for applicants. "These centers of academic excellence are strategically situated to insure the Fellows' access to the cutting edge in research and practice in their specialities." The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the program's primary funding sponsor and has final decision on which institutions participate.

The Humphrey Fellowship Program is administered through the Institute of International Education, which performs a similar function with the Fulbright Program. U.S. embassies or Fulbright commissions in participating countries nominate Fellows, who must then be approved by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Fellows are selected for their potential as policy makers and future leaders, as well as for their academic and professional qualifications. Approved Fellows are reviewed by one of the universities in the appropriate thematic area and ultimately paired with a faculty mentor at the receiving institution. More information about the Humphrey Fellowship Program is available at http://www.iie.org/pgms/hhh/.