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Stay informed with periodic news and announcements from the Scholarship Programs.

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About This Initiative

Scholarship Programs mobilizes students and scholars by providing support for fellowships, scholarships, and related activities that empower individuals throughout the world to improve the social, political, and intellectual environments of their home communities. Support for advanced study in the humanities favors individuals positioned to improve classroom instruction in higher education institutions in their home country. Professional degree programs in the social sciences emphasize applied expertise, with a focus on policy analysis and systemic reform.

Post-fellowship engagement in social, political, and academic reform in the home country or region is a primary goal of Scholarship Programs. Pre-departure orientations, mid-year conferences, program listservs, and a biannual newsletter keep grantees and alumni informed of the initiatives and issues that OSI pursues. An Alumni Grants program offers incentives for grantees to create their own projects to serve local communities. These enhancements exploit the resources of the Soros network and drive Scholarship Programs to generate social change in addition to promoting academic achievement.

Scholarship Programs are supported by grants from the Department of State and the Agency for International Development in the United States, matching funds from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the French government, as well as substantive contributions from universities around the world. Approximately 1,000 new grants are completed annually in 30 countries. In-country administration and regional expertise provided by the Soros-supported Educational Advising Centers and the Soros foundation staff are essential elements of the international network that implements Scholarship Programs.

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2006 Activities

In 2006 OSI Network Scholarship Programs (NSP) supported over 800 students from 31 countries, studying primarily in the United Kingdom, Germany, Southeast Asia, and the United States. NSP established a partnership with the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science to offer the Georgia Program for Education Professionals. Funded by OSI, the Georgian government, and Harvard and Columbia universities, the program supports six Georgians who demonstrate academic excellence and education leadership potential. Upon completing master’s degrees in the United States, the grantees return to Georgia for three-year internships with the ministry. The program represents a new model for cooperation with a national ministry, U.S. universities, and NSP.

NSP continued to operate both within its traditional parameters as well as pursue and improve new international academic networks. In 2006, 21 students began PhD studies under the Palestinian Faculty Development Program.  Cofunded with the United States Agency for International Development and U.S. universities, and cooperatively administered with AMIDEAST, the program helps educated professionals engage in reasoned debate and freely seek intellectual growth. NSP also supported the Scholar Rescue Fund, which provides safe haven for scholars facing direct threats and targeted oppression in their home countries.

Read more about Scholarship Programs 2006 activities.

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