The Howard R. Swearer International Service Fellowship has been established through contributions in memory of Howard R. Swearer, the fifteenth President of Brown University.  The Fellowship reflects President Swearer's dual commitment to public service and international issues. It is a full-time, summer fellowship for currently enrolled students in the College who want to spend the summer pursuing international service work. The work can be of the student's own design or can be a preexisting internship.

 

The Fellowship is intended to enable individuals to undertake a public service project in any international context, although work pursued in developing or underdeveloped countries will be prioritized. Projects may focus on education, health care, technology, the environment, social justice, housing, agricultural development, or other development and relief services.

 

The Fellowship does not fund independent research.  Students are encouraged to pursue opportunities with an existing NGO or government agency. Projects that initiate a new effort within a developing or underdeveloped community will also be considered, provided they have the support of an NGO or government agency.  Funds may not be used to pay fees for service programs nor may they be used for tuition.

·       Students must be enrolled at Brown during the application period.

·       Sophomore, junior and senior students graduating in May 2012 are eligible to apply.

·       The work must be international – taking place anywhere in the world outside of the United States, although work pursued in developing or underdeveloped countries will be prioritized

·       Students who have received a Royce, Starr or International Scholars award are not eligible to apply.

 

Selection Criteria

• Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to and an understanding of public service and international issues. This commitment can be demonstrated through previous work or a portfolio of course work.
• Applicants must intend to pursue this project for at least ten weeks.
• The application must propose a feasible, effective service-oriented approach to the problem being addressed. This may include academic research or policy development if the applicant can demonstrate the useful application of the research/policy in the community in which it is being done.
• The proposal must receive strong support from the international organization sponsoring the work or from the community in which the project will be established.

 

The Fellowship provides up to $3,500 to cover student's costs. Funds may not be used to pay fees for service programs nor may they be used for tuition.

 

The Swearer International Fellowship Program has been designed to advance a vision affirmed by the 2008 report of Brown’s Task Force on Undergraduate Education, which argues for “...a more inclusive concept of education – indeed, one so inclusive that conventional distinctions between general education and the concentrations, between the curricular and the extracurricular, even between classroom and community, need to be rethought. The Fellowship is also one of many ways in which students will be provided more international experiences in ways that better prepare them to be global citizens.

Deadline: March 2, 2012 by 5 PM EST. 

On-line application http://www.watsoninstitute.org/fellowships/summer.cfm 

 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to meet with Alan Flam prior to preparing an application. Applications will be screened according to the quality of their ideas and presentation.